Photo/Illutration A copy of a magazine published in 1938 shows various signs of the censorship that prevailed at the time. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Prior to and during World War II, publishers of newspapers and magazines suffered financial hardship when their publications were banned by government censors after they had been printed.

To thwart that outcome, publishers used signs, such as x's, for words or lines that were likely to get them into trouble if printed.

One such example was the novel "Ikite Iru Heitai" (Soldiers Alive) when it was first published in a magazine.

Written by Tatsuzo Ishikawa (1905-1985) while he was serving on the front during the Second Sino-Japanese War, one line went: "The soldiers xxxxxxxxxxx."

In its original form, the line should have read, "The soldiers set fire to the private home where they had encamped."

The magazine publisher was aware that such an explicit depiction of the Imperial Japanese Army's conduct would not go down well with the wartime authorities.

Self-censorship served only to encourage the authorities to keep suppressing freedom of expression with impunity.

I only hope we are not reverting to that sort of situation now.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs on Sept. 26 announced its decision to withdraw a government subsidy to the Aichi Triennale 2019, an art exhibition in Aichi Prefecture that closes on Oct. 14.

One of the exhibits, titled “After ‘Freedom of Expression?’” was canceled after a spate of threatening phone calls. The stated reason for the decision to withhold the subsidy is that the event's organizing committee failed to notify the government in advance of possible security problems.

This is a cheap excuse that reminds me of a kid cheating at rock-paper-scissors, if you will.

It is the agency's responsibility to stand up to any threat or attempt to disrupt cultural events. But what the agency has actually done is tantamount to encouraging it.

Would this not lead to local governments practicing stricter self-censorship to avoid holding any potentially controversial event?

Or is that what the agency is aiming for? I truly hope not.

The magazine that ran Ishikawa's novel was ultimately banned, and Ishikawa himself was indicted.

But the power of literature that captured the reality of war could not be completely wiped out by self-censorship.

Art has the power to appeal to the audience, and there are people who want to suppress that power. And this probably happens in every era.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 28

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.