Keep the Vintage Sound in Japan

Dear friendes and lovers,

If you are a musician, game nerd, computer geek or basically love anything that has to do with electronic or audio devices, make sure you read this.

On April 1st, Japan will be passing a new law called the "PSE Law" which will illegalize the resell of synthesizers, music amps, recording gear, analog / digital tape recorders, juke boxes, turn tables, game components and other electronic devices (259 items total) with AC adapters that were manufactured before 2001.

Yes, you heard! This basically means any sort of vintage electronic devices will be banned from reselling in Japan; no more vintage music stores, no more vintage sound!

The only way to go around this law is to resell these components with "PSE-safe stickers". Since 2001, all manufactures have put these stickers on all devices with an AC adapter, but for anything that has been manufactured pre-2001, it will be close to impossible to get these stickers on. You have to obtain a manufacture's license from the government, then actually "fix" the device (even if there is no need for maintenance...), have them inspected by the government authority, then have another inspection by a 3rd party. Oh and to make the matters even worse, if you get caught reselling these items without PSE stickers on, you will be fined 100,000,000yen (=$1MIL). Needless to say, most stores that sell vintage audio/music gear are planning on pulling these "non-PSE-stickered" items off their shelves.

The reasoning for the law is to enforce safety with manufacturing of all electronic devices, but according to government officials "the safety guideline for manufactures hasn't changed that much since 1967". Then why? Why pass such law? It is rumored that there is some sort of a dirty money connection between the government and few companies who has already obtained their manufacture's license.


If you are a musician in Japan-
You will not be able to buy vintage amps, vintage synths, vintage keyboards / organs, vintage samplers, vintage turn tables... etc

If you record music in Japan-
You will not be able to buy vintage tape decks (analog / digital), vintage recorders, vintage mixers... etc

If you are a music fanatic in Japan-
You will not be able to buy vintage record players, vintage stereos, vintage juke boxes...etc

If you are a gamer in Japan-
You will not be able to buy Atari, oldschool Nintendos, PlayStations...etc


Help out a fellow friend across the ocean. All of my friends back home are completely devestated by this new law and started a petition. If you love any music, movie, games, or anything that came out of Japan... please take 30 seconds to sign this. Don't let the vintage sound disappear from Japan!