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Consumer Safety

From the Collection of Accident Information to Alerts

Consumer Safety Act (bodily harm)

Pursuant to the Consumer Safety Act, the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) receives notification of consumer accidents from governmental bodies and other entities concerned, summarizes accident information and regularly publishes such information. The CAA also consolidates and analyzes these pieces of information, publishes the results, provides them to local governments as well as reports them to the Diet and the Consumer Commission.

Consumer Product Safety Act (Serious product incidents information reporting and publishing system)

Pursuant to the Consumer Product Safety Act, the CAA receives reports of serious product incidents from businesses, summarizes incident information and regularly publishes such information.
Manufacturers or importers of consumer products must report any serious product incidents to the CAA within 10 days of coming to know of them. The CAA will take measures such as promptly disclosing information about the incident.

Prompt action to raise consumer awareness

In order to prevent harm to consumers from occurring and spreading, the Consumer Affairs Agency works on raising consumer awareness to the accident information in consideration with the degree of seriousness and extensivity. The CAA also engages information exchange and discussion with relevant entities, including the Government ministries and agencies, local governments concerned, working to prevent harm from spreading.

Consumer Accident Information Databank

The Consumer Affairs Agency has developed and is operating the Consumer Accident Information Databank in collaboration with the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan in order that consumers can freely access, via the Internet, the information on consumer accidents held by entities concerned.

Medical Institution Network

The Medical Institution Network Project is a joint initiative between the CAA and the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, launched in December 2010, aimed at systematically advancing efforts to collect accident information from patients who have suffered accidents affecting life and health and have sought medical treatment at medical institutions, and to utilize this information to prevent the recurrence of similar accidents. Information obtained from participating medical institutions is utilized for consumer alerts and other purposes.

Gathering information of recalled products

The Consumer Affairs Agency operates the "Consumer Affairs Agency Recall Information Site" on recalled consumer products information for refunds, exchanges, checkup, repairs and other services. The products covered are including cars, housing equipment and household appliances to sports and leisure equipment, toys, commodity goods, cosmetics, and food. Such information is gathered by respective ministries, agencies and local governments according to the laws and regulations and by direct report from responsible business entities to the CAA.
This site also offers an e-mail broadcasting service on information about serious accidents from the recalled products as well as newly registered recall information. This service is available to all registered subscribers, who can also choose to receive specific information targeting "elderly consumer" or "children."

Product Safety Pledge

The Japanese Product Safety Pledge was first established in June 2023 by relevant ministries and agencies and major online marketplace (OM) operators based on the "Communiqué on Product Safety Pledges" published by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). The Japanese Product Safety Pledge is a "public-private collaborative voluntary initiative" that goes beyond the legal framework of product safety, with the aim of further protecting consumers from risks to life and health posed by recalled or unsafe products listed or sold on OMs.

Raising consumer awareness

The Consumer Affairs Agency regularly delivers useful information for consumer safety, focusing on accident prevention through its e-mail newsletter delivery service "Minnano Shohi Anzen Navi (Consumer Safety Navigation for Everyone) from the Consumer Affairs Agency".
It is available on the Consumer Affairs Agency web site via PC or cell phone, and also posted on the official X (formerly "Twitter") account.
Note: "Child Safety E-mail Newsletter" has been renamed "Minnano Shohi Anzen Navi" as of April 2025.

The Consumer Affairs Agency issues alerts (press releases) to inform consumers of the risk of accidents and encourage them to take appropriate action.

Control Tower for food safety and consumer understanding promotion

The CAA serves as the control tower for food safety, establishing communication systems with relevant ministries and agencies concerning food safety, responding to emergencies, and collaborating with relevant ministries and agencies to promote information sharing and risk communication among consumers, businesses, and other stakeholders on topics such as radioactive materials in food and food poisoning prevention. Additionally, the CAA is involved in international cooperation and harmonization efforts such as international rules establishment.
Furthermore, the CAA provides information on food safety through publications such as the booklet "Health Food Q&A" and "Food and Radiation Q&A," available on its website, and shares seasonal food poisoning prevention tips via X (formerly "Twitter") and Facebook.
To enable residents to test the food they consume for radioactive materials and confirm its safety, the CAA collaborates with the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan to lend radioactive materials testing equipment to local governments.

Food and Radiation Q&A in English

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