What do you think of the whole DoAX3 stuff? Is "we fear backlash from the west" a good excuse not to port a game over? Could we be entering the days of weird japan only games again?

Those games have never been good and I don’t think they’ve done particularly well over here, either. This sounds like them attaching some kind of half-assed controversy to their lackluster franchise in an attempt to grab headlines and, if they’re lucky, import dollars. They should stamp “TOO HOT FOR THE USA” on the disc to rope in more rubes, while they’re at it. Those consoles are region-free. Anyone who wants that thing will be able to get it.

To answer your other question, no, I don’t think this is the start of a trend.