Issue 146, January 2026

Foreword

• Opening Remarks: Reflecting on the Theory of Contract Formation Assistants I (1) Nippon-kan and Portalis

Special Feature 1,Supreme Court Ruling on Unconstitutionality of Welfare Benefit Cuts· Cabinet Violating Separation of Powers

• Content and Commentary on the Supreme Court Ruling in the Welfare Benefit Standard Reduction Litigation
• Post-Ruling Situation and Challenges
• The Historic Significance of the “Life’s Stronghold” Trial Supreme Court Ruling and Future Challenges
• Meticulous Verification of “Statistical Fraud Trampling on the Right to Life” is Absolutely Necessary, Correcting Price Manipulation, Part 26
• Akita Prefectural Governor’s Decision Reversing Repayment Order Under Article 63 of the Public Assistance Act; Mayor Apologizes for Not Demanding Repayment of Public Assistance Funds

Special Feature 3, Unification Church Victims, Relief for Second-Generation Victims

• As an Expert Witness in the Murder of Former Prime Minister Abe
• Current Status and Future Challenges of the Former Unification Church Issue
• Aiming for Healing the Psychological Wounds of Second-Generation Members: Filing Religious Second-Generation Lawsuits
• Regarding the Former Unification Church: This Year (2025) Saw Various Developments

Series 1, Consumer Legislation, Consumer Affairs Agency, Consumer Commission, National Consumer Affairs Center, Legislative Proposals

• Recent Initiatives by the Consumer Affairs Agency
• Regarding “Opinion on Consumer Issues Concerning Rescue Services” and “Opinion on Consumer Safety at Climbing Facilities”

Series 2, Payday Loans and Commercial Loans

• The Reality of Secondary Damage from Debt Restructuring by Lawyers, etc., and Efforts for Victim Relief
• Practical Victim Relief for Secondary Damage from Debt Restructuring by Lawyers, etc.
• Is Future Interest Necessary in Debt Restructuring?
• August 2, 2025, Founding General Meeting of the National Liaison Council Demanding Legislation to Crack Down on Illegal Loan Sharks
• Business Factoring (Invoice Purchasing Industry): Voices of Victims, Report at the “National Liaison Council Demanding Legislation to Crack Down on Illegal Loan Sharks” on August 2, 2025
• For Strengthening Japan’s Democratic Movement (45): LDP Presidential Election, Qualities of Politicians

Series 3, Nuclear Power Plants and the Environment

• Regarding the “Opinion Paper Calling for Further Legislative Amendments to Prevent Disasters, Destruction of Natural Environments and Landscapes, and Damage to Living Environments Accompanying the Construction of Mega-Solar and Large-Scale Wind Power Plants”

Series 4, Special Commercial Transactions Act, Deposit Act, Credit (Installment Sales Act)

• The Necessity of Regulation for Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Providers – Proposals Based on a Survey of Actual Damage Cases Involving the Elderly
• The Review of the Specified Commercial Transactions Act Has Begun!
• Regarding the “Opinion Paper Calling for Prompt Revision of the Specified Commercial Transactions Act,etc., Based on the Principle of Consumer Protection”

Series 5, Consumer Contract Law · Unscrupulous Business Practices

• Regarding the “Study Group on the Consumer Contract Law Considering the Nature of Consumer Transactions in Modern Society”
• Regarding the “Summary of Discussions” from the Research Group on the Actual State of Cancellation Fees
• Cancellation of Contracts Formed Through Digital Advertising Due to Misrepresentation
• Interpretation of Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the Consumer Contract Act
• Efforts for Life Reconstruction Utilizing the Disability Pension System
• Request for Correction of Advertising by Wedding and Funeral Service Providers
• Request to Contact Lens Sales Company
• End of Request Activities Against Life and Design Group Nishinihon Co., Ltd. Operating Funeral Services Under the Name “Family Funeral Rakou,”
• Regarding Requests Concerning Unfair Representations
• Paradigm Shift in Consumer Law Systems
• Case Report on Rescue Sales Tactics (Water-Related Construction Damage)
• Identity Theft Crimes Using Stolen My Number Cards

Series 6, Civil Code and Related Laws

• Regarding the Revised Housing Safety Net Act: Housing Support and Certified Rent Debt Guarantee Provider System
• Opinion Paper Requesting the Commencement of Research for Legal Support for Vulnerable Small Businesses in Business-to-Business Transactions

Series 7, Banking, Securities, Insurance, Futures

• Yen Interest Rate Swaption Case, Nara District Court Judgment March 13, 2025, Breach of Duty to Explain
• Reporting Mitsubishi UFJ Bank’s Predatory Lending to UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights

Series 8, PL

• Serialized Article: Product Liability and Right of Recourse for Sellers of Salmonella-Contaminated Eggs, Preliminary Ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union, January 10, 2006

Series 9, Defective Housing

• Serialized Article: Basic Knowledge of Defective Housing Disputes (72), Advantages and Disadvantages of Type-Approved Housing

Series 10, Food Safety

• Food Safety Issues Addressed by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations: Opinion on the Supplement Law
• Consumer Demands for the New Administration No-Till Dry Field Direct Seeding and the
• Development of Biostimulants

Series 11, Pet & Animal Law

• The Mass Killing of Stray Cats in Minamidaito Village
• Toward the Next Revision of the Animal Welfare and Management Act
• Yamaguchi Prefectural Police’s Disregard for the Constitution and Laws (Lost Property Act, Animal Welfare Act)

Series 12, Cases, Precedents, and Discussions Concerning Daily Life

• On the Right of Subdivision Land Owners to Manage Their Own Property

Series 13, The Collapse of the Judiciary

• A Resident Lawsuit Trial Violating the Right to Request a Legal Hearing at All Trial Levels (Concerning Issue 145 of this Journal: “Violating the Constitution and Laws”)

Series 14, International Consumer Issues

• Regulation of Door-to-Door Sales and Telephone Solicitation Sales in South Korea (1): Overview of Regulations
• Regulation of Door-to-Door and Telephone Solicitation Sales in South Korea (2): Comparison with Japanese Regulations
• Regulation of Contract Conformity in Sales Contracts in Various Countries (3): Focusing on Consumer Protection Provisions in Movable Property Sales Contracts
• Chinese Consumer Law Developments (Part 41): On the Telecommunications Network Fraud Prevention Act, etc. (Part 2)

Series 15, Peace, Freedom, and Human Rights

• The Japanese Government Should Abolish Medical Protection Hospitalization in Compliance with Treaties
• Judicial Rulings Suppressing Defamation on SNS: X and Google Ordered to Disclose Sender Information and Remove Content, Full Text Web Publication

Scholar’s Perspective

• Reflections on Modern Japanese Politics and Administration from the Moritomo Gakuen Scandal (Part 2)
• The Twists and Turns Leading to the 1984 Revision of the Installment Sales Act

Advisor’s Perspective/Activities

• Consumer Education and Policy Coordination Considered from “Subscription Purchase Disputes”
• Why Conduct Consumer Education? Examining the Purpose of Consumer Education from Consumer-Related Laws, Curriculum Guidelines, etc.

Q&A

• Resignation Agency Services

Case Law & Settlement Updates

• Nos. 2684~2696

Featured Important Case Law

Voices from Government, Political Parties & Diet Members

• Poverty Issues
• Countermeasures Against Real Estate Investment Product Victims
• For a Japanese Version of “Women’s Holidays”!

News from the Secretariat

• The Takaichi Administration’s Constitutional Violations and the Eve of the Job Dispute

And more

• Literature Introduction, “Dark Patterns: The Tactics and Countermeasures of Deceptive Design”
• Case Law Database
• Newspaper Information