悪質な定期購入商法に刑事罰　特商法改正案など閣議決定

　インターネットで初回無料やお試しなどとうたい、高額な定期購入を契約させる詐欺的な定期購入商法の抑止に向け、政府は５日、違反業者への刑事罰導入を柱とした特定商取引法改正案を閣議決定した。今国会中の成立を目指す。
　消費者庁によると、初回は無料や格安で商品を提供するように紹介しながら、消費者に定期的な購入契約を結ばせる悪質な手口は全国的に急増している。２０２０年の被害相談は前年より１万件以上多い約５万６０００件。新型コロナウイルス禍による外出自粛で、ネット通販をする人が増えたことなどが理由とみられる。
　改正案は、消費者が定期購入と知らずに結んだ契約は取り消せるようにするほか、販売側に最終的な商品の金額や数、引き渡し時期などの明確な表示を義務化する。表示がなかったり、虚偽の内容だったりした場合、個人は３年以下の懲役または３００万円以下の罰金、法人は１億円以下の罰金などとした。（2021/03/05-08:48）

The Japanese government adopted Friday a bill aimed at deterring deceptive online marketing practices of talking consumers into making regular purchases of expensive commodities by initially offering such products for free.
   The bill to revise the law on specified commercial transactions, adopted at the day's cabinet meeting, calls for slapping criminal charges on violators. The government aims to enact the bill during the ongoing parliamentary session, which is slated to run through June 16.
   According to the Consumer Affairs Agency, malicious practices of attracting consumers with free or low-priced goods to make them sign regular purchase contracts are spreading across Japan. In 2020, the number of consultations about falling victim to such merchandising increased by more than 10,000 from the previous year to some 56,000, apparently because more and more people started to shop online amid the coronavirus pandemic.
   Under the revised law, consumers will be able to cancel contracts signed without knowledge that they were for making regular purchases, while sellers will be obliged to clearly display information about the final price and number of commodities being sold and the timing of shipment.
   In these kinds of information are not available for consumers or false information is indicated, individual sellers will face a prison term of up to three years or a fine of up to 3 million yen, while corporations will be subject to a fine of up to 100 million yen.