ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Architectural forgery in Japan

Okay, let’s imagine that you are really good at drawing and you love making buildings look pretty on paper! Now, imagine that you drew a picture of a really famous building in Japan, like the Tokyo Tower. Someone comes along and sees your picture and decides that they want to make a real-life version of your drawing.

But, instead of asking for your permission or giving you credit for your drawing, they just copy your picture exactly and build the Tokyo Tower based on your drawing without telling anyone! That’s called architectural forgery.

Architectural forgery in Japan is a big problem because it means that people are not being original with their designs and they are stealing other people’s hard work. It’s like cheating on an art project at school, but on a much bigger scale.

The Japanese government has created laws to stop people from copying famous buildings without permission. They want to protect the rights of the architects and designers who spent a lot of time creating those buildings.

So, it’s important to always give credit where credit is due and to be respectful of other people’s hard work. It’s not okay to cheat, whether it’s on an art project or a big fancy building!