Celebrating World Consumer Rights Day

World Consumer Rights Day is an international day advocated by Consumers International (CI) to promote and commemorate the rights of consumers as first recognized by US President John F. Kennedy on March 15, 1962 (the right to safety, the right to information, the right to choose, the right to be heard).

The theme of this year's World Consumer Rights Day is "Safe Products, Confident Consumers."

CI has chosen this theme in the background of product safety rapidly becoming a critical issue in the global digital marketplace, impacting lives, consumer trust, and the global economy. Factors include findings from an OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) study showing that many recalled or banned products remain available for purchase online, and many countries do not have sufficient legal frameworks in place for product safety.

The Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) of Japan collects and utilizes consumer accident information to prevent their occurrence and spread. For example, in light of recent accidents involving lithium-ion battery products domestically and internationally, the CAA released a consumer alert in December 2024 jointly with the OECD Global Awareness Campaign. In October 2025, the CAA jointly released a consumer alert with the Fire and Disaster Management Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of the Environment. In December 2025, the Inter-Ministerial Meeting formulated the "Comprehensive Measures Package for Lithium-Ion Batteries." The Japanese government will continue to work together to ensure consumer safety.

Furthermore, the CAA operates the "Consumer Affairs Agency Recall Information Site," which centrally aggregates and clearly presents recall information for consumer products collected and published by relevant ministries and agencies based on laws and regulations, as well as information on voluntary recalls and similar actions reported to the CAA by businesses. For recall information likely to affect consumers overseas, the CAA also provides information to the "OECD GlobalRecalls Portal" site, advancing international cooperation.

As transactions through online marketplaces have increased in recent years, the "Japanese Product Safety Pledge" was established in collaboration with relevant ministries/agencies and online marketplaces operators, based on the "Communiqué on Product Safety Pledges" published by the OECD. It is a public-private collaborative initiative such as removing recalled or unsafe products from listing, which aims to ensure consumer safety.

The CAA will continue working to ensure consumer safety, collaborating with international organizations such as the OECD. I wish to send a message here in the hope that this World Consumer Rights Day is an opportunity for all stakeholders to join together in thinking about issues surrounding consumers.

March 13, 2026
KIKAWADA Hitoshi
Minister for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety