time for tape
in april a new law will spread its hate across japan. it forces used electronic retailers of all walks to get an inspection license so they may probe their goods before trying to sprinkle visual and aural love throughout the nation...and all over the earth. until now this was the government's job - so if a used famicom blew off your face it was their fault...potentially. the government was responsible for inspecting all used electronics and only sending the approvables, with a sticker, to retailers. i have never seen one of these stickers in all my browsings through used electronic stores and recycle shops. this is probably why they are changing the law.
the new law puts all the responsibility on retailers - forcing them to get a license before selling and actually inspect their goods. it seems the license is easy enough to get, but the inspection is time consuming and very strict apparently and if you don't get a sticker on one, or don't properly inspect it you can face a hefty fine. it seemed that small businesses would suffer the most, not possibly being able to meet the regulations and closing shop but it's big places like Sofmap, Hardoff (like Bookoff, but far more serious), Ishibashi and FiveG that are already clutching at their hems and standing on chairs swearing off used electronics...forever.
i probably didn't explain this properly enough to stress its severity but it's scary stuff. some people are comparing it to witch burning.
mixi news (in japanese)
the new law puts all the responsibility on retailers - forcing them to get a license before selling and actually inspect their goods. it seems the license is easy enough to get, but the inspection is time consuming and very strict apparently and if you don't get a sticker on one, or don't properly inspect it you can face a hefty fine. it seemed that small businesses would suffer the most, not possibly being able to meet the regulations and closing shop but it's big places like Sofmap, Hardoff (like Bookoff, but far more serious), Ishibashi and FiveG that are already clutching at their hems and standing on chairs swearing off used electronics...forever.
i probably didn't explain this properly enough to stress its severity but it's scary stuff. some people are comparing it to witch burning.
mixi news (in japanese)
posted by Overture at
12:45 PM
7 Comments:
Ugh, so many strange letters. gimme a few days, and Ill get back to you.
I've never heard of any of this. But, wouldn't places like Hard-Off benefit because they're smaller competitors might be squashed? Or is it that due to the volume of used product they deal in, the would be facing much higher liabilities for exploding famicoms and the like.
I've never seen these seals either. You would think that larger recycle shops would be more likely to be regulated at this point, due to their higher profile than so many momNpop recycle shops n stuff.
Although I think the more important recent development is the possible fingerprinting/photographing of all 外人 entering the country. Questionable whether or not it will happen though.
We already do this in America, right?
Also, did you guys SEE THIS SHIT?
http://youtube.com/w/Multi-Touch-Interaction-Research?v=sKgOdvNZ8_g&search=touch%20interface
I posted it the other day... I was blown away.
yeah, i have never seen the seals... and i don't know why bigger places just don't make their own inspection department...i mean people want this shit! but this way used stuff will probably not be whole lot cheaper than new stuff (and in the cases of analog synths, etc. more expensive than they already are), which pretty much means folks gots to buy the new and stuff the old - to nigeria! it benefits electronic companies, benefits the government, and fucks the consumer, in this case primarilly pennypinching freeters.
everything went bar code when before i left japan but this is first i've heard of fingerprinting.
waht's wierd about here is is that two christmass ago aya got fingered and coded and photoed but this year - nothing. i don't really know what the deal is but it was like no big thing.
i checked out and was properly blown away by mtir. i am so ready for it to be my everything.
oh and everyone in my mixi moog community is flipping their shit that this is the death of analog synths in japan. i have to say i doubt any vintage synth would stand inspection.
i wouldn't be suprised if they start doing this with other things...games, music (that means vinyl)...books? obviously when you hit software things start to get fuzzy.
Sounds great for Yahoo Auction sellers, though.
Ya know how when you throw out large items, appliances, electronics; you have to buy a sticker at the conbini, and set it out on the appropriate day?
I always wonder what happens to percentage of electronics that don't get scavenged by poor gaijin bums like us. Do they melt it down for robot blood? Or do you think there is a warehouse where they sort that shit, inspect it, slap a sticker on and then sell in bulk to hard-offs...
You sure the gov. is supposed to be doing this already? Really, I've never seen any sticker like that in all my hard-offin'.
Oh, and where is the super famicom shop you were telling me about, again? Kci&JoJo, right?
i think the famicom shop might have closed. it didn't really have anything that other videogame recycle shops didn't...it was just that it was so focused...it was fhanki.
there is a road, if you remember the way to our house, you are walking through the park and you come up a short hill out of the heart of the park and cross a road and continue on flat ground towards a track and then the ghibli museum. that road you cross...if you go left and head down it you will pass a lawsons on your right - it is shortly after that. i hope it's still running.
in my search for english details to this law business i pulled up these articles about how us and japan and other countries bundle up a ton of their electronic gear and ship to nigeria - for real - because they can.
i bet there is a waerhouse where they sort, but i can't imagine they get the bulk of used electronics - that passes directly from the hands of customers to retailers...which is why we don't see the stickers very often. also aya says they would usually place the sticker somewhere inside the unit - where they opened it up and checked it out.
but all we can do is hope i've got my japanese backwards and everything will be ok in the coming months.
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