In recent years, computer networks have come to play a crucial role as infrastructure in various areas of Japan's society and economy. In this light, the Law concerning Prohibition of the Act of Improper Access, etc. ,(Law No.128of1999)was enacted in August1999,mainly to prohibit and punish the act of improper access to computers connected to telecommunication lines whose use is limited by access control functions. The penal provisions of the law took effect in February2000. According to the Community Safety Bureau of the National Police Agency,7persons had been cleared for violation of this law by June30,2000.
  In order to regulate the business of showing images of sexual acts on the Internet and elsewhere, a revision to the Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses, etc. , in April1998stipulated restrictions on image-sending adult entertainment businesses and new provisions for the punishment of violations related thereto. Although the penal provisions went into force in April1999,no one was cleared for violation of the law in that year(source:Community Safety Bureau, National Police Agency).
  In addition, the Law concerning Punishment of Acts Related to Child Prostitution and Child Pornography(Law No.52of1998)was enacted in May1998. It established penal provisions on the public display of child pornography, including the act of showing child pornography on the Internet for viewing by an unspecified or large number of people. The law went into effect in November1998,and10persons were newly received by public prosecutors offices for violation of the law within that year, according to the Criminal Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Justice.
  Computer-related offenses have also been addressed through international cooperation. A meeting of ministers of major industrialized countries in charge of justice and internal affairs, held in December1997,announced the Principles and Action Program to Fight against Hi-Tech Offenses. These envisage the proper criminalization of the abuse of telecommunication and computer systems, as well as studies of legal systems to facilitate criminal investigation into so-called hi-tech offenses. Further, at the Birmingham Summit in1998,an agreement was reached to implement the Action Program. The follow-up to the Action Program in a video-conference between ministers of major industrialized countries in charge of justice and internal affairs in December1998,as well as in a ministerial meeting held in October1999,culminated in a directive calling for experts to develop concrete measures to identify the whereabouts of hi-tech offenders across national borders.
  At the expert level, a Senior Expert Group on Transnational Organized Crime was established, following the President's statement at the1995Halifax Summit. The Senior Expert Group submitted"40Recommendations"on measures against international organized crime to the1996Lyon Summit, which endorsed them. Subsequently, a Sub-Group on Hi-Tech Offenses was established to promote these recommendations on offenses involving the abuse of modern technology. The Sub-Group has been primarily discussing on international cooperation in collecting data that provide evidence of hi-tech offenses.
  The first joint meeting on hi-tech offenses, held in May2000with the participation of governments and industries from major developed countries, discussed common issues for governments and industries in finding solutions to related problems.
  At the Kyushu/Okinawa Summit in July2000,the countries concerned agreed to coordinate their policies toward enhancing a crime-free and safe cyberspace, as well as further promoting dialogue between governments and industries including the second joint meeting, to be held in Japan in2001. The agreement culminated in the adoption of a summit communique and the Okinawa Charter on the Global Information Society(IT Charter).