Somehow Japan tops itself...

[GaijinPunch]

1: Vaguely worded law? Check
2: Said law selectively enforced: Check
3: Someone's life ruined b/c of 1 & 2: Probably Check

http://www.japantoday.com/smartphone/vi ... n-on-train

Notes:
-It's actually an ordinance
-Incarceration in Japan (that is, being held w/o charge) is 3 days + 2 optional* 10-day extensions. Even if the guy gets off, he might be totally fucked.

*99% probability they will happen.

[GaijinPunch]

That being said, I made the acquaintance of a man my father's age who was nice enough to teach me dark room printing for free. Awesome street photographer and he's been doing it forever. He only got "in trouble" once, and it was by some psycho cunt and even the cops whom were called told him when she was out of earshot, "she does this every now and again". I hate to think of someone like him quitting b/c of bullshit like this. More importantly, he's 75, has stacks of negatives, and not a single one of them is scanned. Some are publishable to boot, me thinks.

[Cagar]

I really don't see a problem here.

Just in case:
Some dude makes a random woman feel uncomfortable by taking pictures of her without permission (on a train).
Dude gets arrested.

What's wrong here?

lol @ people making comparisons with security cameras. Shots clearly aimed at someone and taken without permission is surely something that you SHOULD get arrested for.

[ACSeraph]

Not to say that the Japanese legal system isn't abusive as fuck, but isn't it kind of common courtesy to ask before taking someone's photo?

[Obiwanshinobi]

[Cagar]

"ay i can go outside and take a picture of a woman without getting arrested!!! wow japan is so fucked up!!!!!!!!"
Do you think that the woman in your picture shouldn't have the right to ask you to delete the picture? What if she was so shy and scared for you being a weirdo, that he couldn't even do it straight at your face, and had to resort to the police? (IF it was aimed at her, which it clearly wasn't) What if pervy, sneaky pics on a train was a common problem in your country, and the picture took place in a place like that?

[Obiwanshinobi]

[Cagar]

Just in case that you somehow missed my point and questions:
These pictures that you're posting are completely irrelevant to the discussion, especially if you're going to keep skipping any responses to them. Please stop spamming.

[Acid King]

Shots clearly aimed at someone and taken without permission is surely something that you SHOULD get arrested for.

Why? They're out in public, they have no expectation of privacy. Unless it's an upskirt photo or something similarly invasive then there's no reason for it to be a crime. The person's discomfort shouldn't matter, only whether or not the photographer was invading their privacy.

[Cagar]

Shots clearly aimed at someone and taken without permission is surely something that you SHOULD get arrested for.

The person's discomfort shouldn't matter, only whether or not the photographer was invading their privacy.

In my opinion, it totally should.
I think that you should be able to go to shop, gym, or any public area without the risk of feeling uncomfortable because someone is taking pictures of you.

[Obiwanshinobi]

There's the law, though, and the question whether or not it should be imposed.

[Khan]

Shots clearly aimed at someone and taken without permission is surely something that you SHOULD get arrested for.

The person's discomfort shouldn't matter, only whether or not the photographer was invading their privacy.

In my opinion, it totally should.
I think that you should be able to go to shop, gym, or any public area without the risk of feeling uncomfortable because someone is taking pictures of you.

You do realise that everyday when you step out your house and into town there is thousands of camera's dotted around that will capture your every movement

[KAI]

Everyone in Japan is so fucking tsundere.

[cools]

You do realise that everyday when you step out your house and into town there is thousands of camera's dotted around that will capture your every movement

Much like apostrophes, cameras get everywhere.

[Mortificator]

You do realise that everyday when you step out your house and into town there is thousands of camera's dotted around that will capture your every movement

Indeed, if someone thinks this is wrong, why rail on individuals instead of the major businesses that record everyone in the vicinity?

[GaijinPunch]

but isn't it kind of common courtesy to ask before taking someone's photo?

No. And if it was a common courtesy that was not being upheld, is it worth arresting someone? Again, no.
https://www.flickr.com/groups/2634506@N24/

[Cagar]

You do realise that everyday when you step out your house and into town there is thousands of camera's dotted around that will capture your every movement

Do you realise that these cameras aren't there taking pictures/videos of me specifically?
I think that you missed a heavy part of my post:

feeling uncomfortable because someone is taking pictures of you.

There's a sea between "You're filmed by tons of security cameras" and "You're filmed by a guy next to you on a train".
Security cameras (and other cameras most likely too) are relevant and a good bonus to modern society.

[ACSeraph]

And if it was a common courtesy that was not being upheld, is it worth arresting someone? Again, no.

This much I can agree with, but I wouldn't appreciate someone taking my photo without asking. If nothing else it's rude, but I won't argue that the reaction wasn't ridiculous. Just saying it isn't really 100% innocent in my eyes.

[Obiwanshinobi]

There are other ways of dealing with abusive behaviour than making easily abused laws.
Have you seen a Hollywood flick protagonist smoking in a movie made in recent years?

[GaijinPunch]

[quote[
Security cameras (and other cameras most likely too) are relevant and a good bonus to modern society.[/quote]

So are street photos.

[neorichieb1971]

The problem here is if the victim makes a deal out of nothing.

[Obiwanshinobi]

How about eye contact? Can be considered just as harassing, if not so easily proved. Or heavy panting for that matter.

[Cagar]

So are street photos.

Yeah, how about "street photos" (like the guy in the news article has probably said)? Out af all people I know, literally no-one gives a shit about street photos, but everyone WOULD give a shit if someone took unwanted underskirt-photos of school girls.
Now, do the math and consider, are street photos worth the risk of "street photos" happening, especially if it's already so common to happen that you have to make laws to prevent it?

Also no, I'm sorry but street photos are also sea-far away from the benefit of security cameras.

How about eye contact? Can be considered just as harassing, if not so easily proved. Or heavy panting for that matter.

Tell me more about your cyborg eye-abilities, or stop acting stupid and shitposting.

[Mortificator]

There's a sea between "You're filmed by tons of security cameras" and "You're filmed by a guy next to you on a train".

It depends on what you think is wrong about filming people. If you think the act itself visits some injustice on the subject, then it's equally wrong regardless of who does it, and you would be against both corporate and individual filming.

If you think the purpose determines whether filming's benign or malicious, then you couldn't be in favor of the above law, which ignores purpose. You couldn't be against street photography in general, because an individual's purpose could be the same as the corporations whose filming you say your in favor of.

That purpose, incidentally, is not to benefit society, it's to benefit themselves.

[antron]

I don't get it. Was her vagina visible or something? I understand you are not supposed to take pictures of those things in Japan.

[Strikers1945guy]

I took some pictures at a beach while I was vacationing recently. Am I supposed to go up and ask everyone in the background if I can keep the photos? You can't expect privacy when you're in public I thought this was common sense.

[nasty_wolverine]

private != public

case closed.

[GaijinPunch]

The problem here is if the victim makes a deal out of nothing.

In Japan? No way...

are street photos worth the risk of "street photos" happening, especially if it's already so common to happen that you have to make laws to prevent it?

Well, street photography is an artform. That set aside, there are no laws to prevent it other than one's right to likeness. This is some other broad-sweeping bullshit law (of which Japan has many) that's being abused. If there was a problem w/ street photography there would be some law about taking photos without someone's consent... of which there isn't. The other option would be, in true Japanese form, use a loophole and say you're a photo journalist.

I thought this was common sense.

As one would guess, Japan doesn't always employ common sense. Signs saying "don't kill yourself here" would be really obvious proof.

[Cagar]

I took some pictures at a beach while I was vacationing recently. Am I supposed to go up and ask everyone in the background if I can keep the photos? You can't expect privacy when you're in public I thought this was common sense.

No.