Matt Alt's Pure Invention

Matt Alt's Pure Invention

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The government's quixotic quest to make games a pillar of the Japanese economy

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Matt Alt
Apr 30, 2026
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In 1948, the parliament of occupied Japan passed a law called the Businesses Affecting Public Morals Regulation Act. It was designed to keep kids out of grown-up establishments like brothels, casinos, and bars. Thirty-seven years later in 1984, lawmakers modified the act to include a new den of vice: the video game arcade.

The legislation was music to th…

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