Akiyuki Nosaka as a "defendant" - with the historical background of 1972

Akiyuki Nosaka as a "defendant" - with the historical background of 1972

In 1972, Akiyuki Nosaka stood in court as a defendant in the "Indecent Document Sales Case" involving the "Yonjohan Fusuma no Shimotari". At that time, Japan was experiencing rapid economic growth, and as the consumer society was in full bloom, restrictions on sexual expression were strictly enforced. Although it was said that postwar democracy had spread, publishing and broadcasting were still under police and judicial control, and the struggle between freedom of speech and state power continued. Nosaka experienced many moments in his daily life when he was made aware that he was a defendant. Whenever his lectures were turned down or his TV appearances were cancelled due to the wishes of his sponsors, he was keenly aware that he was being viewed by society as a "defendant of obscene documents" under colored glasses. However, he did not become despicable, but rather positioned himself in a position to confront the massive power of the state. As a member of a generation that e
xperienced defeat in the war, he saw the trial as a struggle for freedom of expression, not merely a matter of obscenity, and continued to stand proudly in court, believing that justice was on his side. Society was in a period of instability in which sexual liberation and conservative opposition intersected, and while strip shows and adult films were flourishing, there was also a succession of exposures. Nosaka's awareness as a "defendant" embodied this contradiction and is remembered as a symbolic case of cultural freedom in postwar Japan.