A Japanese politician is speaking out about credit card companies and video game censorship, saying the problem gets worse because most people don’t understand what’s happening. Zenko Kurishita, a former assemblyman, discussed this issue after many adult video games were removed from platforms like Steam and Itch.io. While this censorship is just getting worldwide attention, Japan has dealt with it since 2022.

Kurishita says the most dangerous part is that people can’t see how the censorship works with credit card companies like Visa and Mastercard have huge power over digital payments, but “no one knows their true intentions.”

These companies don’t clearly state their rules, only giving vague statements about protecting brand reputation. Gaming platforms receive sudden ultimatums with little warning, forcing them to quickly remove content to keep their payment services. “From people I’ve spoken with at multiple platforms, they’re just suddenly told, ‘Starting next week, you won’t be able to use our services anymore,'” Kurishita said.

The politician believes this confusing system is intentional. Visa and Mastercard don’t communicate directly with platforms – messages come through middlemen like payment processors.

“Responsibility for censorship is deliberately spread out so it’s difficult to pin down,” he explained. “Visa and Mastercard deny being directly involved. They create the rules, but processors under them enforce them.”

Kurishita believes credit card companies take advantage of people not understanding the issue’s seriousness.

“Because it’s made so hard to see, most people don’t perceive how serious a threat it is,” he said. “The companies exploit that lack of awareness to maintain their power, which is not healthy.”

Moreover, the solution according to Kurishita, is raising awareness and creating more payment options. If credit card giants faced real competition, they probably couldn’t make such aggressive moves.