According to Bethesda, their 2009 Japanese release of Fallout 3 will be tweaked and removed the ability to detonate a nuclear blast in the game as well as the NPC Mr. Burke, the antagonist that urges the main character to detonate it.

Bethesda removed this due to the touchy subject that still exists after the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Also they have renamed the "Fat Man" grenade launcher due to the fact that this was also the name of the bomb that hit Nagasaki.

They have also edited certain human and ghoul animations to conform to the CERO system, but a majority of animations from the U.S. release will still be present in the Japanese version.

Complete info can be found here.

I'm not sure that this game is somehow connected to well-known event of inhumanity. Fallout 3 (I'm playing the Russian version of the game) is set after the events of war between "Democratic" USA and "Communist" China. I guess that Chinese have more rights to protest against such a decision. Why it is not result of war between Earthlings and some hostile alien form, for example? But then hostile alien forms will have more rights. Also S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is set in Ukraine (where I'm living). Why Ukrainian government does not say anything about the fact of alternate history shown in the game? I guess, because it is a game and it is alternate history. Why to forbid showing the alternate way of the history? I guess, all of us know the answer (do you..?).

I'm agree that the event of 1945 year was a greatest act of inhumanity to the Japanese people. But do you know what Japanese army did to conquer China in 19th-20th century, for example, or to conquer the Russian land in Far East? Why the world community forbid the Japan after 1945 to have a army for 50 years? Does anyone remember Philippines 1941-42? Also does anyone remember fascism and, for example, Richard Zorge, Soviet spy who may prevent the World War II and was tortured in Japan (because he was a spy of the forces, who won the war finally and prevented the breeding of fascism for some time)?

By the way, the famous game "Tongue of the Fatman" was released in Japan for Genesis in 1990 as "FATMAN" without any protests.

I guess that such a decision for Japanese release may take place, but who knows how much other events are forgotten yet.

I think it's less a political decision, and more directly for the Japanese players, especially renaming the "Fat Man" weapon etc. I'm all for "anything goes" in art, but 1945 is not so long ago, and a lot of people who have lost friends and relatives then are still alive. I figure it would be very irritating or upsetting to read the name of a weapon that has killed people you knew, in a video game that is supposed to entertain you.

Usually I'm strongly against censorship of any kind. But in this case it feels more like respecting the customers' feelings on a personal basis.

And I guess those who would not be offended by said contents, and wish to play the unaltered game, will have no trouble finding an import version to buy.

I don't believe it has anything to do with respect. It's just an another example of self-censorship, aimed at nothing than to avoid any kind of touchy subject that might hurt the sales. Playing safe with an overkill.

Well put... I highly doubt the survivors of Little Boy and Fat Man play Fallout 3 lol.

I know someone who still proudly speaks of his European grandparents hiding people in their homes during WWII, and so far as I know, he barely knew them. If that's the case, I can certainly see Japanese descendants (who do play games), feeling strongly about weaponry specifically referencing such a painful event.

Many of us may not see the need, but it shows a level of respect that is likely appreciated. This is a relatively minor tweak. Overkill would be removing all the guns from the game; something intrinsic to Fallout's gameplay.

Problem is with such news announcements, all the Japanese will be playing the game with the thought: "Hmm this grenade launcher used to be called the Fat Man." It's not like Japan is totally unaware of what happens in the rest of the world...

It's kind off like making an antisemitic game where you have to beat up Jews, then release it in Israel, but change the Jews to baby seals or aliens or whatever. That won't make them approve of the game! They'd still know what it was originally about and while playing it will be fresh on their mind.

What get's me that Japan has so many shows and movies that depict extreme violence that they would be afraid of this, didn't Akira have what looked like a nuclear blast in the middle of a modern city at the very beginning at the movie, now granted it was through psychokinesis, but it still resembled a nuclear blast.

In fact, I can barely count a few pieces of japanese fiction that don't take place in some sort of alternate, post-apocalyptic Japan, where everything starts with a gigantic blast that very much resembles the famous Hiroshima images.

change the Jews to baby seals

Man, that's like the best slogan our government could use. Hamas terrorists might find baby seals too cute to kill. Change the Jews to baby seals! It's got a rhythm of sorts, too :)

Considering that the majority of Japanese youth (or any Jap under the age of 35) haven't the foggiest notion of what their ancestors did during WW II, personally I don't see why Bethesda is making a big deal out of it.

I agree. What Japs did in WWII makes death by nazi's or soviets seem like great fun. They all did genocides, and mass slaughters and rapes - but the japs just added something extra to it.