Panel plans talks on blocking online casino access in Japan
TOKYO – Forcibly blocking illegal access to online casinos will be discussed in four stages by an expert panel of the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, under a policy presented by the panel on Tuesday.
The panel, which is considering how to deter illegal use of the sites from Japan, compiled an interim summary of basic concepts related to such a ban.
The panel will issue conclusions through four stages of discussions over the necessity of forcible blocking, its expected benefits to society and other matters.
The panel will begin its practical examinations in autumn this year and will present a basic direction on the blocking possibly by the end of this year.
There is a view that blocking would be effective for preventing people from trying online casinos for the first time and keeping young people from illegally accessing the sites.
However, to implement the measure, it is necessary for internet access providers to confirm all destinations of users' accesses, and it is unavoidable that doing so will infringe the secrecy of any means of communication that is guaranteed by the Constitution and other laws.
The interim summary states that the subject needs to be carefully examined in four stages of discussions because 'implementing the blocking requires building circumstances in which the measure can be taken legally.'
As practical agenda, the panel's four-stage discussions will cover the following four points.
First, whether such measures will be necessary and effective if other measures have not been effective in decreasing harm.
Second, how a balance should be kept between the social benefits gained from the implementation of blocking and the benefits lost from infringement of the secrecy of communications.
Third, whether new legislation will be necessary to implement the blocking.
Fourth, what practical procedures will need to be considered if the blocking is implemented.
The panel will discuss and examine the four points in that order.
Other methods to deter illegal use of online casino sites may include filtering that limits access to the sites via smartphones and deleting social media posts that solicit users into online casino sites.
The panel will also carefully examine whether those methods, which are seen to carry no risk of infringement of the secrecy of communications, can be effective, and then consider whether the blocking will be introduced.
An increasing number of Japanese, mainly young people, have been using online casino websites. Negative effects, such as addiction to gambling, are increasingly serious.
Among the online casino sites, there are overseas ones on which users can engage in sports betting on Japanese baseball, soccer and other sports.
This situation raises the fear that the existence of such casino sites may threaten the healthy nature of sports by, for example, leading to the fixing of games and matches.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
34 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Brazil's Justice Moraes ignores US sanctions, says he will continue doing his job
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SAO PAULO - Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing a criminal case against an ally of President Donald Trump, told a court session on Friday that he will continue to do his job and "ignore the sanctions" imposed by the United States that effectively block him from the country's wide-reaching financial system. On Wednesday, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Moraes for overseeing the trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, accusing the judge of authorizing arbitrary pre-trial detentions and suppressing freedom of expression. Justice Moraes has presided over the criminal case against Bolsonaro, who has been charged with plotting a coup to overturn Brazil's 2022 presidential election after his supporters violently stormed government buildings following the election victory of leftist Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The U.S. sanctions were accompanied by an executive order imposing a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods, which was also tied to the case Moraes is overseeing against Bolsonaro, an unwavering supporter of the U.S. president. Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain, and several of his closest allies were charged with plotting a coup to overturn his 2022 electoral loss, in a case that was in many ways similar to accusations against Trump. Moraes said the court would not submit itself to foreign coercion or what he likened to new coup attempts by Bolsonaro's allies. Moraes said the Federal Supreme Court will continue to exercise its role as guardian of the Constitution. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Tech Reporting suspected advanced cyber attacks will provide a defence framework: Shanmugam Business Singapore's US tariff rate stays at 10%, but the Republic is not out of the woods yet Asia Asia-Pacific economies welcome new US tariff rates, but concerns over extent of full impact remain Business ST explains: How Trump tariffs could affect Singapore SMEs, jobs and markets Asia Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupts Singapore Thundery showers expected on most days in first half of August Singapore Synapxe chief executive, MND deputy secretary to become new perm secs on Sept 1 Singapore 5 women face capital charges after they were allegedly found with nearly 27kg of cocaine in S'pore "It will continue to exercise its role in criminal proceedings so that it can provide a final answer to all Brazilian society regarding who was truly responsible" for the attempted coup, he said, adding that there will be due process of law with no internal or external interference. Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, a son of the former president who moved to the U.S. to persuade the White House to intervene in his father's favor, has claimed credit for Trump's policies on Brazil. "This criminal organization's insistence on implementing measures harmful to Brazil, by encouraging the imposition of these tariffs and making spurious and illegal attacks against Brazilian public officials, is aimed at creating a severe economic crisis in the country," he said. "But to the dismay of these traitorous Brazilians, that crisis will not happen." Moraes added that the court would conclude the trial of those accused of attempting a coup d'état before the end of the year. REUTERS
CNA
7 hours ago
- CNA
Attacker wounds Japanese national in China with rock: Tokyo embassy
BEIJING: An "unknown assailant" attacked and wounded a Japanese national accompanied by a child in the Chinese city of Suzhou, Tokyo's embassy said on Friday (Aug 1), calling on Beijing to prevent such incidents. The incident comes a year after a Japanese mother and child were wounded in a knife attack in the same city. A Chinese woman had died trying to stop the assailant. In Thursday's attack, "a Japanese national walking with a child was struck by what appeared to be a rock by an unknown assailant inside a Suzhou, Jiangsu Province subway station", Tokyo's embassy in Beijing told AFP in a statement. A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry told AFP that "the suspect has been apprehended". The victim was "promptly taken to hospital for treatment, and there is no threat to life", the ministry said. China and Japan are key trading partners, but increased friction over territorial rivalries and military spending has frayed ties in recent years. Japan's brutal occupation of parts of China before and during World War II remains a sore point, with Beijing accusing Tokyo of failing to atone for its past. In June last year, a Japanese mother and child were attacked in Suzhou on the anniversary of the 1931 "Mukden incident", known in China as a day of national humiliation. The 1931 explosion of a railway in China was used by Japanese soldiers as a pretext to occupy the city of Mukden, now called Shenyang, and invade the wider region of Manchuria. And in September, a Japanese schoolboy was fatally stabbed in the southern city of Shenzhen. Media reports about the latest attack in Suzhou were censored on the Chinese messaging app WeChat. "The Japanese government has urged the Chinese government to ... severely punish the suspect, prevent similar incidents, and ensure the safety of Japanese nationals", Tokyo's embassy said on Friday.
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
Japanese woman injured in subway station attack in China
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SHANGHAI – A Japanese woman was assaulted at a subway station in Suzhou, eastern China and taken to a hospital on July 31, the Japanese consulate-general in Shanghai said on Aug 1. The incident occurred in Suzhou, the same city in Jiangsu Province where a Japanese mother and child were injured and a Chinese woman was killed in a knife attack in June 2024 . A woman was walking with her child when she was struck with a stone-like object, sustaining a non-life-threatening injury, according to a source. The suspect remains at large, and the local authorities are investigating, according to the consulate-general. With 2025 marking the 80th anniversary of what China calls its victory in the 1937-1945 War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, the Japanese embassy in Beijing has warned citizens of rising anti-Japan sentiment. Following the latest attack, the Japanese government urged China to swiftly apprehend the suspect, prevent similar incidents and ensure the safety of Japanese nationals, the embassy added. The consulate-general also asked the Japanese expatriates in China to be vigilant about suspicious people when they go out. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Tech Reporting suspected advanced cyber attacks will provide a defence framework: Shanmugam Singapore Tanjong Katong sinkhole: Road will progressively open to motorists from Aug 2 noon World Trump modifies reciprocal tariffs ahead of deadline; rate on Singapore remains at 10% Business Singapore's US tariff rate stays at 10%, but the Republic is not out of the woods yet Singapore 5 women face capital charges after they were allegedly found with nearly 27kg of cocaine in S'pore Business Sumo Salad had valid insurance coverage for work injury claims: MOM Asia Australia to force Google to conduct age checks in world-first rules for search engines Singapore PM Wong to deliver National Day message on Aug 8 The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China said in a statement on Aug 1 that it is 'extremely regrettable' that the latest incident occurred following the knife attack in Suzhou and the fatal stabbing of a 10-year-old Japanese boy in Shenzhen in September. KYODO NEWS
