In view of the increasingly important roles that online materials (digital books and journals provided on the Internet etc.) published by bodies other than government, local public entities, incorporated administrative agencies play as cultural heritage paralleling the conventional publications, the National Diet Library Law (Law No. 5 of 1948) has been partially revised.
A scheme was newly established to legally collect these online materials and the Copyright Law (Law No. 48 of 1970) was also partially revised in the schedule so as to enable duplication for the sake of such collection efforts. In addition, the Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund established under the Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund Law (Law No. 94 of 2011) is now legally obliged to deposit publications in the same manner as other national institutions.
The Law will come into force on July 1, 2013 with the exception of the part concerning the Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund which took effect immediately at the promulgation.
The Law was published in an official gazette on June 22, 2012.