Large-Scale Retail Store Law - Large-Scale Retail Store Law

Officially known as the "Law Concerning the Adjustment of Retail Business Activities at Large-Scale Retail Stores," this law was enacted in 1973 (Showa 48) and came into force the following year in 1974 with the aim of adjusting the interests of large retail stores and small and medium-sized retail stores in order to modernize the retail industry. It is also abbreviated to "Large Store Law." It was abolished with the enforcement of the "Large-Scale Retail Store Location Law" (Large Store Location Law) in 2000 (Heisei 12).

The Department Store Law enacted in 1956 was unable to adequately respond to the economic environment, such as the subsequent expansion of supermarkets and changes in consumer behavior, so it was abolished and replaced by the Large-Scale Retail Store Law. The Large-Scale Retail Store Law differs from the Department Store Law in that it changed the target of regulation from a business-based to a building-based system and the content of regulations from a permit-based to a notification-based system in order to regulate pseudo-department stores such as supermarkets while also taking into consideration the protection of consumer interests. When a large-scale retail store opens, it is stipulated that, with prior notification, the then Minister of International Trade and Industry can adjust store area, opening days, number of holidays, and closing times by recommendation or order, as necessary, based on the opinions of the Commercial Activity Coordination Council (Commercial Activity Coordination Council) and the Large-Scale Retail Store Council, which are organized by the chamber of commerce or commerce in each region. Even under the adjustment system of this law, conflicts of interest over the opening of supermarkets and other stores occurred frequently and intensified in various places, so the law was revised in 1978. This revision strengthened regulations on the opening and closing of large retail stores, requiring prior explanations and voluntary notification in administrative guidance, and local governments imposing their own regulations, which tended to prolong store opening adjustments, but in response to the Japan-US Structural Impediments Initiative that began in 1989, gradual deregulation measures were implemented. After the first stage of measures to improve operation, the Large-Scale Retail Store Law was revised in 1991 as the second stage (implemented in January 1992). This revised law doubled the previous boundary area between Type 1 large-scale retail stores, which are adjusted by the Minister of International Trade and Industry, and Type 2 large-scale retail stores, which are adjusted by prefectural governors, and set the store area of ​​Type 1 large-scale retail stores at 3,000 square meters or more (6,000 square meters or more in government-designated cities, etc.), expanded the scope of subjects for which opinions are heard by the Large-Scale Retail Store Council, and stipulated the optimization of local government's own regulations.

In conjunction with this amendment, deregulation reforms were implemented, such as setting the store opening adjustment processing period at a maximum of one year, setting the start date of the store opening adjustment processing period as the date of the building installer's notification under Article 3 of the same law, abolishing the system of store opening announcements and prior explanations and specific municipalities, providing for a maximum of four months of local explanations after the notification under Article 3, and abolishing the Commercial Activity Coordination Council (Commercial Activity Coordination Council) and transferring and centralizing the store opening adjustment function to the Large-Scale Retail Store Council. Also, in response to requests for increased imports into Japan, the "Law Concerning Exceptions to the Law Concerning the Adjustment of Retail Business Activities in Large-Scale Retail Stores Concerning the Establishment of Import Goods Specialty Sales Floors" (Import Goods Specialty Sales Floor Specialty Law) was enacted as a special measure for the Large-Scale Store Law.

In connection with the amendment of the Large Retail Store Law, the "Special Measures Act on the Promotion of the Development of Specified Commercial Clusters" (Specified Commercial Cluster Development Act) was enacted to promote the development of shopping districts centered on local small and medium-sized retailers, the development of high-amenity commercial clusters (high amenity marts) that encourage the coexistence and prosperity of large stores and small and medium-sized stores, and the integrated development of these in conjunction with surrounding public facilities. In addition, the "Temporary Measures Act on the Promotion of the Development of Specified Facilities by Utilizing the Capabilities of Private Business Operators" (Private Sector Participation Act) and the "Small and Medium-sized Retail Business Promotion Act" were also partially amended.

In May 1994, the operational standards of the revised Large Store Law were relaxed, and in principle, stores with floor space of less than 1,000 square meters were allowed to open, along with extending closing time from 7 pm to 8 pm, for which no notification was required, and lowering the upper limit on the number of holidays per year from 44 to 24 days. Furthermore, based on the Deregulation Promotion Plan drawn up in March 1995, a policy was set out to review the revised Large Store Law once again. In response, the government enacted the Large-Scale Retail Store Location Law in 1998 to replace the Large Store Law and regulate large stores from social aspects such as the surrounding environment. With the enforcement of the Large Store Location Law (June 2000), the Large Store Law was abolished.

[Norihiko Fukuhara]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

正式には「大規模小売店舗における小売業の事業活動の調整に関する法律」といい、小売業の近代化を図るため、大型小売店と中小小売店との利害調整を目的として、1973年（昭和48）に制定され、翌74年に施行された法律。「大店法」とも略称される。2000年（平成12）の「大規模小売店舗立地法」（大店立地法）の施行に伴い廃止された。

　1956年に制定された百貨店法が、その後のスーパー等の進出や消費者行動の変化といった経済環境に十分に対応できなくなったため、百貨店法を廃止し、大規模小売店舗法がこれにかわるものとして制定された。大規模小売店舗法は、消費者利益の保護にも配慮しつつ、スーパー等の疑似百貨店をも規制するべく、規制対象を企業主義から建物主義に変え、規制内容を許可制から届出制に変えた点などが、百貨店法との違いであった。大規模小売店の新規出店にあたって、事前の届出により、各地区の商工会議所または商工会が組織する商業活動調整協議会（商調協）および大規模小売店舗審議会の意見に基づき、当時の通産大臣は、店舗面積、開店日、休業日数、閉店時刻の各事項につき、必要に応じ勧告や命令によって調整できることが定められた。同法の調整制度の下でも、スーパー等の出店をめぐる利害紛争が各地で多発、激化したため、78年、同法の改正が行われた。この改正では、大型小売店の新増設は、行政指導面での事前説明の義務づけ・届出自粛、地方自治体の独自規制等により、規制が強化されて出店調整も長期化する傾向にあったが、89年（平成1）からの日米構造問題協議を受け、段階的な規制緩和措置が講じられた。第1段階の運用適正化措置を経て、第2段階として、91年に大店法が改正された（翌92年1月から実施）。同改正法は、通商産業大臣が調整を行う第1種大規模小売店舗と、都道府県知事が調整を行う第2種大規模小売店舗との種別境界面積を従来の2倍に引き上げ、第1種大規模小売店舗は店舗面積3000平方メートル以上（政令指定都市等では6000平方メートル以上）とするとともに、大規模小売店舗審議会等の意見聴取対象の拡大、地方公共団体の独自規制の適正化等を定めた。

　この改正にあわせて、出店調整処理期間を最長1年とし、出店調整処理期間の起算日を建物設置者から同法第3条届出のあった日とし、出店表明・事前説明および特定市町村の制度を廃止し、第3条届出の後に最長4か月の地元説明を行うこととし、商業活動調整協議会（商調協）を廃止して出店調整機能を大規模小売店舗審議会に移管・一元化すること等、規制緩和の制度改革が実施された。また、わが国への輸入拡大の要請を踏まえ、大店法の特例措置として、「輸入品専門売場の設置に関する大規模小売店舗における小売業の事業活動の調整に関する法律の特例に関する法律」（輸入品専門売場特例法）が制定された。

　大店法改正と関連して、地元中小小売店を中心とする商店街の整備、大型店と中小店との共存共栄を図る高度商業集積（ハイ・アメニティー・マート）の整備、およびそれらと周辺公共施設との一体的整備を図るために、「特定商業集積の整備の促進に関する特別措置法」（特定商業集積整備法）が制定され、また「民間事業者の能力の活用による特定施設の整備の促進に関する臨時措置法」（民活法）および「中小小売商業振興法」の一部改正が行われた。

　1994年5月からは改正大店法の運用基準が緩和され、店舗面積1000平方メートル未満の出店が原則自由化されるとともに、届出が不要な閉店時刻の19時から20時への延長、年間休日数の上限の44日から24日への引下げが認められた。さらに、95年3月に策定された規制緩和推進計画に基づき、改正大店法を再度見直す方針が打ち出された。これを受けて政府は、大店法にかわって、周辺環境など社会的側面から大型店を規制する「大規模小売店舗立地法」を98年に制定した。大店立地法の施行（2000年6月）に伴って大店法は廃止された。

［福原紀彦］

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