Japan Easing Up On Photos?

Before and during concerts, whether the artist is Japanese or not, there are numerous, detailed announcements telling the audience that recording the show is strictly forbidden. More importantly, security personnel will actively go into a crowd during a show and prevent anyone seen holding up a phone or a camera from recording.

According to the Japanese website RocketNews 24, “copyright infringement isn’t always the culprit,” though Japanese copyright laws are more strictly enforced than in many other countries. The problem has more to do with keeping order, which is something of an obsession in Japan at public functions. It was only until recently that concertgoers at seated events were even allowed to stand up and move into the aisles, or even dance in place in front of their seats.

The thinking seems to be that people who hold cameras or phones up to record shows are bothering other people in the venue. Another reason is to head off a possible stampede. Nevertheless, RocketNews says some organizers are starting to bend to the trend, and Japanese artists are actually encouraging their fans to take pictures during shows, therefore undermining any restrictions individual venues may enforce.

The website cites one popular band, Sekai no Owari (The End of the World), as being at the forefront of the movement. The band tells fans during shows to record all they want, because, as one member tweeted, “there isn’t really a reason why it’s prohibited.”