Japanese Government Bans Mask Resale Completely... "Up to 5 Years Imprisonment for Violations"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Japanese government announced that it will, in principle, ban the resale of masks, which have become scarce due to panic buying amid the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), and will impose strict penalties on those who violate this rule.

According to local Japanese media such as Sankei Shimbun, on the 5th, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated at the COVID-19 task force meeting that the act of hoarding masks in stores and online and reselling them at high prices is completely prohibited. Violators will face imprisonment of up to five years or a fine of up to 3 million yen (approximately 33 million KRW). Prime Minister Abe pointed out that cases of masks being traded at high prices on the internet are worsening the mask shortage situation.

The Japanese government announced that it will enforce the mask resale ban based on the "Emergency Measures for the Stabilization of People's Livelihoods Act," enacted during the 1973 oil shock. The government plans to decide on the resale ban policy at a cabinet meeting on the 10th and aims to implement it as early as next week. Previously, in Japan, the price of a box of masks (60 pieces), which was around 1,000 yen in mid-January, surged to 42,000 yen by the end of last month, making panic buying and mask shortages a social issue.

Along with this, the Japanese government plans to purchase 20 million masks in bulk to distribute to nursing facilities and secure 15 million masks for medical institutions through overseas imports, prioritizing distribution to medical sites in need.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.