Japan's Gaming History Now Safe 105
An anonymous reader writes "The Guardian today has covered the final part of the ongoing saga regarding the Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law in Japan. Thankfully, the law has been almost reversed allowing the continued sale of second hand electrical goods (including games consoles)." From the article: "The Japanese secondhand electrical goods market was officially estimated last year to be worth around £500m ... The government probably hoped the law would go largely unnoticed and bring a variety of benefits. By taking the money out of the secondhand market and injecting it into the market for new goods, regulation (of old products) and revivalisation (of the economy) would be achieved in one fell swoop. On paper, anyway. In practice it was rather different."
Right wing zealot mode (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Right wing zealot mode (Score:2)
Re:Right wing zealot mode (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Right wing zealot mode (Score:1)
Re:Right wing zealot mode (Score:2)
In Europe, where a liberal is more or less a classical liberal, then yes. In America, where a liberal is more or less a social democrat, then no. In America, European liberals are called classical liberals, libertarians (although there are different strands of libertarianism ranging from a civil liberties + free market stance with "states' rights" to anarchocapitalism), or economic conservatives.
Re:Right wing zealot mode (Score:2)
England
Re:Right wing zealot mode (Score:1)
Re:Right wing zealot mode (Score:1)
The right condones deregulation of the economy as far as government is concerned. The left condones regulating the economy with government power. If the Japanese government wanted to regulate sales, then that qualifies it as "left wing."
Re:Right wing zealot mode (Score:2)
Re:Right wing zealot mode (Score:2)
Re:Right wing zealot mode (Score:2)
What really gets at me is that people ever really thought that the used games/ham radio/vintage stereo equipment markets were ever going to be hurt in any meaningful way by needing to cert
Re:Right wing zealot mode (Score:1)
I'm grateful... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I'm grateful... (Score:5, Interesting)
Something as simple as taking home leftovers from a restaurant is unheard of. You could have an entire plate of food left over and they'll look at you like you've got two heads if you ask them to wrap it.
They've already got laws which make it prohibitively expensive to own a car for more than a few years. They're pretty much forced into buying new cars every couple of years.
Even without these laws Japanese are always clamoring after the shinest new product. I bet the Japanese government didn't expect people to have a problem with those regulations. In fact, I'm surprised people were upset enough that they went out and had demonstrations. Good for them, I'm glad to see they did do something about it.
Re:I'm grateful... (Score:4, Interesting)
I don't know what it's like in Japan - I've never been but I'd love to go!
Anyway, the battery in my cordless phone isn't holding a charge. So I thought, "I'll just go and buy a new one. It couldn't cost more than $10." HA! The battery was going for about $19 - the phone, brand new, costs $17! It actually pays to through the phone away and buy a new one!
Fucking marketing!
I think I should stop using cordless phones. (Score:2)
The 'through' instead of 'throw' actually looked correct the first couple of times I read it!
Aye aye aye! and Oy vey!
Re:I'm grateful... (Score:2)
Re:I'm grateful... (Score:1)
Re:I'm grateful... (Score:2)
Re:I'm grateful... (Score:1)
Re:I'm grateful... (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:I'm grateful... (Score:4, Informative)
In majority prefectures you have to dispose of electronic goods seperately from the rest of your garbage (which in turn becomes recycled). All electronic goods in Japan are required by law to have a certain percent recyclable. In addition, in Japan you have to seperate into "burnable/moeru gomi", "non-burnable/moenai gomi:, and recyclable garbage, and depending on where you like you have to further seperate organic waste (nama gomi), paper, glass (by color in my area), steel, aluminum, etc.
Re:I'm grateful... (Score:1)
Mod Parent Up (Score:1, Informative)
Revivalization (Score:5, Insightful)
Wow, that was a winner of an idea. I wonder why they didn't think to apply the same regulation to, say, used cars?
"Revivalization" is a awesome word, by the way.
Re:Revivalization (Score:5, Interesting)
The Japanese government is completely controlled by large corporations.
Re:Revivalization (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Revivalization (Score:5, Informative)
My understanding is that the old Japanese cars are sold to Australia, since they're also right hand drive and relatively close.
Re:Revivalization (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Revivalization (Score:2)
Re:Revivalization (Score:2)
Re:Revivalization (Score:1)
Re:Revivalization (Score:3, Interesting)
What I would refer to as a tuner would be the ones who actually spend most of their money to increase the perfor
Re:Revivalization (Score:2)
Re:Revivalization (Score:2)
I guess it could be a factor of the dollar/yen trade rate. I have no idea how much the exchange rate has changed over the last couple of years. I could have sworn somebody said that there was also some kind of legislation involved that contributed, too. Oh well, I guess it's not matter since if you want an impor
Re:Revivalization (Score:2)
Re:Revivalization (Score:2)
It's called the "shaken". As in you're getting "shaken down" for more money.
Re:Revivalization (Score:2)
Thank you. That was one of the funniest things I've heard lately.
I got "shaken" on my car a few months ago and that's exactly what it felt like.
Re:Revivalization (Score:1)
Re:Revivalization (Score:1)
Re:Revivalization (Score:3, Insightful)
Because a new USV is so damn fuel efficient...
Anyway it's a stupid way to do this and probably doesn't help that much, if you want to cut down on emissions and increase fuel efficiency then make a law to ban cars which don't pass rigorous standards.
I guess it really is a brave new world, he.
Re:Revivalization (Score:2)
2) Due to space constraints, SUV, Vans, etc. aren't very popular vehicles in Japan. Cost also most likely has something to do with it, as I believe the insurance, registration, and taxes are all cheaper on the smaller classes of cars.
Re:Revivalization (Score:1)
yeah...because building a new car for gramma who drives 200 miles per year (to church and back), or sonny who drives 1000 (to school and back) helps the environment.
pollution-mile limits: while equally draconian, might help the environment (such as consumer cars with emissions 50% over the limit can be driven 2000 miles per year, 100%, 1000, etc), but mandatory scrapping...sorta iffy.
Re:Revivalization (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Revivalization (Score:2)
Reminds me of a quote... (Score:5, Funny)
Amazingly true... especially in economics...
Re:Reminds me of a quote... (Score:1)
-Yogi Bear
Re: (Score:2)
FYI (Score:4, Informative)
People in Japan never purchase used electronics, in fact they purchase new electronics at a pace which dwarfs American technology purchases. It's just sort of a Japanese thing... They always want the newest/best/coolest bit of technology.
There are however, many poorer countries around Japan, and there is an amazing market for these used electronics in nearby countries. For some time now there has been a massive organized sale of used electronics to other countries, creating pretty substantial profits.
This could be powered by anything from ebay to organized supply chains.
Basically the Japanese government felt like they could possibly direct some of this revenue to the electronics manufacturers, and increase the sales of new items, therefore promoting growth and new technologies, etc, etc.
The thing here to remember is that it never impacted the Japanese directly, as it is extremely rare for a japenese person to buy a used electronics item for themselves, but rather it impacted them indirectly by making it harder to profit from the resale of items.
Anyone feel free to correct me on this.........
Re:FYI (Score:1)
The the Chain store
Hard Off
Book Off
House Off
and Car Off
All specialized in second hands items... can be found all acrosse Japan... Good stuff, like new...
Re:FYI (Score:1)
Re:FYI (Score:1)
Really Nice Girls?
Re:FYI (Score:2)
Re:FYI (Score:3, Informative)
You're right - it is extremely rare for the Japanese to buy second hand electronics - but there is one area pointed out by the article that is a notable exception (no not Games).
Thats music.
For many people a second hand guitar & amp is not just a cheaper solution, but a superior solution. Rightly or wrongly, many people prefer the sounds of older equipment.
Re:FYI (Score:5, Interesting)
Anyhow, it's not true that Japanese only buy new stuff.
Re:FYI (Score:2)
Re:FYI (Score:1)
No, that's where you go to buy used porn.
Re:FYI (Score:1)
I remember when I went to Japan, going to book off and buying "used" manga for 100 yen each, which was basically new manga, because it barely looked used.
I also remember that book off was full of cd's, I have no idea if they were used or not though, because there were more than a Tokyo department store.
And where that book off was, was a used electronics store which was crazy.
Original gameboy pockets for 650 yen, Gameboy advanced for about 6000 yen (roughly 65 AUS here, compared to 100
Re:FYI (Score:2)
Re:FYI (Score:2)
Re:FYI (Score:1)
Re:FYI (Score:1)
The Worst Law Ever (Score:2, Informative)
No kidding. Essentially, the law made it illegal to buy a used electronic device. The justification was that it would keep "unsafe" devices out of circulation, but that was merely an excuse to force consumers to buy new stuff instead. Japan must have one heck of a corporate marketing lobby!
The good news is that the public outcry forced the law
Re:The Worst Law Ever (Score:1)
Re:The Worst Law Ever (Score:2)
Not game systems (Score:1)
not again (Score:1, Funny)
Crazy economics to ban secondhand goods (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Crazy economics to ban secondhand goods (Score:1, Interesting)
End result: publisher gets £10 and retailer g
Re:Crazy economics to ban secondhand goods (Score:2)
# Retailer sells game to new customer while the game is still hot for £30.
There's your problem right there. If the game was really worth 45 quid in the first place, the customer wouldn't have been done with it in two weeks. Part of the problem, at least in the USA, is the annual sports games -- aside from footy, I guess, which is worldwide. People happily plonk down fifty bucks for esentially the same game, only with the player names chang
Re:Crazy economics to ban secondhand goods (Score:2)
Listed Unsafe Devices (Score:1)
Not to over-simplify, but... (Score:2)
When oldskool is outlawed... (Score:3, Funny)
When oldskool is outlawed, only outlaws will be oldskool.
or... as Charlton Heston said...
FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!!!!
viva la Colecovision! hahahahah
Same Old, Same Old (Score:1)
Re:Same Old, Same Old (Score:2)
The only people who have cars are the ones who can afford to throw money around like that. They have these things called "trains" over there, or so I hear.
Ever wonder why you never hear of the Great Japanese Road Trip?
Re:Same Old, Same Old (Score:2)
Maybe it has more to do with the islands' land areas adding up to less than California? By the time you get up to speed, you're already there.
500 million pounds? (Score:2)
So the Japanese have switched their currency to the Pound Sterling?
500 million what? (Score:2)
OK, but what is that in metric?
shocked! (Score:1)
Please won't somebody save the children!
Japan to break windows with bricks next! (Score:3, Insightful)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_window_fallac
To sum it up... yes, a person by being forced to purchase brand new TV, instead of second hand TV, does spend more money on the new item than second hand... but it doesn't add more money to the economy. The person might have been purchasing a second hand TV, so that they could purchase a new watch. Or they might have purchased a second hand TV, and then spent the money saved on school books. In order words, they have to do without some other item in order to spend more on the television. And that doesn't even include the hidden enviornmental costs - not only is there poluttion from building the new TV, but now you have a perfectly good old TV that you need to get rid of.
What if you can't afford it? (Score:3, Interesting)
In other words, instead of generating low income (in form of tax) for the country, they now generate NO income instead. Great move! You sure the idea came from Japan and not the EC parlament?
But at least it now makes sense why in Cyberpunk novels nobody seems to remember any stuff built before 2020...
safe? (Score:1)
NES? Maybe Overseas, But at Home It Is Famicom. (Score:1)
Shouldn't that be the "can't-keep-an-old-Famicom-down dept." because the NES is called the Nintendo Family Computer in Japan?
Wikipedia Famicom article [wikipedia.org]