Nooooooooooooo!

Japan's Product Safety of Electrical Appliances and Materials Law. Doesn't sound so impressive or important does it?

Think again. Come April 1st, this little bastard takes effect, meaning that around 259 types of electrical appliances made before 2001 will not be allowed to be resold. Essentially this means that retro gaming enthusiasts and music enthusiasts will suffer the most, as all those vintage record players, consoles and guitars will be unobtainable. One of my long held dreams is to play a vintage fender strat through a 1959 SLS plexi marshall stack, a la Jimi Hendrix, but, in Japan at least, it looks like I'll be out of luck.

So why is this happening? Why the law? On the surface it's to ensure safety. But actually it seems to be just a huge concession to the giant electronics companies of Japan, who will profit greatly with a law that allows only new products to be bought.

Perhaps the increasing number of house fires had a part to play. Typical Japanese misappropriation. Instead of seeing that a lot of fatal fires are due to the daft way houses are set up here (no insulation, wooden structures, kerosene for heaters being kept in the house) they try to fob everyone off. God damn the old guard!