Japan Introduces Law To Ban Ticket Scalping At Major Sporting Events

The Japanese Parliament has introduced legislation to ban ticket scalping, as the country prepares to host several major sporting events in the next two years.

Ticket brokering is prohibited on the streets and other public places under local laws, but there had been no formal law in Japan to control online scalping of tickets for popular sports and entertainment events.

This bill has now been unanimously approved by the House of Councillors and is set to be formally introduced on June 8, 2019.

It bans the resale of tickets at prices higher than face value, along with purchasing tickets for scalping and those infringing the new law face jail terms of up to one year, fines of up to JPY1 million (US$8,847), or both.

The new bill will be in place ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as The Tokyo 2020 Local Organising Committee had requested a legal framework to prevent ticket resale prices being dramatically inflated for the Games.

Tickets that specify seats or require the identity of the purchaser will be subject to the new law, which also calls on event organisers to make efforts to identify ticket holders.