• -In one live action sequence in the game's opening movie that depicts North Korean leader Kim Jong-il as having died, the image of Kim Jong-il has been removed.
• -In scenes that have been deemed malicious to an existing country, said country is now referred to as "A Certain Country to the North."
• -In scenes that have been deemed malicious to an existing person, said person is now referred to as "Northern Leader."    

 
What is up with this? Should THQ care so much about sales that they would be willing to alter their gaming experience for a certain group of people?

Honestly, I don't know why anyone would be looking to sell Homefront in Japan. I can't see a way that the game would appeal to your average Japanese gamer.

whatever, I'm sure the Japanese knows what it means, it's fairly obvious.

This isn't anything new.  Depending on the region of the world, games are edited all of the time.  Good luck trying to find any games in Germany that depict Nazism, for example.  Or look at how Mitsurugi was removed from Soul Calibur in the South Korean release due to his being a samurai.  (Japan and South Korea share a complicated relationship that I won't get into here.)
 
Or hey, look at how Manhunt 2 got butchered for the sake of an M rating.

I wouldn't exactly call it altering the game experience. They're only changing a couple of names, and it's extremely obvious what they are referring to. If the Japanese ratings board were going to ban it, It's a choice between changing a couple of minor details, or not releasing it there at all. And when the changes are so basic, the decision is a no brainer.

" …I can't see a way that the game would appeal to your average Japanese gamer. "

I read the title and for a brief, joyous moment imagined a first person shooter with no bad guys. You'd just wander around suburban America, armed to the teeth and with nothing to shoot. The game would end with you meeting up with some other freedom fighters and just shoot tin cans off a fence with M60s.

It sounds a bit like PC in overdrive, but with a bit of common sense. North Korea vs. the world is such a hot button issue, maybe it is best they don't stir up a hornets nest with that whack-job, Kim Jung Il. He could take anything to be a declaration of war.

What about the North Korean flags & insignia all over everything?

" I wouldn't exactly call it altering the game experience. They're only changing a couple of names, and it's extremely obvious what they are referring to. If the Japanese ratings board were going to ban it, It's a choice between changing a couple of minor details, or not releasing it there at all. And when the changes are so basic, the decision is a no brainer. "