The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has signed a cooperative agreement with Japan to improve the safety of consumer products in both countries.
The agreement calls for an exchange of information between the US and Japan on consumer product safety issues, the development of training programs dealing with consumer product safety, and an exchange of safety professionals to carry out consumer safety programs.
“Working under this agreement, both agencies will be able to identify dangerous products faster, and prevent them from being distributed,” said a CPSC official. “This agreement will help to prevent injuries and save lives in both countries.”
Japan ranks fourth in terms of the amount of consumer products it imports into the United States, according to the International Trade Commission. It is estimated that $40 billion worth of products under Consumer Product Safety Commission’s jurisdiction came from Japan in 2005 along.
The CPSC also has signed similar agreements with other countries, including China and Mexico.
This was late 2006. If they would have been paying more attention to China than Japan we could have avoided a lot of injuries and a few deaths as well.