On September 1, 2009, the Consumers Affairs Agency was established in Japan and thus – according to the Japanese government – the official approach was redefined: shifting from a focus on companies toward more consumer protection. We now have the opportunity to reignite dialog between German and Japanese consumer protection organizations. Two events were held in 2002 and 2003 in Berlin und Tôkyô. And although an exchange of consumer policies takes place between Japan and Europe every two years through high-level government consultations between the EU and Japan, exchanges between consumer associations is more sporadic, even though consumers in Japan and Germany/EU deal with similar problems: food scandals, illegal telemarketing, excessive debts, data protection issues, just to name a few.

For further information, program and registration please refer to the German or Japanese pages.