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The National Police Agency 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.
safety commissions Source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080118TDY02303.htm
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