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http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080118TDY02303.htm

 

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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