There is a new law in Japan forbidding the sale of electonics that are more than 5 years old. I think that this coul have major ramifications as well as present the opportunity to buy tons of used gear in japan on the cheap. Check out the following link: http://www.engadget.com/2006/02/22/japan-bans-old-electronics-as-of-april-1/
I am sure there are opportunists in Japan who like to get cool used stuff cheap from people who are afraid of the spirits.
They have no problems selling the valuable used stuff like the pianos to Americans.
Even if they don't believe in spirits, it is probably the original cultural root cause of them wanting to buy only new goods. You do it simply because everyone else does it.
sugerbrie, cool factoid about the japanese thinking the owners spirit resides in their posessions. I'm not sure about most stuff but when it comes to things like instruments (i have a good case of guitar acquisition ...GAS...to go along with liking audio gear)i think they may be on to somethig. Old pieces just have a vibe that the new ones don't
Isn't this law a response to pollution from discarded electronics; mostly dumped personal computers. Isn't there pending legislation in the EU regarding this? There's alot of toxic material in that stuff! I suppose the same can be said of hi-fi equipment!
But I think a ban on selling would only increase illegal dumping!
Culturally the Japanese do not buy used anything. They basically believe the spirit of the original owner stays with his/her personal possessions forever. I am sure not everyone there believes this, but the belief is very strong.
Would you buy something without knowing who owned it before if their spirit is present in that item? It could be haunted if that person has died. You could be alienated by your friends and neighbors??
There is already a big market in the USA for mint used or refurbished Yamaha and other pianos imported from Japan because the Japanese won't buy them. US dealers will tell you the lie that the Japanese market pianos have wood that is treated for the Japan climate and will crack eventually in the USA. This lie is to get you to buy a new one from them.
I would guess that possibly many young people in Japan don't care about this tradition or belief, so the goverment is trying to hold back the tide...
I wonder if that could have the opposite reaction, people not able to recoup part of their initial investment to put towards new gear end up using the old "unsafe" gear much longer?
Have safety standards improved that much over the last five years? I don't think so. What an interesting excuse to eliminate competition for new gear. I hope it doesn't catch on in other countries!
they also have a law requiring car owners to replace their vehicles engines after 30,000 miles, to keep air polutions low...while I can sort of see that logic,....this is pretty extreme!
I guess I will be the first to offer to take all that old AirTight and Wavac gear off those sellers!
there's actually a quite widespread aversion to buying used over there to begin with. friends of mine speak of people basically putting perfectly good possessions on the the curb for the taking. lightly used japanese car engines are often exported, much to the benefit of US consumers.
That basically sums up how I felt when I read the article. However, i will be in japan from march 24-april 15 so im going to see if i can get some kondo gear from the landfill :-)
What! That is the most absurd thing that I've ever heard! It's obvious that the enormous and powerful makers of consumer electronics have flexed their political muscles. What a shame. Oh well I'm sure that certain motivated and enterprising folks will get around it. Still, talk about ridiculous abuses of peoples individual right! And in terms of the environment, as soon as a piece gets to be 5 years old you either have to keep it or off to the landfill? Tragic!
Not just yet! According to the rest of the article
Update: Well, it looks like you can relax a little. Thanks to Roy at Mutant Frog, we've learned a little more about the intricacies of Japanese law. Turns out that sellers of certain kinds of old gear will have to get a government seal certifying that the items adhere to modern safely standards if they want to sell the stuff after April 1. Sellers are crying foul, saying that in certain cases, it'll be too hard to get certification, and they may end up dumping their gear -- or exporting it, since it turns out exports are exempt from the new law. So, for the best deals on unsafe old Japanese electrical products, start checking the second-hand markets of Shanghai and Hanoi. Just don't mention our name.
Just as in the US, where TV broadcasting should have been only in the digital format by now, forces in the marketplace [pissed off consumers and trade groups] can sometimes alter or abort the "best laid plans" of Government Agency weasels!
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