The House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday aimed at forcing operators of Internet auction sites to notify authorities of their dealings.
The bill to revise the Antique Dealings Law now moves on to the House of Counselors for further debate. If enacted, it will constitute Japan's first legislative restriction on operators of online auctions.
Operators would be obliged to inform police upon learning that stolen items have been offered for sale and to keep records of transactions conducted on auction sites.
The police would be empowered to terminate auctions whenever stolen goods are found to be on sale. Offenders would be subject to a maximum prison term of six months or a maximum fine of 300,000 yen.
Those who run online antique dealerships would be obliged to notify the police of their registered Internet addresses.