Editing Aozora Bunko (section)

==Problems==

Aozora Bunko pointed that extension of the copyright term had been influenced from the document titled "The U.S.–Japan Regulatory Reform and Competition Policy Initiative."<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S.–Japan Regulatory Reform Reports |url=http://aboutusa.japan.usembassy.gov/j/jusaj-econ-doc.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130715230246/http://aboutusa.japan.usembassy.gov/j/jusaj-econ-doc.html |archive-date=2013-07-15 |access-date=2014-06-02 |publisher=Embassy of the United States in Japan}}</ref> Through these annual reports, the U.S. Government was requiring that the protected period of copyright should be extended to the Japanese government: 70 years after one's death for a work by an individual, and 95 years after publication for a work by a corporation. In response, the Agency for Cultural Affairs in Japan has expressed that a conclusion will be obtained at the Council for Cultural Affairs copyright subcommittee by the end of 2007. If the legal revision which extends the protected period of copyright will be actually carried out, Aozora Bunko would be forced not to publish books which have already or almost already been published, due to the 20 years extension of the protection of copyright. Therefore, Aozora Bunko released a counter declaration against enforcement of the revised law on 1 January 2005, and they started to collect the signatures for a petition on 1 January 2007.<ref name="petition">{{cite web |title=Petition calling for no extension of the term of copyright protection |url=https://www.aozora.gr.jp/shomei/english.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070529191138/https://www.aozora.gr.jp/shomei/english.html |archive-date=May 29, 2007 |access-date=September 28, 2022 |publisher=Aozora Bunko}}</ref>

Due to the regime change in 2009 in Japan, Japanese government stopped receiving these reports from the U.S. government. Aozora Bunko did not respond to that and their petition calling for opposition against the extension of copyright term stopped from the modification of October 2008.<ref name="petition" />{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} Instead of the document, the website of the [[Office of the United States Trade Representative]] inserted the "UNITED STATES–JAPAN ECONOMIC HARMONIZATION INITIATIVE" in February 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=United States–Japan Economic Harmonization Initiative |url=http://www.ustr.gov/webfm_send/2578 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111017000431/http://www.ustr.gov/webfm_send/2578 |archive-date=October 17, 2011 |access-date=September 28, 2022 |publisher=[[Office of the United States Trade Representative]]}}</ref> In the document, the U.S. government promoted the extension of copyright law for protection of intellectual property rights toward Japanese government so that it was "in line with emerging global trends, including those of its OECD counterparts and major trading partners."

On 30 December 2018, Japan did extend the period to 70 years,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/12/10/national/japan-extend-copyright-period-works-including-novels-paintings-70-years-dec-30/ |author=JIJI Staff |title=Japan to extend copyright period on works including novels and paintings to 70 years on Dec. 30 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |publisher=[[Jiji Press]] |date=2018-12-10 |access-date=2018-12-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210074646/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/12/10/national/japan-extend-copyright-period-works-including-novels-paintings-70-years-dec-30/#.XA4Z71Hx8-U |archive-date=2018-12-10 |url-status=dead}}</ref> which was a requirement stemming from the [[EU–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, of the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Japan, Article 14.13 |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52018PC0193&from=EN |publisher=[[European Commission]] |quote=The term of protection for rights of an author of a literary or artistic work within the meaning of Article 2 of the Berne Convention shall run for the life of the author and for 70 years after the author's death}}</ref>