Product Liability Page - Jane Nichols
The Product Liability Law was introduced in 1994 with the aim of protecting the rights of Japanese consumers. Specifically, it imposes liability on a manufacturer or importer in relation to “moveable property” which is “manufactured or processed”. While the Act makes entry into the market easier by relaxing manufacturing standards….The following links give some insight into the development of Product Liability Law in Japan including contemporary issues

Links on Japanese Law
Wordlii Japan: This site is invaluable to those businessmen who need to find legal information fast! Contains direct links to a range of Japanese legislation including the Product Liability Law. Also access case reports, journals and other legal materials in both English and Japanese.

Online Japanese Resources:Good starting point for research on Japanese Law with a host of links to legislation and other legal resources in English and Japanese.

Links on Japanese law

Product Liability Law-Legislation
Asia Pacific Consumer Law: An excellent comparative website outlining the product liability laws of many countries in the Asia Pacific Region including Japan, Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand. There is also a link to the United Nations Guidelines on Consumer Protection.

Japanese Law on World Wide Web:A site containing a simple English version of the Product Liability Law.

Translations of Major Japanese Laws: This site provides another way of accessing an English Text version of the Product Liability Law

Product Liability Law-Cases
Exploding TV Case: Japan’s first Judgement under the 1994 Product Liability Law (Nagoya District Court, 30 June 1999)

Reported Product Liability Claimssince the early 1990s

Reported Claims under the Product Liability Law

Both pages give a broad picture of the types of claims, which have been commenced, however a businessman would require additional information in the event of litigation

General site for case law: Locate references and briefs on reported cases by entering in ‘product liability’ as a search term. The case summaries are short and provide a neat outline of the issues raised. However they are basic and should only be used for preliminary knowledge.

Product Liability-Articles
Businessweek Online
1) Title: ‘Can Japanese Consumers Stand Up and Fight’ (September 11 2000 issue)
2) Title: ‘A Cover-up at Mitsubishi?’

Time Asia
1) Title: ‘Japan: Fighting Back’ (September 25 2000 Vol 156 No 12)
Contains links to the following Articles (these are all in the same issue):
‘Targeting Japan Inc’- discusses the TV Exploding Case
‘Consumer Countdown: a Litany of Poisonings, Bad Products and Now Redress’- excellent historical overview of product liability litigation in Japan and developments in Product Liability Law

Japan Times
Title: ‘Smokers sue as Japan Tobacco denies Causal Links’ (10 August 2001)

Research Paper
Title: ‘Japan’s New Product Liability ADR Centres: Bureaucratic, Industry or Consumer Informalism?’ by Luke Nottage