JAPON PERSPECTIVE

The Japan Times covered the verdict with the measured, factual approach characteristic of Japanese press. But behind this editorial restraint lies a rapidly accelerating national debate on online child protection.

Japanese statistics are alarming: according to the Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center, 6% of people aged 10-29 show 'pathological use' of social media, with 10% of high schoolers and 25% of university students affected by smartphone addiction. The number of elementary school children victimized through social media hit a 10-year high of 167 in 2025, up 20% year-over-year.

The government formed an expert panel in January 2026, but remains reluctant to impose blanket age restrictions. The city of Toyoake (Aichi) adopted Japan's first municipal smartphone use ordinance in October 2025. This bottom-up approach reflects tension between national consensus on the need to act and cultural hesitation to legislate restrictively.