The Japanese government is considering the launch of four stages of illegal casino website blocking measures. This follows a draft proposal from the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Tokyo is consulting a panel of experts who are discussing whether officials should have the power to restrict public access to overseas gambling platforms, according to a ministry discussion paper published on July 20.
Today, the government only lets police, as well as other authorities to restrict websites if they distribute child pornography.
Tokyo has since resisted pressure to extend this to sites that host pirated manga titles, as well as illegally downloaded TV shows.
Japan’s constitution enshrines communications and privacy-related laws. As a result, some of the country’s highest courts may need to clear the matter.
Nevertheless, the ministry seems ready to act if it believes it has exhausted all other options.
The ministry has been discussing the matter with a panel of experts since April 2025. Officials tasked the experts with evaluating the technical viability of potential blocking orders.
IP providers would need to check all the addresses accessed by their customers to restrict access. This would constitute a violation of the Constitution today.
Experts agree that Tokyo should launch a four-stage blocking procedure. The first stage would involve determining whether all other measures have been exhausted.
A second phase is to establish whether the benefits gained from blocking moves outweigh the drawbacks.
Experts would draw up the legal framework needed to implement the restriction in a third stage. And a fourth and final stage would focus on implementation, as well as other practical concerns.
Right now, lawmakers are in the final stages of approving an amendment to the Basic Law for Countermeasures against Gambling and Other Addictions.
