Collective Consumer Actions: Three Years On

I. Introduction
In October 2016, the Act on Special Measures Concerning Civil Court Proceedings for the Collective Redress for Property Damage Incurred by Consumers (the “Act”) came into force and introduced new court proceedings for collective consumer actions (“Proceedings”). During deliberations on the Act, the Diet determined that the Japanese government should conduct a review of the Act three years after its implementation and take any measures it deemed necessary, including the amendment of the Act. The review would consider various factors, such as the circumstances of property damage incurred by consumers and the use of Proceedings.

Three years have now passed since the Act entered into force and the review of the Act is anticipated to commence shortly. This article will briefly recap the main features of the current Act, provide an overview of how Proceedings have been used in the three years after the implementation of the Act, and offer brief analysis on potential future amendments to the Act.

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