JAPAN / Politics

Japan OKs bill on background checks for work involving children

Children and teachers walk past an electronic screen displaying Japan's Nikkei share average outside a brokerage in Tokyo on March 4. | REUTERS

By Yukana Inoue
staff writer

Mar 19, 2024

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill that aims to protect young children from sexual assault by requiring those seeking employment in fields involving children to undergo background checks that go back 20 years.

The widely discussed system has been called the Japanese version of the U.K.’s Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

The screening process will allow employers to check with the Children and Families Agency on whether prospective employees have a history of sex offenses. The agency will then check records of sex offenses maintained by the Ministry of Justice.

Japan OKs bill on background checks for work involving children

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