Tuesday 14th December, 10:30 AM JST
TOKYO —
The National Police Agency decided Tuesday to dispatch undercover officers to mobile phone dealers to check if they are properly explaining to customers about filtering software to prevent minors from accessing hazardous sites, NPA officials said.
The officers, who will pretend to be parents who are purchasing mobile phones for their children, will visit more than 1,500 dealers nationwide by the end of the year, according to the officials.
Under a law aimed at protecting minors from hazardous sites such as dating sites, mobile phone operators are obliged to install a filtering system when they sell phones to minors below 18 years old.
But the law does not carry any penalties, and as a result, only 60% of elementary school children and 40% of high school students use the software, according to a survey by the Cabinet Office in April.
The NPA believes the dealers do not sufficiently explain the law when selling mobile phones to minors.
Undercover officers will check if sales staff confirm the age of users and if they sufficiently explain the regulations under the law, according to the officials.
The NPA has already informed the five mobile phone operators of the planned undercover visits, and the officers will identify themselves after checking and tell sales staff about their assessments of their explanations.
‘‘We aim at achieving 100% use through the undercover examination,’’ an NPA official said.
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