Japan-Police Want Stricter Law on Internet Dating Websites-Issues of Minors & Child Prostitution
Author: Womens UN Report Network
Date: February 4, 2008
WUNRN
January
18, 2008
Japan
National Police Agency Targets Online Dating Sites / Agency Wants Stricter
Regulations as Current Law Being Ignored
The National Police Agency (NPA) has decided to seek revision of the law to
oblige operators of dating service Web sites to register with prefectural
public safety commissions and to provide for penalties for those that fail to
do so, sources in the agency said Thursday.
The NPA aims to directly impose stricter regulations and beef up its
monitoring of Internet dating service operators, because the law governing such
services, which prohibits minors under 18 from using them, has been largely
ignored.
As a result, there have been numerous cases of child prostitution in which
many minors became victims.
The service operators also would be obliged to delete messages connected
with underage girls posted on their Web site.
The NPA plans to have a bill to revise the law submitted to the ordinary
Diet session around March.
The law regulating Internet dating service sites, which was enacted in
September 2003, prohibits minors under 18 from such actions as posting messages
on the sites that can be interpreted as soliciting to have paid sex.
The law obliges site operators to confirm users’ ages.
Already under the current law, if police find sites for which age
confirmation is not sufficient and minors have been involved in crimes, the
police can ask Internet service providers to cooperate with their investigation
and identify the dating service operators.
However, under the current law, if no crime has been confirmed, it is
difficult for the police to ask for cooperation and identify the service
operators in question. Thus it has been also difficult for police to ensure
such service operators thoroughly confirm users’ ages.
Because of the situation, the NPA set up an expert panel to discuss the
problem. The panel concluded dating service site operators should be obliged to
register with prefectural public safety commissions.
Under the registration system, it will be easier for the police to keep an
eye on the site operators. If they find sites that are not registered with a
commission, the police will be able to order Internet providers to disclose the
identities of the operators and crack down on them for running such businesses
without permission.
The revised law will stipulate that service site operators should take
effective measures to confirm users’ ages, such as requiring users to fax the
copies of ID certificates to site operators.
The revised law also will clearly stipulate that service operators must
delete problematic messages.
The NPA is asking that the revised law allow for a prison term of up to six
months for site operators who fail to register. If operators fail to properly
confirm users’ ages or to delete problematic messages, the NPA wants the law to
allow it to issue correction orders or orders to suspend business.
According to the NPA, there are about 5,000 dating service sites on the
Internet. The number of young people under 18 who were victims of sex crimes in
connection with dating service sites in 2006 increased 92 from the previous
year to 1,153. Of the victims, 95 percent accessed the sites via cell phone.
(Jan.
18, 2008)
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