The nation's music copyright body is pushing the government to seek an end of what it says is a "unilaterally imposed" 10-year extension for Japan to continue paying royalties to rights holders in 15 World War II victor nations, beyond the typical 50 years after a holder's death applicable in Japan.
"The war will not be over until this issue is resolved," Shunichi Tokura, chairman of the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC), said Monday in urging the government to start negotiations with each victor country to persuade them to scrap the extension.
The request was made to Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, who, according to Tokura, said the government will "ponder it."