Japanese lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) form a new group to support and promote the trading card industry, which they describe as fast-growing and potentially competitive globally as a content sector. The group includes around 20 MPs and focuses on improving the industry’s operating environment. According to reports, it aims to develop and promote rules to address concerns such as counterfeit trading cards and practices involving large bulk purchases for later resale. The lawmakers also say the effort will work toward greater market transparency, which they argue would help the industry strengthen its footing and expand overseas. The group’s stated objective is to protect legitimate businesses and consumers while enabling the market to grow in an orderly way. Both outlets describe the initiative as an attempt by ruling-party legislators to respond to the emerging scale of the trading card market and to shape conditions that could support international growth. One report cites the market’s value at around US$2.1 billion, though details of the figures and timing of the valuation are not expanded in the brief summaries provided.