Strengthened Regulations on Credit Card Companies Hit Otaku Culture: The Current State and Impact of "Financial Censorship" Extending to Steam

2025年07月21日 22:50

1. The Trigger for Strengthened Regulations: Card Companies Prioritize "Brand Protection"

In April 2025, Visa and Mastercard revised their merchant agreements to explicitly categorize digital products containing pornography, incest, depictions of minors in sexual contexts, and hate speech as "high-risk categories." They enabled the suspension of services for merchants suspected of violations within as little as 24 hours. Major payment processors like PayPal and Stripe followed suit by updating their internal policies.Otaku USA MagazineEngadget

The Logic of "Brand Tarnishment Risk"

Card companies are intensifying their scrutiny under the guise of "protecting their brand through private contracts," rather than legal regulations, and operate outside the framework of public transparency. As a result, creators are often left in the dark about the specific standards, leading to constant anxiety about "what is considered unacceptable."note

2. Steam Guideline Revision: Mass Deletions under Clause 15

On July 16, Valve added Clause 15 to the developer documentation "Steamworks Documentation," designating content that could potentially violate the rules of payment processors, card companies, and banks as prohibited for distribution.AUTOMATONITmedia

A "Hundreds of Titles" Scale of Deletions

Even according to SteamDB's confirmation, about 350 titles containing elements like incest and some extreme fetishes were either delisted or sales were halted. Some developers, who depended on Steam for 80% of their revenue, reported a cessation of operational funds.GamingOnLinux4Gamer

3. The Concept of "Financial Censorship"

"Financial Deplatforming" refers to the act of private financial infrastructure refusing payments, thereby effectively blocking expression and commerce, rather than a legal prohibition by the state. It originated with the U.S. Department of Justice's "Operation Choke Point" in 2013, targeting industries such as firearms, cannabis, adult entertainment, and cryptocurrencies.AxiosUnited States House Committee on Financial Services

Crowdfunding and Doujinshi Also Targeted

In Japan, since 2019, multiple instances have been confirmed where domestic payment processors like PAY.JP and SB Payment stopped services for doujinshi sales events. The targets were not limited to adult content but also included boys' love and feminine expressions, leading to cases of de facto LGBTQ+ exclusion.note

4. Impact Analysis: The Slowdown of an Estimated 800 Billion Yen Market

According to Yano Research Institute, Japan's otaku content industry (including doujinshi, derivative works, adult games, and bishoujo figures) had an estimated market size of about 800 billion yen as of 2024. It is estimated that 5-15% of annual sales could be lost due to payment suspensions. Creators are shifting to overseas download stores and cryptocurrency payments, but increased fees and fan attrition are reducing profitability.

5. Voices of the Parties Involved

Doujin Game Developer A: "Suddenly, the app was unpublished, and when I inquired, I was only told it 'violated the payment processor's standards.' Without clear guidelines, redesigning is difficult."
Overseas Publisher B: "The regulation target is said to be 'incest,' but even fictional settings are not allowed. There is a lack of understanding of expressive culture."
BL Circle Leader C: "It's discriminatory for creative works by sexual minorities to be treated as 'high-risk.'"

6. Between Legal Systems and Content Regulation

In Japan, while there are laws like Article 175 of the Penal Code (distribution of obscene materials) and the Child Pornography Prohibition Act, adult-oriented expression itself is legal. However, to comply with global standards set by card companies, domestic companies are engaging in excessive compliance (compliance chilling), resulting in the exclusion of works that are not legally problematic.

EU and UK Developments

In Europe, the Digital Services Act (DSA) will be fully implemented in 2024, imposing transparency reporting obligations on platforms, but it does not directly regulate payment processors, leaving a "gap" that has been pointed out.

7. Workarounds: Alternative Payments and Direct Sales

Cryptocurrency Payments: There is a rapid increase in cases preparing for payments in BTC or USDT. However, price volatility and the complexity of tax filing are challenges.
Overseas Platforms for Doujinshi: English versions of DLsite and Itch.io maintain "adult content allowed," but require English UI and have high revenue share rates.
Revival of Bank Transfers and Cash on Delivery: In Japan, there is a movement to reevaluate retro payment methods.

8. Actions for Creators and Fans

Securing Multiple Payment Methods: Do not rely solely on Stripe and PayPal.
Introducing Guideline Monitoring Tools: A volunteer-released bot automatically notifies of Steam guideline updates.
Participation in Industry Organizations: The Japan Doujin Content Association (tentative name) is in preparation for launch.

9. To Protect Freedom of Expression

Expression blockade through financial infrastructure is essentially private censorship crossing borders and lies outside democratic control. Industry, academia, legal professionals, and users must collaborate to

Ensure Transparency: Demand card companies to disclose prohibited items and establish appeal procedures
Public Discussion Forums: Public hearings hosted by the National Diet Library and the Agency for Cultural Affairs
Regulatory Impact Assessment: Quantify cultural loss and overseas outflow amounts for policy proposals

10. Conclusion

Financial censorship extending to Steam is likely to spread beyond "otaku culture" to other creative fields such as music, film, and journalism. The current situation, where arbitrary standards of private companies determine the survival of culture without public debate, is a challenge for the international community that values freedom of expression and diversity. Japanese fans and creators cannot remain indifferent. Moving forward, it is necessary to establish transparency and accountability while building alternative payment infrastructure and international advocacy networks to protect the cultural ecosystem.

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