fight for your right for having obsolete gear!
Let’s stay in Japan for a while, shall we?
A little while back I wrote about some silly law which will prohibit the sale of 2nd hand electronics in Japan.
Now, what do you do if you’re a vintage electronics (never mind if it’s synthesizers and/or computerequipment) geek? Indeed, you go out and protest! fight for your right! (for having obsolete gear!)
click to go to the corresponding image on Flickr
UPDATE
click to go to the article on nanzuko underground
Things that are in danger of vanishing because of Electric Appliance and Materials law exhibition
In short, the law is about selling of electric appliances and materials that are produced before April 1st 2001 and do not accommodate the new standard is prohibited. Radio cassette players featuring in this exhibition are surely one of them. By the way, punishment for violation of this law is “penal servitude of one year or less, or penalty of one million Japanese yen or less. Or, both” (Article 57).
UPDATE (2)
It seems the protesting has helped… yay! \o/
Ministry of Economy – Retro gear, OK for now… (MAKE:blog)
METI backs off banning sale of used electrical goods (The Japan Times)
Sales of Vintage Japanese Electronics Saved (Gizmodo)
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