Article 1The purpose of this Act is to promote comprehensive initiatives relating to the protection and promotion of consumers' interests and to thereby ensure stabilization and improvement in the people's lives as consumers, by prescribing respect for consumers' rights, support for their self-reliance, and other fundamental principles, as well as by clarifying the responsibilities of the State, local governments, and businesses, and prescribing the particulars upon which these initiatives are based, in consideration of the discrepancy in the quality and quantity of information and in bargaining power between businesses and consumers.

Article 2(1)The relevant actors must promote comprehensive initiatives to protect and advance consumers' interests (hereinafter referred to as "consumer policies") based on satisfying the basic demands of the people in their lives as consumers; ensuring consumer safety within a healthy living environment; securing opportunities for consumers to make autonomous and rational choices about goods and services; providing consumers with the necessary information and opportunities for learning; and making consumer policies reflect the opinions of consumers; and also based on respecting the fact that consumers are entitled to proper and prompt relief in the event of damage and on supporting consumer self-reliance so that consumers are able to act autonomously and rationally to protect and advance their own interests.

(2)In supporting consumer self-reliance, the relevant actors must consider characteristics such as the age of the consumer, in addition to ensuring appropriate business activities by businesses in relation to matters such as ensuring consumer safety.

(3)The relevant actors must consider appropriate responses to the development of an advanced information and communication society in promoting consumer policies.

(4)In light of the progressive internationalization of life as a consumer, the relevant actors must ensure international coordination in promoting consumer policies.

(5)The relevant actors must make arrangements to protect the environment in promoting consumer policies.

Article 3The State is responsible for responding quickly to economic and societal developments in promoting consumer policies based on respect for consumers' rights, support for their self-reliance, and other fundamental principles referred to in the preceding Article.

Article 4Local governments are responsible for promoting consumer policies that fit the social and economic conditions of their relevant regions, as well as for undertaking initiatives in line with those of the State, based on respect for consumers' rights, support for their self-reliance, and other fundamental principles referred to in Article 2.

Article 5(1)A business is responsible for doing as follows as regards the goods or services it provides, in recognition of respect for consumers' rights, support for their self-reliance, and other fundamental principles referred to in Article 2:

(2)In addition to making arrangements to protect the environment in connection with the goods and services it provides, a business must endeavor to improve the quality of those goods and services and to gain the trust of consumers in ways such as preparing its own standards to observe in connection with its business activities.

Article 6A trade association, while respecting businesses' autonomous efforts, is to act independently to establish systems for processing complaints that arise between businesses and consumers, to support businesses in preparing their own standards to observe in connection with their business activities, and to otherwise gain the trust of consumers.

Article 7(1)Consumers must endeavor to act independently and rationally in their lives as consumers by acquiring the necessary knowledge, by collecting the necessary information, and by taking other steps, on their own initiative.

(2)Consumers must endeavor to make arrangements to protect the environment and to properly safeguard things such as intellectual property rights in their lives as consumers.

Article 8Consumer organizations are to apply themselves to collecting and providing information regarding life as a consumer, to expressing opinions, to consumer awareness-raising and education, to activities aimed at preventing and remedying damage to consumers, and to other sound and self-initiated activities aimed at stabilizing and improving consumers' lives as consumers.

Article 9(1)In order to systematically promote consumer policies, the national government must establish a basic plan for promoting consumer policies (hereinafter referred to as the "basic plan for consumer policies").

(2)The basic plan for consumer policies must establish:

(3)The Prime Minister must seek a cabinet decision affirming the draft basic plan for consumer policies.

(4)The Prime Minister must publicize the basic plan for consumer policies without delay once the Cabinet has reached a decision under the preceding paragraph.

(5)The preceding two paragraphs apply mutatis mutandis to the revision of the basic plan for consumer policies.

Article 10(1)The State must undertake the necessary establishment and revision of related laws and regulations to achieve the purpose of this Act.

(2)The national government must take the necessary fiscal measures to achieve the purpose of this Act.

Article 10-2Every year, the national government must submit to the Diet a report on the status of the consumer policies that the national government has implemented.

Article 11The State is to undertake the necessary initiatives to ensure the safety of the people in their lives as consumers, such as preparing and ensuring the necessary standards for goods and services, facilitating businesses' recall of goods that could be detrimental to safety, and collecting and providing information on goods and services that could be detrimental to safety.

Article 12In order to ensure appropriate transactions between consumers and businesses, the State is to undertake the necessary initiatives, such as ensuring propriety in how businesses provide information and engage in solicitation when entering into contracts with consumers, and ensuring that the clauses of those contracts are fair.

Article 13The State is to undertake the necessary initiatives to ensure that things are properly measured in connection with goods and services, so that consumers do not suffer a disadvantage as regards how things are measured in transactions between businesses and consumers.

Article 14(1)The State is to undertake the necessary initiatives to contribute to improvements in the quality of goods and rationalization in the people's lives as consumers, such as preparing the proper standards for goods and services and disseminating them.

(2)The preparation of standards under the preceding paragraph is to be undertaken in accordance with things such as technological progress and improvements in people's lives as consumers.

Article 15The State is to undertake the necessary initiatives, such as streamlining the systems for advertising and otherwise making representations as to the quality and other characteristics of goods and services and regulating false or misleading advertising and other representations, so that consumers do not err in their selections or make any comparable misstep when purchasing or using goods or availing themselves of services.

Article 16(1)The State is to undertake the necessary initiatives to facilitate fair and free competition in order to expand opportunities for consumers to make autonomous and rational choices concerning goods and services.

(2)If the formation of something such as the prices of goods and services that have a high degree of importance in the people's lives as consumers is decided to necessitate a decision, authorization, or other measures by the State, the State is to endeavor to sufficiently consider the impact on consumers in taking these measures.

Article 17(1)The State is to undertake the necessary initiatives to support self-reliance by consumers, including the promotion of activities to raise consumer awareness in ways such as disseminating knowledge and providing information about life as a consumer; and also including the development of a replete education about life as a consumer through the schools and local regions, in people's homes, at their workplaces, and in a variety of other venues, in light of the universal call for consumers to have opportunities to learn about life as a consumer throughout their lifetimes.

(2)Local governments must endeavor to undertake initiatives that correspond to the State initiatives referred to in the preceding paragraph, based on the social and economic conditions of the local region.

Article 18The State is to undertake the necessary initiatives to help promote appropriate consumer policies, including making those initiatives reflect opinions on life as a consumer held by consumers and others, and streamlining the systems for ensuring transparency in the mechanisms for formulating those initiatives.

Article 19(1)Local governments must endeavor to mediate in the processing of complaints and to take other action so that complaints about goods and services arising between businesses and consumers are processed appropriately, promptly, and based on expert knowledge. In this, as well as mediating in the processing of complaints and taking other action with a primary focus on processing that necessitates high levels of expertise or consideration of points-of-view from a widespread area, the prefectural governments, in coordination with municipalities (and with special wards), must endeavor to respond flexibly and adaptively to diverse complaints.

(2)The State and the prefectures must endeavor to secure human resources, to improve the credentials of their human resources, and to otherwise undertake the necessary initiatives (other than those prescribed in the preceding paragraph, with respect to the prefectures) so that complaints about goods and services arising between businesses and consumers are processed appropriately, promptly, and based on expert knowledge.

(3)The State and the prefectures must endeavor to undertake the necessary initiatives so that disputes about goods and services arising between businesses and consumers are resolved appropriately, promptly, and based on expert knowledge.

Article 20In ensuring the propriety of transactions between businesses and consumers, in promoting activities to raise consumer awareness, in promoting consumer education, in facilitating complaint processing and dispute resolution, and in other activities, the State is to undertake the necessary initiatives to appropriately respond to the development of an advanced information communications society while considering characteristics such as the age of the consumer.

Article 21In ensuring safety in the people's lives as consumers, in ensuring propriety in transactions between businesses and consumers, in facilitating complaint processing and dispute resolution, and in other activities, the State is to undertake the necessary initiatives, including securing international cooperation, to appropriately respond to the progressive internationalization of life as a consumer.

Article 22The State is to undertake the necessary initiatives to make arrangements for protecting the environment in ensuring things such as the propriety of advertisements and other representations of the quality and other characteristics of goods and services, in promoting activities to raise consumer awareness, in promoting consumer education, and in other activities.

Article 23In order to ensure the effectiveness of consumer policies, the State is to undertake the necessary initiatives, including streamlining facilities that undertake activities such as the testing and inspection of goods; carrying out activities such as research and studies regarding services; and publishing the results of testing, inspections, research, studies, and other activities, as necessary.

Article 24The State and local governments must endeavor to streamline administrative structures and improve administrative operations from a comprehensive viewpoint, with respect to the promotion of consumer policies.

Article 25The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan (IAA) is to coordinate with the relevant State and local government agencies, consumer organizations, and others, and play a proactive role as a core institution in activities such as the collection and provision of information on the people's lives as consumers; mediation in the processing of complaints arising between businesses and consumers; the offering of consultations with regard to the relevant complaints; the resolution by agreement of disputes arising between businesses and consumers; undertakings such as the testing and inspection of goods and research and studies into services with regard to which there have been complaints from consumers and similar issues; and consumer awareness-raising and education.

Article 26The State is to undertake the necessary initiatives to further sound and self-initiated activities by consumer organizations in order to stabilize and improve the people's lives as consumers.

Article 27(1)The Consumer Policy Council (hereinafter referred to as "the council") is hereby established under the Cabinet Office.

(2)The council takes charge of the following functions:

(3)The council must hear the opinions of the Consumer Commission:

Article 28(1)The council is made up of a chairperson and council members.

(2)The Prime Minister serves as the chairperson.

(3)The following persons serve as council members:

(4)A director is placed on the council.

(5)The Prime Minister appoints the director from among officials of the relevant administrative organs.

(6)The director assists the chairperson and council members with the functions under the jurisdiction of the council.

(7)Beyond as prescribed in the preceding paragraphs, Cabinet Order prescribes the necessary particulars of the organization and operations of the council.

Article 29Other than as established by this Act, studies of and deliberations on the foundational particulars involved in promoting consumer policies are to be undertaken in the Consumer Commission, pursuant to Article 6 of the Act Establishing the Consumer Affairs Agency and the Consumer Commission (Act No. 48 of 2009).