A consumer protection commission was launched last month to investigate consumer complaints about appliances, food and commodities. Unfortunately, the seven-member Consumer Safety Investigation Commission might be a case of too little too late.
Japan's consumer protection laws have long been on the books and the country's consumer market may be the envy of the world, but scandalous examples of unsafe, unfair and exploitative consumer practices are too numerous to list in a short editorial.
The commission must be considered a step forward as it was given the power to authorize on-site inspections of producers and to develop preventive measures.