ArchivingLeftists (@ArchivingLeftists)

"We are considering measures to curb excessive #debanking (transaction halts based on bank judgments), and several promising leads have emerged. Lately, there have been increasing reports of game creators facing refusals from domestic banks when transferring sales revenue from Steam and the like from overseas to accounts in Japan, with the banks citing the game's content as the reason. Such interventions by banks, which seem overly excessive, are being viewed as problematic not only in the content industry but across the board, and international organizations have long pointed out that "while measures against international financial crime and money laundering are important, please refrain from debanking without reasonable justification in the course of advancing those efforts." The #FATF (#FinancialActionTaskForce), an international intergovernmental organization that formulates and promotes international standards to prevent money laundering, terrorist financing, and the financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, has strictly emphasized in its statements and the like that financial institutions must not abandon a risk-based approach (precise identification and analysis of risks such as money laundering on a case-by-case basis) and instead terminate or restrict transactions simply to avoid risk—this is known as De-Risking—and that such practices must not occur. From the text in the attached image, one can discern the background of how debanking by financial institutions—using money laundering countermeasures as a pretext while truly driven by "concerns over profitability" or "reputational risk"—has become a global issue. (Photos ①②) The #Japanese government and the Financial Services Agency have long placed great importance on recommendations from the FATF, positioning money laundering countermeasures as a core element. Within this framework, thoroughly implementing the aforementioned risk-based approach is regarded as one of the most critical priorities, and to suppress the kind of de-risking mentioned earlier (banks refusing transactions for the purpose of risk avoidance), messages have been issued to financial institutions through guidelines and similar documents. For example, in the FAQ on the March 2026 guidelines for measures against money laundering and terrorist financing, it is stated that products classified as high-risk should not be deemed high-risk solely on that basis alone; rather than blanket exclusions, a precise risk-based approach on an individual basis must be thoroughly applied. (Photo ③) That said, looking at recent debanking cases, there are serious doubts about whether these principles are actually being implemented in practice at financial institutions. This is because creators who do not appear to be involved in any criminal activity are successively facing transaction halts. Based on recent hearings, if income from games containing "adult-oriented" content is reported honestly, the likelihood of account opening refusals or debanking spikes dramatically (there are even multiple cases where the same game and the same bank approve the transaction if details are not reported), leaving the impression that banks are leaning toward the "risk avoidance" or "blanket exclusion of specific products" approaches that the FATF has deemed undesirable. Of course, banks prohibit transactions contrary to public morals in their terms of service, and the legality of debanking itself is to some extent secured by law. However, given the background outlined above, the Financial Services Agency should more strongly demand from financial institutions the full implementation of the risk-based approach intended by the FATF—namely, excluding only those with genuine criminality. Perhaps the first step should be a survey of the actual situation at each financial institution. When hearing individual cases from creators, the unfairness is just too glaring. I hope this issue will spark debate in the Diet as well." #Japan #censorship #corrupt #corruption https://archive.ph/Pw3tf "Incidentally, the reason why the FATF, even when strengthening measures against money laundering, states that "one-size-fits-all debanking and the like, which lack rationality (and lean toward risk avoidance), should not be carried out," is that not only does it hinder legitimate economic activities, but it also drives them underground, which is detrimental to anti-money laundering efforts. The thinking is that risks should not be avoided in a crude, blanket manner, but rather analyzed and managed on an individual basis." https://archive.ph/ENIhX#selection-514.0-514.1 "TLDR: The Japanese are taking a more serious look into the financial mechanisms being used to push #censorship. Namely over how the same systems used to clamp down on #moneylaundering are being weaponized through "De-risking" clauses." https://archive.ph/Mo4ra