Consumer Research and International Affairs
White Paper on Consumer Affairs
The Consumer Affairs Agency researches and analyzes consumer issues for better consumer policy. For example, the CAA conducts a Basic Survey on Consumer Life once a year and has estimated consumer detriment since 2013. The outcomes from such research and analysis are put together, coupled with the progress of consumer policy by the government, and are published in the form of the White Paper on Consumer Affairs on an annual basis.
International cooperation
The Consumer Affairs Agency is addressing to strengthen international cooperation by actively participating in international conferences such as the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Committee on Consumer Policy (CCP) and International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN). The CAA is vice-chair of the CCP and the Working Party on Consumer Product Safety of the OECD. In addition, the CAA will strengthen cooperative relationships with countries with strong economic relations with Japan through close political dialogue.
In order to resolve cross-border consumer issues, the Cross-border Consumer center Japan (CCJ) has been established in 2011. If a consumer encounters a cross-border consumer issues, he or she can file a complaint online to the CCJ. Next, the CCJ forwards the complaint to a partner organization in a foreign country and proposes a resolution. The partner organization forwards the complaint received from the CCJ to the local business outside Japan. Then, the partner organization forwards a response to the CCJ. The CCJ forwards the response to the consumer. Vice versa, a consumer outside Japan can file a complaint to a partner organization if he or she encounters a consumer issue with a business in Japan. The CCJ helps resolve the complaint. As of March 2020, the CCJ has 15 overseas partners covering 26 countries/regions.
