For those of you who haven't been following Japan's on-again, off-again ban of the sale of uncertified used electronics, Japanese vintage gear lovers have been in an uproar. Resellers were enraged, people literally took to the streets with old Casio keyboards and Nintendo Famicom systems (photos), and Oscar-winning composer/musician Ryuichi Sakamoto became the Bono of electronic music activism when he came to the defense of beseiged vintage synths. Through the magic of democracy, the surprised Japanese government did what any government would do: they backpedaled to save face. The ban is at least delayed, and after some uncertainty, it looks like vintage gear really is permanently excluded from the ban. Hope that plane ticket to go shopping in Akihabara the day before the ban was non-refundable.

Vintage Japanese Synths, Electronics Saved from Ban (Really) [Create Digital Music]

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