Crackdown on Death Note, a mystery in China

   A mysterious thing is happening in China now, involving the popular Japanese manga story, "Death Note". It all started when reports came out from remote cities that "playing of Death Note" in which someone writes in a notebook the name of someone else whom he or she hates is getting popular. Following the reports, authorities in late May of 2007 launched a crackdown on the publication of Death Note and other scary stories. A Chinese publisher that is suspected of publishing pirated versions of Death Note insists, however, that it is publishing its own original novel but not Death Note. There must be something that has to be clarified here.

Crackdown concentrated on books and video software

English-language newspaper in China also reports the crackdown

   Death Note, based on a story that a person whose name is written in the note would die, was first published by Shueisha Inc. in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. About 15 million copies have been sold after the stories were put out in book form. It was filmed in 2005 and further became popular.

   A pirated version of the book was published in China under the title which meant, "Writing of Death", and its related goods were sold well in that country. Shueisha has not issued license for the publication of the story to any Chinese publishing house. The extreme nature of the story was regarded as a problem in China. The problem spread further around the country when the state-run central television station reported on May 10, 2007 that playing of writing the names of hated persons in notebooks is becoming popular in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China. According to the report, specially bound notebooks for the playing were sold. These are priced at as high as 50 yuan (about 750 yen) each, the report said.

   Apparently taking a serious view on the matter, the Chinese authorities were to launch a crackdown on the publication of Death Note and other scary stories and videos. This was reported by various Chinese media on May 26. The reason for the crackdown was that the publication would have a serious impact on the personality development of children. The English-language Chinese newspaper, China Daily, said that 2,400 copies of the Death Note and 400 DVD had already been recalled as of May 10. The action would be expanded further on the matter, the newspaper said.

"We have not heard of recalling by government order": publisher

   According to a Xinhua News Agency report, the publisher that is said to be responsible for putting out the pirated version of Death Note is the publishing company Hualing located in Beijing. A person in charge at the company was quoted as saying in the report that the publication was authorized by the government and that the publication would be continued.

   The J-CAST News staff contacted the publisher on May 29, when the crackdown by the government must have already been launched, to find out if the government action has already in fact been started. The sales section of the company replied they were not informed of the matter. A person at the editorial section responded, however, and said:

"The 'Writing of Death' published by our company is different from 'Death Note' but it is our own novel. The content of our book is not all that gloomy as that of Death Note but it is of a positive nature. It does not have a bad impact on the mind of young people."

   As for the crackdown, he said:

"We have not heard of the recalling by a government order. The editorial section does not know if bookstores are still selling the books. They must be still selling."

    There was not any tension felt from what he said.

    It is not clear what the authorities are trying to crack down, and the situation is still a mystery.