商店検査中国製電器用品不足被罰

Last month the Yomiuri News on-line reported the following:

中国製品検査に不備、コーナンに販売停止処分

2014年06月27日 21時04分

　ホームセンター大手のコーナン商事（堺市）が、安全検査に不備がある電気製品を販売した問題で、経済産業省は２７日、電気用品安全法で義務づけられた検査記録の保存などを怠ったとして、同社に対し、９５０品目を１～３か月間販売停止とする処分を行った。同省によると、２００１年の同法施行以来、販売停止処分は初めて。

　経産省は５～６月、同社に立ち入り調査を実施し、０１年度以降に主に中国から輸入された約１６００品目を調べた。電子レンジや炊飯器など９５０品目について、海外の製造元から検査記録を取り寄せていなかったり、検査の徹底を指示しなかったりしたことが判明。こうした不備があったのに、検査済みを示す「ＰＳＥマーク」を表示していた。

(試譯文)

Regarding Kohnan Shoji (Sakai), a major home center company, there was a problem that the electric goods it sold were found to have defects during a safety inspection. On the 27th (June) the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, noting that it had neglected the duty to keep inspection records as demanded by the Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law, imposed a penalty on the company by stopping it to sell 950 items for one to three months. According to the said ministry, it was the first time since the enforcement of the law in the fiscal year 2001 to impose the sales stopping penalty.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in May to June visited the company to investigate, checking about 1600 items mainly imported from China since 2001. It became clear that for microwave oven, rice cookers etc. 950 items, it had not sought inspection records from the overseas manufacturers, nor had carried out a thorough inspection on them. Although there were defects, a "PSE mark" was displayed to show that an inspection was completed.

It is shocking to note that, even if you see the "PSE mark", there is no guarantee that the electrical item you buy in Japan is safe.