Acceptable Boundaries for Radical Expressions in Japanese Reality Shows

Abstract

In recent years, it has become challenging to broadcast extreme content with violent and grotesque expressions in Japan owing to the changing values of younger viewers and stricter regulations imposed by organizations, such as the Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization. This cleaning up of variety programs has led to a decline in their attractiveness, resulting in viewers avoiding television and choosing other sources of entertainment. Additionally, many viewers wish to watch radical content, as they did a decade ago. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze viewers' boundaries of acceptable extremism using a questionnaire survey. A representative survey of 103 people aged 18–24 years, who are considered to be the most tolerant of extreme content, was conducted. The results revealed that staging violence involving areas close to vital parts of the human body could lead to serious injury and were unacceptable, whereas staging minor violence involving non-vulnerable areas, that included filth with mosaic, were generally acceptable. Therefore, the former case is not acceptable to be aired in any program, while the latter is considered acceptable if aired in a scrambled format.