The truth behind the inability to mute camera calls on Japanese cell phones: It’s not to prevent sneak shots

In Japan, mobile phone camera does not provide a silent option. I guess many people know this, but do you really know the inside story?

Many netizens joked that Japanese mobile phones do not have a mute function because there are too many perverts there, and this is done to prevent sneak shots. In response to this statement, Japanese photography artist Seto Masato said in an interview that in Japan, if you want to take a photo, you need to greet the subject in advance, which is a rule.

In fact, Japan had cameras with silent mode before, and used it to take some photos. The photos taken in silent mode and the photos agreed upon in advance had completely different effects, especially in people's expressions, which were completely different.

Masato Seto once took a series of works using a silent shutter in the Tokyo subway and won a big award. However, after the works were released, some people who were secretly photographed by him were dissatisfied, so Japan cancelled the silent mode for taking photos.

Because there is a precedent that cameras cannot be muted when taking photos, in the current era of mobile phone photography, all Japanese mobile phones are also subject to this legal requirement, and mobile phone photos must also be muted.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.