Japan bans ticket scalping at major sporting events

As the country prepares for two years of major sporting events, the Japanese Parliament has voted to adopt legislation that will ban ticket scalping.

Ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the new law, which will come into effect on 8th June next year, has been unanimously approved by the House of Councillors.

It bans the resale of tickets at prices higher than face value, along with purchasing tickets for the purpose of scalping. Those infringing the new law face jail terms of up to one year, fines of up to JPY1 million (US$8,847), or both.

While ticket brokering on streets and other public places had been prohibited under local laws, there had previously been no formal law in Japan to control online scalping of tickets for popular sports and entertainment events.

Tickets that specify seats or require the identity of the purchaser will be subject to the new law, which also calls on event organisers to make efforts to identify ticket holders. The Tokyo 2020 Local Organising Committee had requested a legal framework to prevent ticket resale prices being dramatically inflated for the Games.

With ticket sales for the Olympics and Paralympics due to commence next year, Japanese residents have been able to register their interest in tickets from July via the event’s online platform. Organisers confirmed sports fans will be able to apply for tickets from next spring after unveiling the event’s ticketing structure and price details. Half of tickets available will cost less than JPY8,000 with “millions of tickets at affordable prices”.

In August, Tokyo 2020 set a ceiling of JPY7,000 as the maximum price of tickets for sports events at the Paralympic Games.

For next year’s Rugby World Cup, organisers revealed last month that more than 4.5 million applications had been received as the first tickets for the tournament were allocated following a public ballot.

300,000 tickets were available for the tournament, which runs from 20th September to 2nd November 2019. The next opportunity for the general public to purchase tickets begins on 19th January, when first-come-first-served ticket sales commence.

Image shows how the Tokyo Olympic Stadium will look during the 2020 Games.