Honor-related emotions, in other words, the consciousness and feelings one has about their own value, may not be protected as defamation under Japanese law. However, if these emotions are violated beyond a certain limit, it can be considered a tort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The typical case of honor-related emotional harm is when someone is insulted on the internet, such as being called “stupid” or “ugly” using their real name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, there are also cases where it becomes illegal due to the relationship with the person who is modeled, such as when a fictional personality modeled after a specific person in the real world appears in “animation” or “manga”, and defamatory expressions are made against that personality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Issues of rights infringement through such creative works are not limited to TV, theaters, and book releases, but have also spread to the world of internet media such as YouTube in recent years. For example, there are cases where anime videos based on actual incidents are published on YouTube. If you are a famous talent, YouTuber, or company executive, there is a risk of being victimized by having such videos created without permission and published on YouTube. Can you claim that “unauthorized publication is illegal” and request the removal of the video and damages?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this article, we will explain the infringement of honor rights (defamation) and honor-related emotional harm (insult crime) by anime and manga, based on actual precedents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n