The Ethics Organization of Computer Software in Japan banned the sale of games with forced sexual situations after an outcry in the Western press over Rapelay, a niche game released a few years back.

Some game adult game developers have cut themselves off from the West, while one dev is looking at the entire situation with a sense of humor. On December 18, new ero title Shinobiryuu was released in Japan. Before starting the game, the following title screen appears (translated by website Canned Dogs):

Declaration
This is a declaration made with the consensus of all the characters that appear in this story.
All the characters appearing in this game have gone through special training and all actions carried out are done on the basis of mutual agreement.
Even if you're a inhuman person who believes that fictional characters in creative works do not have human rights, please do not ignore this.
We also thank all the kind people who see a character in the story saying phrases such as "help me" and take it as a real call for help.
However, even though you are worrying for the characters in the story, these are all lines spoken from a script.
They are not saying all this from the bottom of their hearts. We are sorry that they have put in so much effort into their acting that some people will confuse it as something that is really happening.
This game is a fictional story.

Fiction! Remember that? In-game characters also make note that fictional characters apparently have human rights. "There are apparently some special people that will get angry and show sympathy for us if we get raped," says one character. "And they'll start lobbying for us too." Save the in-game characters!

Eroge characters comment on restrictions [Canned Dogs]

PC download site BGameBox has posted a notification that the categories "ryoujoku" (rape) and "choukyou" (sexual training) have been removed from the site as of July 31.

A separate email newsletter informs users that the rape category has been renamed "Platinum category" and the sexual training category is now "Thoroughbred category". There are presently games in these categories, but the company notes that they may disappear without warning.

凌辱系ソフトの扱いに関して [BGameBox via Canned Dogs via AnimeNation]

PC game Yuusha kara wa nigerarenai (You Can't Escape From The Hero) has its female character duke it out with...sexy poses. The posing mechanic is quite complex and even lets players save poses they've come up with before. The battle system is about posing technique and certain poses have certain powers.

After winning the pose-off, the winner gets, well, get go to town on the loser and vice versa. We don't actually mean you go to a town, you know, we're sorta trying to speak in double entendres.

オレ的ゲーム速報＠刃:【エロゲ】『勇者からは逃げられない！』のバトルシステムがちょっと面白そう
[はちま起稿]

Japanese developer Illusion seems to be "inspired" by the Dragon Quest III female character designs. The PC game does not yet have a release date, and there is no info on the official website about gameplay so we don't know how much of You Can't Escape From The Hero can escape from ripping off Dragon Quest.

After the Rapelay controversy, Illusion blocked its site to foreign IPs as the Japanese adult gaming industry began revising its standards for what is acceptable in-game content and what is not.

So rape? Certainly not acceptable and now banned. Knocking off other companies? Well.

ILLUSION [Official Site via オレ的ゲーム情報 via Sankaku Complex via HongFire via GameSetWatch]

"I downloaded it," he stated. "but I didn't leak this onto the internet." File sharing is illegal in Japan.

Using an online file sharing service called "Share", the title was leaked to countless users. Described as a "game depicting rape", the title had its in-game mosaic removed and is believed to be banned raped title Rapelay.

The suspect works in the Japanese sex industry.

性暴力ゲーム、無修正で流す＝川崎市の男逮捕−京都府警 [jiji via 2ch]

Joining the likes of PC developer Minori, Yuzusoft's website sends up a standard 403 forbidden to those trying to access the page outside of Japan. And while the VisualArts Visual Antena website cannot be accessed by foreign IPs, the site does carry this amusing message: "PLEASE PLAY THE GAME OF YOUR COUNTRY IF YOU PRAY FOR THE WORLD PEACE!:-)」"

This is less xenophobia, more we-are-scared-of-pissing-people-off. It's just that a lot of those pissed off people live outside Japan. These recent defensive measures from erotic game makers come in the wake of the Rapelay controversy and subsequent rape game banning. Other measures include changing the titles of upcoming releases.

VisualAntena! and Yuzu_Soft [Official Sites via Canned Dogs]

• Rape (including various terms for it)
• Loli (lolita)
• Gang Rape
• Sexual violence
• Cruel sexual play
• Reverse rape
• Shoujo
• Adultery
• Reverse sexual violence
• Forced
• Group sex
• School council
• Bestiality
• Bondage
• Threats
• Train groping
• Compensated dating
• Incest
• Torture
• Heavy bondage
• Pregnant
• Slave
• Pregnant woman
• Imprisonment
• Impregnation

Good ol' vanilla sex seems safe! For now.

This list covers images as well as written text, including story, dialogue, hidden words, etc. All of this comes via the direction of an unnamed regulation group — possibly the Ethics Organization of Computer Software. The inclusion of "shoujo" (young girl) and "school council" show that no chances are being taken.

Date when this will go into effect will be announced shortly. Other eroge makers have taken it upon themselves to offer "cleaner" titles for upcoming games.

List of terms [llpalace via Canned Dogs]

What to do? In order to avoid another outcry or to prevent falling target of international protests, adult game developers are giving new and upcoming titles less sensation names.

So, Slippery Pregnancy Princess (our translation) becomes a shortened form of "Slippery Princess" ("Nuru Puri").

Here's a list of recent retitled games. The titles are in Japanese, and we've localized them into English for your reading pleasure — or displeasure, perhaps:

Original title: Mihiro Sensei's Rape Diary
New title: Mihhiro Sensei's Diary.

Slave Maiden's Rape Hell
Young Girl's Prison

Repayment Sex Slavery
Repayment Plan

The House of Female Slaves
The House of Shame

Demon Father 2 ~ A Brute like you is not my father! ~
Demon Father 2

Slave Officer Claris
Depraved Officer Claris

One has to wonder if the Rapelay controversy would have reached international incident if the game didn't have a catchy English title. The Japanese word "goukan" certainly doesn't stir the same feelings of controversy in English speakers.

ソフ倫の陵辱系エロゲ規制を受けてエロゲタイトル変更続々 :にゅーあきばどっとこむ [にゅーあきば。こむ NSFW]

The country's Ethics Organization of Computer Software held an emergency meeting today in which nearly 100 representatives from various erotic game companies concluded that the manufacturer and sale of rape-type games should cease. This was not a government decision or even a legal one, but instead a self-policing policy on the part of the EOCS.

None of the representatives thought it was out of line to ban these types of games, and many felt this was the only way to rectify any problems caused by these types of games. Do know: a vote was not taken at this meeting, for whatever that is worth.

Future regulations regarding games will be worked out in the future. Until then, the EOCS will work with individual erotic game companies to help ease the transition.

The controversy regarding "rape games" started with the West discovered three-year-old PC game Rapelay, which was intended for a Japanese audience and legally released in its country of origin. Japanese politicians picked up on the Western fervor against the game, blaming this types of games for increase crime, etc.

What kind of changes can we expect? Ero game maker Syrup Soft is delaying its upcoming game Gang raped by the entire village ~girls covered in milky liquid~ to re-moniker it The trap set by the entire village ~bodies covered in milky liquid~. So, yeah, expect more creative ways of masking rape and rape iconography as well as possibly more "amateur" or unlicensed games. Then there's always the rape pornography and rape comic books that will most likely continue, business as usual.

First effects of coming changes in eroge and Production and sale of rape games will be banned [Canned Dogs]

Earlier, it was reported by TBS News that the Ethics Organization of Computer Software had voluntarily agreed to halt the sale and manufacture of "rape-type" games. Too bad nobody told the EOCS, because the organization was surprised to see this reported by TBS and later picked up by Yahoo! News Japan.

So what happened? Back when Rapelay controversy reached Japan, TBS came to the EOCS to do an interview, but then edited the footage to misrepresent the organization's intended stance. TBS recently asked to do another interview with the EOCS, who declined this request. Still, TBS ran this story, regardless.

Apparently, nothing will go into effect on June 2. There is merely a meeting then, and this news report came out of nowhere. On erotic game industry insider says that even if the organization had decided to prohibit the games, companies would have until past July to comply with the new regulations. What's more, the used game market will probably be unaffected.

There are even rumblings that this news report is a news campaign on the part of the New Komeito Party, which has previously expressed disapproval of these types of games. This is unconfirmed, but supposedly the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry told a New Komeito party rep that there was going to be a meeting on June 2 — information that apparently was passed on to TBS. This some how became rape games will be banned on June 2. Like we said, all unconfirmed.

Those connected with the EOCS do see tighter regulations for these types of games, but not necessarily prohibition.

Rape games not really banned and I hate TBS [CANNED DOGS]

It's planned for sale and manufacture of "rape-type" games to be banned. According to Japan's TBS News, an industry governing body comprised of 200 game companies has voluntarily greed to revise its rules so that the sale of these games will be prohibited. The new industry regulations will go into effect on June 2.

Said one shopper in Akibara, Tokyo's otaku district, "It kind of bland, you know? If you're always doing pure things, you want do impure things, too."

Note: no national Japanese law prohibits the sale of these games. What's more, rape-related comics and pornography will continue, business as usual. Ditto for hobby game makers who don't belong to this industry association.

So why change the regulation? Perhaps to pacify Western outrage, and perhaps to head off any sort of government involvement. The New Komeito Party has been fingering erotic games as a negative influence on the rate of Japanese sex crimes.

Don't expect rape in these types of games to go away as Japan has come up with often frightening creative ways to circumvent prohibited imagery. Tentacles for penises, anyone?

Update: The plot thickens! Apparently the TBS news report is false.

「「凌辱系」ゲーム、製造・販売禁止へ」　News i - TBSの動画ニュースサイト [TBS Thanks, Thomas!]

The New Komeito Party is fingering erotic games as a negative influence on the rate of Japanese sex crimes.

As website Sankaku Complex points out, Japan has an extremely low sex crime rate:

UN Rape Rates
per 100,000

Canada: 78.08
Australia: 77.79
USA: 32.05
Sweden: 24.47
UK: 16.23
France: 14.36
S. Korea: 12.98
Germany: 9.12
Russia: 4.78
Taiwan: 4.08
Japan: 1.78

The Komeito Party is quoted as stating, "There is a very good chance that the influence of violent sex games far exceeds that of regular pornography." The politicians provided no basis for these claims. How convenient.

守ろうとしているのは本当に子供か [カワタカ技研ココログ工場 via Sankaku Complex]

The Japanese language rape simulator has already been dropped by Amazon as well as no longer imported by other sellers.

Things have snowballed for the Japanese title, and New York-based Equality Now kicked off a campaign this week "against rape simulator games and the normalisation of sexual violence in Japan". Activists are urged to protest the game's maker, Illusion, and the Prime Minister of Japan.

According to company spokesman Makoto Nakaoka, "We are simply bewildered by the move. We make the games for the domestic market and abide by laws here. We cannot possibly comment on (the campaign) because we don't sell them overseas."

Japan's NHK, FujiTV and Yomiuri have all begun covering the story...about a PC game released domestically in 2006. Illusion has yanked the game from its website and retailer Sofmap states that the game is out of production.

Whether you not you find this game offensive, let's get this all straight: Japanese company legally releases game in 2006. This year, people in America discover the game and get upset. Company catches heat for legally releasing a game, stops producing it and deletes information about said game from its website.

The kicker? Rapelay isn't even indicative of the vast majority of Japanese erotic games.

Eroge is being in focus by the Japanese media [CANNED DOGS]