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  5. Cabinet Decision on the Bill for the Act for Partially Amending the Consumer Product Safety Act and Other Related Acts

Cabinet Decision on the Bill for the Act for Partially Amending the Consumer Product Safety Act and Other Related Acts

March 1, 2024

On March 1, 2024, a Cabinet Decision was made on the Bill for the Act for Partially Amending the Consumer Product Safety Act and Other Related Acts.* The bill will be submitted to the ongoing 213th ordinary session of the Diet.

*Note: The Consumer Product Safety Act (Consumer Safety Act), the Gas Business Act (Gas Act), the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act (Electrical Appliances Act), and the Act on the Securing of Safety and the Optimization of Transaction of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Liquefied Gas Act)

1. Purpose of the bill

In recent years, with the expansion of Internet transactions, an increasing number of domestic and overseas businesses have opportunities to sell products to consumers in Japan through online malls and other means. In response to these changes in the environment, Japan will take the following measures to create an environment in which consumers in Japan are able to use products safely by ensuring the safety of products sold directly from overseas and preventing accidents caused by products for children.

2. Outline of the bill

(1) Responses to the expansion of Internet transactions (Consumer Safety Act, Gas Act, Electrical Appliances Act, and Liquefied Gas Act)

When overseas operators sell products directly to consumers in Japan through digital platforms for shopping, they do not always form a partnership with domestic manufacturers or importers who are (legally) responsible for the safety of the products. To address this challenge, Japan will take the following measures.

[ⅰ] The revised Act is to stipulate provisions in which: in a case involving an overseas operator selling products directly to consumers in Japan without going through a domestic importer, e.g., by using a digital platforms for shopping, the overseas operators should be clarified as an entity allowed to submit a notification under the four Acts related to product safety, including the Consumer Safety Act; and the overseas operators is required to appoint a responsible person (domestic supervisor) in Japan to ensure the enforcement of regulations.

[ⅱ] The revised Act is to stipulate provisions in which: in a case in which consumer safety products, etc., sold on any digital platforms for shopping are considered to cause harm to consumers in Japan and the seller of the products is not expected to take the necessary measures, e.g., recall, the business providing the digital platforms for shopping is subject to measures, including a request to remove the digital platform providers.

[ⅲ] The revised Act is to stipulate provisions to create a new system in which any business that violates any laws, orders under the laws, or other provisions should have its name and other information publicized, including the names and addresses of the business that has made notification and its domestic supervisor.

(2) Responses to ensuring the safety of products for children, e.g., toys (Consumer Safety Act)

Toys and other products for children manufactured overseas, including those imported from overseas, do not always appropriately ensure the safe use of the products by children (i.e., these manufacturers often deal with product accidents after the accidents occur). To address this challenge, Japan will take the following measures to create an environment where accidents involving products for children can be prevented.

[ⅰ] The revised Act is to stipulate provisions in which: the manufacturers and importers of specified products for children (mainly products that are utilized primarily in children's everyday lives and require indication of the intended age range and precautions for use) are required to have the products meet the technical standards stipulated by the Government of Japan and indicate a warning about using the products, including the intended age range and precautions for use.

[ⅱ] The revised Act is to stipulate special measures in which a business intending to sell used products that are specified products for children is allowed to sell the used products in Japan provided that the business has established a system or other framework for raising public awareness and ensuring the safety of the used products for consumers in Japan.

Related Materials (in Japanese)

Division in Charge

Product Safety Division, Industrial and Product Safety Policy Group

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