Article 8Implementation of Consumer Affairs Consultations and Other Administrative Processes by Prefectural and Municipal Governments
第八条（都道府県及び市町村による消費生活相談等の事務の実施）
Prefectural governments are to perform the following administrative processes:
都道府県は、次に掲げる事務を行うものとする。
coordinating communication among municipal governments, providing necessary advice, cooperating, providing information, and giving other assistance to municipal governments in their performance of the administrative processes set forth in the items of the following paragraph;
次項各号に掲げる市町村の事務の実施に関し、市町村相互間の連絡調整及び市町村に対する必要な助言、協力、情報の提供その他の援助を行うこと。
performing the following main administrative processes for Ensuring Consumer Safety:
消費者安全の確保に関し、主として次に掲げる事務を行うこと。
handling any request for a consultation involving a Consumer complaint against an Enterprise which requires a broader perspective than that of the municipal area;
mediating any processing of a Consumer complaint against an Enterprise which requires a broader perspective than that of the municipal area;
implementing any necessary investigation or analysis to assess the status or movements of an Actual or Potential Consumer-Related Incident which requires expert knowledge and skill;
消費者事故等の状況及び動向を把握するために必要な調査又は分析であって、専門的な知識及び技術を必要とするものを行うこと。
collecting information that is necessary for Ensuring Consumer Safety from a broader perspective than that of the municipal area, and providing it to local residents.
各市町村の区域を超えた広域的な見地から、消費者安全の確保のために必要な情報を収集し、及び住民に対し提供すること。
exchanging information about the occurrence of Actual and Potential Consumer-Related Incidents with the municipal governments;
市町村との間で消費者事故等の発生に関する情報を交換すること。
coordinating communication with relevant organizations to Ensure Consumer Safety; and
消費者安全の確保に関し、関係機関との連絡調整を行うこと。
administrative processes incidental to those set forth in the preceding items.
前各号に掲げる事務に附帯する事務を行うこと。
Municipal governments are to perform the following administrative processes:
市町村は、次に掲げる事務を行うものとする。
handling requests for consultations involving Consumer complaints against Enterprises in order to Ensure Consumer Safety;
mediation for the settlement of Consumer complaints against Enterprises in order to Ensure Consumer Safety;
collecting information that is necessary for Ensuring Consumer Safety and providing it to local residents;
消費者安全の確保のために必要な情報を収集し、及び住民に対し提供すること。
exchanging information about the occurrence of Actual and Potential Consumer-Related Incidents with the prefectural governments;
都道府県との間で消費者事故等の発生に関する情報を交換すること。
coordinating communication with relevant organizations to Ensure Consumer Safety; and
消費者安全の確保に関し、関係機関との連絡調整を行うこと。
administrative processes incidental to those set forth in the preceding items.
前各号に掲げる事務に附帯する事務を行うこと。
If a municipal government deals with the administrative processes set forth in the items of the preceding paragraph in cooperation with another municipal government or entrusts another municipal government with the administrative processes, the prefectural government may conduct necessary coordination between relevant municipal governments to meet the requests from the relevant municipal governments.
都道府県は、市町村が前項各号に掲げる事務を他の市町村と共同して処理しようとする場合又は他の市町村に委託しようとする場合は、関係市町村の求めに応じ、市町村相互間における必要な調整を行うことができる。
Any of prefectural officials who engage or engaged in the administrative processes set forth in the items of paragraph (1) and municipal officials who engage or engaged in the administrative processes set forth in the items of paragraph (2) must not divulge any confidential information learned in the course of those administrative processes.
Read this with the articles around it
Consumer
「消費者」
An individual, except when carrying on a commercial, industrial, financial or other business.
Defined inArticle 2, paragraph (1)· applies throughout the law
Enterprise
「事業者」
Any person carrying on a commercial, industrial, financial or other business; an individual counts only when acting in the course of such a business.
Defined inArticle 2, paragraph (2)· applies throughout the law
Ensuring Consumer Safety
「消費者安全の確保」
Preventing consumers from suffering harm in their lives as consumers and keeping them safe.
Defined inArticle 2, paragraph (3)· applies throughout the law
Actual or Potential Consumer-Related Incident
「消費者事故等」
Any of three kinds of event: an accident in which a consumer using a business's goods, facilities or services suffers harm to life or body to the degree a Cabinet Order (政令) sets (unless it clearly was not caused by the thing being unsafe); a situation in which a consumer used something not safe to use that a Cabinet Order treats as likely to cause such an accident; or a business's false or exaggerated advertising or other conduct a Cabinet Order names that may unfairly harm consumers' interests or their free and rational choice.
Defined inArticle 2, paragraph (5)· applies throughout the law