Japan to Toughen Fines on Industrial Standards Violations

May 23, 2018

Tokyo- Japan's parliament passed Wednesday revisions to industrial laws to reinforce penalties against violations of rules about the display of product quality information.

The maximum fine imposed on companies violating the rules set under the Japanese Industrial Standards will be lifted to 100 million yen from one million yen at present.

The passage followed a series of product quality data falsification scandals that came to light last year at major Japanese materials makers, including Kobe Steel Ltd.

The scope of the coverage of the JIS, a collection of national standards for manufactured goods, will be broadened to newly cover data and services.

The law revisions also include banning improper acquisitions and use of information such as data service passwords and halving intellectual property royalties paid by small and midsize firms. Jiji Press