"Debanking" Spreads to Japan, Targeting Adult Game Developers

Imagine making money legally, but your bank won’t let you access it. It sounds beyond infuriating, right? Well, it’s happened before, and it’s been happening a lot more frequently lately. As banks around the world decide that creating adult content is no longer an acceptable way to make money, we’re covering the fallout from these decisions, as well as how it has impacted (and will impact) the future of adult content creation.

Banks in Japan are increasingly scrutinizing international money transfers to their members’ accounts. They claim it’s to crack down on money laundering, but one game developer had their transfer denied even after proving the legitimacy of their earnings.

Takii Noame is an independent game developer based in Japan. Their work includes visual novels in the “yuri” subgenre, which is defined as novels (sometimes sexually explicit) that focus on romantic relationships between two women. Takii Noame has had to postpone a sequel to their all-ages Watamari series due to financial restrictions they wouldn’t be dealing with if it wasn’t for their bank.

The issue occurred when Noame was attempting to receive money transferred from Steam, an online game store - Takii Noame’s main moneymaker - known for its support of independent game developers. Their bank, SBI Shinsei Bank, asked them to prove they weren’t earning money through illegitimate means via some paperwork. Time passed until eventually the game developers were told over the phone that “part of the revenue was related to adult-oriented content” and they would not be allowed to transfer their money. 

Noame then took a very logical next step by attempting to transfer only the money they had made from the all ages, Safe For Work games they’ve produced.

This request, too, was denied.

Instead of giving Noame a reason this time, however, the bank rejected their transfer without reason. Something the game developer is describing as a “mystery”. Noame stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter), “Currently, not only am I not able to receive revenue [from past games], but I’m also facing a situation where even revenue from new releases won’t reach me, so I’m making this my top priority.”

This issue has been uniquely frustrating for Noame, but it’s starting to become problematic for other Japanese game developers, too.

Just recently, adult game developer Nupuryu went through almost the same exact process with their bank, Rakuten, one of the largest online banks in Japan. Nupuryu asked their Taiwanese publisher to initiate an international wire transfer with Rakuten, and, you know the rest. A request for additional documentation for “compliance”, yada yada yada, and a rejection of funds. 

The worst part? Nupuryu still owes taxes on the money they can’t even get.

The mere act of making money overseas is taxable. Or, in other words, the developer explained a 30 million Japanese Yen overseas profit would result in a 10 million Yen tax liability. Since Nupuryu can’t receive the 30 million, they owe 10 million without having the initial profit with which to pay it. 

OnlyFans creators (even the CEO of OnlyFans) have dealt with “debanking” for a while now, but the phenomenon’s spread to Japan is incredibly troubling, and could change the entire payment landscape for adult creators. Some Japanese game developers have even pulled their adult games from online storefronts in an attempt to get the banks off their back. The most concerning aspect of all this is: making adult content is not illegal, banks are just choosing to discriminate in a way that feels arbitrary.

Gigantic financial institutions are denying transfers and in some cases, refusing to carry their customer’s money, all without repercussions. Will banks and the financial community at large ever be forced to reckon with this discrimination? Without imminent action, this worrying behavior could become the new normal for adult creators and adult game developers alike.