Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has not recommended immediate blocking of illegal online casino sites. An expert panel adopted a report on 22 July naming site blocking as a possible measure but not a priority. The government will decide this autumn after reviewing alternative tools.
The panel worked from April 2025, examining ways to restrict access to offshore operators that are legal in their own jurisdictions but banned for Japanese players. Public consultation drew 236 responses. Most supported blocking: existing measures are failing, and young people and vulnerable groups easily reach illegal sites.
Lawyers and technical bodies including JPNIC opposed it. Their main argument: providers would have to inspect user traffic, which may violate constitutional secrecy of communications. DNS blocking is easily bypassed and its effectiveness is in doubt.
Instead of launching blocks now, authorities will focus on alternatives: banning links to casinos on social media, strengthening cooperation with operator jurisdictions, and asking operators to block Japanese traffic themselves. If those fail, blocking may follow. The report sets conditions: authorities must prove other tools are powerless and that public benefit outweighs restriction of user rights.
