일본은 지금 통행금지가 ...

오사카현이 16세 십대의 건전한 저녁 밤 시간을 보내도록 유지하기 위해

저녁 7시까지만 노래방 출입을 허용하고 그 이후에 노래방에 계속 있는 경우

노래방 온영자에게 3백만원의 벌금을 물리나 위반한 십대에겐 벌과금이 없다고

그러나 부모와 함께라면 밤 10시까지란다. 다른 현에서도 앞 다투어 실시하나

오사카가 가장 엄하다고. 내용이야 모르겠지만 십대들의 타락상을 더 이상 방치할

수 없고 나아가 이들이 다스릴 일본의 내일을 염두에 둔 것 아닐까. 남의 일이

아닌 것 같은 데..

Karaoke curfew imposed on Japanese teens

Wed Feb 1, 5:45 AM ET

TOKYO (AFP) - Late nights of warbling in karaoke bars are a thing of the past for teenagers in western Japan.

Osaka prefecture Wednesday imposed a ban on youths under 16 going alone to any establishment with

a karaoke machine after 7:00 pm in an effort to promote "sound nightlife for young people."

The region, which has Japan's most most bountiful entertainment after Tokyo, will fine karaoke operators

300,000 yen (2,560 dollars) if they violate the regulation.

"We had relied on operators' self-regulation but we decided to impose the ordinance in line with a change

in times," said prefectural official Chiyuki Yamada. There is no punishment for teenagers if they stay out singing,

Yamada said, adding that prefectural officials were visiting karaoke operators to inform them of the new rule.

Teenagers aged under 16 are still allowed to sing their hearts out until 10 pm if they are with a parent.

Other Japanese prefectures have imposed similar curfews but Osaka's is the toughest of its kind in Japan,

Kyodo News said. Karaoke, which means "empty orchestra," started with music-only tapes and a microphone

sing-along machine produced by a record store owner in the 1960s.

The concept was quickly taken up by bar owners and spread nationwide and abroad, becoming a 7.5 billion-dollar

a year industry in Japan alone. Nowadays, many Japanese enjoy karaoke at so-called karaoke boxes where small

groups of friends eat, drink and sing in soundproof private rooms