Fantia, Japan’s creator monetization platform, issued an important notice on May 19 announcing that it would officially revise its “Guidelines on Mosaic Application” on May 25. The new standards will also apply retroactively to previously posted content. According to Fantia, this tightening was prompted by “extremely strict legal guidance and feedback from relevant authorities regarding the standards for mosaic application,” as well as “existing precedents where individuals were arrested or convicted due to inadequate mosaic application.”
The core requirement under the new guidelines is that “the original form of the subject must become indistinguishable” after processing. This means perspective-based mosaics, overly thin blurs, and partial obscuring using horizontal lines or rectangles are prohibited. Permitted methods include tile mosaics, sufficiently strong blurring, and completely solid color fills. Given that high-resolution images and videos carry higher risks of insufficient processing due to zooming or scene transitions, Fantia mandates applying stricter processing than the static image standards; thumbnail covers must adhere to the same criteria as main content.
Violations are dealt with in three tiers: creators receive requests to modify or immediately remove offending content; failure to comply leads to channel suspension or permanent closure. In cases involving suspected serious illegal activity, Fantia will disclose logs and report the matter to law enforcement agencies. The platform advises creators to self-review all published and pending content, adopting the principle of “when in doubt, apply thicker and broader processing.”