[Home](/)/[Resources](/resources)/Japan Specified Commercial Transactions JapanE-commerce compliance guide # Japan Specified Commercial Transactions Act: A Practical Guide for Online Sellers If you sell online to consumers in Japan, the Specified Commercial Transactions Act (Tokushoho) requires three things: an Article 11 disclosure page with your seller details, prices and return policy; a final confirmation screen that meets Article 12-6; and a clearly stated return policy. If you do not state one, buyers get a statutory 8-day return right. This guide explains each obligation, the 2022 changes for subscriptions, and how cooling-off differs from online returns. Copy Link[Share on WhatsApp](https://wa.me/?text=https%3A%2F%2Fkrono-labs.com%2Fguides%2Fjapan-specified-commercial-transactions) At a glance Law Act on Specified Commercial Transactions (Act No. 57 of 1976) Enforcer Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) and prefectures Online disclosures Article 11 (Tokushoho page) Checkout rule Article 12-6, since 1 June 2022 Online returns 8 days if no return policy is stated ## SCTA obligations for online sellers ### What the SCTA covers for online sellers Japan's Act on Specified Commercial Transactions (特定商取引に関する法律, Act No. 57 of 1976, often shortened to Tokushoho or SCTA) regulates sales methods where consumers are most likely to be misled: door-to-door sales, mail order, telemarketing, multi-level marketing, specified continuous services, business opportunity sales and door-to-door purchasing. Online stores fall under mail order (通信販売). The rules apply to sales to consumers in Japan, so a foreign brand selling into Japan through its own Japanese-language store is expected to comply. The Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) and prefectural governments enforce it. ### Advertising disclosures under Article 11 (the Tokushoho page) Article 11 lists what a mail-order advertisement must show. Online, sellers usually collect these on a page titled "特定商取引法に基づく表記" (Notation based on the Specified Commercial Transactions Act), linked from every page footer. The core items are: price including shipping; any other charges; payment timing and method; delivery timing; return and cancellation terms; the seller's name, address and phone number (and for a company, the name of its representative or the person responsible); any application deadline or quantity limits; and, for software, the operating environment. ### Final confirmation screen rules (Article 12-6, from June 2022) Amendments that took effect on 1 June 2022 added Article 12-6. The last screen before a customer places an online order must show the quantity, price including shipping, payment timing and method, delivery timing, any application period, and the cancellation and return terms. It must not mislead customers into thinking that clicking does not place an order. For subscriptions, show what each delivery costs, how many deliveries there are and the total. If a consumer orders because of a misleading final screen, they can cancel the order under Article 15-4. ### Returns: the 8-day rule most sellers miss There is no cooling-off period for mail order, but there is a statutory return right. Under Article 15-3, if your advertisement does not state your own return terms (返品特約), the buyer can cancel within 8 days of receiving the goods, paying the return shipping. If you state your own return policy, including "no returns", clearly in the advertisement and on the final confirmation screen, your policy applies instead. Silence is what creates the 8-day right. ### Email marketing and cancellation obstruction Article 12-3 makes commercial email opt-in: you need the consumer's prior consent before sending email ads, and you must keep records of that consent for three years. Article 13-2 prohibits making false statements about how a consumer can withdraw or cancel. That rule matters for subscription and hardware-as-a-service models where cancellation flows are designed to discourage users. ### Enforcement The CAA can issue instructions (指示), order a business to suspend some or all of its specified commercial transactions for up to two years, and bar the officers responsible from running a similar business. It publishes the names of companies that receive orders, and some violations are criminal offences. In practice, the public announcement is what does the reputational damage. ## Cooling-off periods by transaction type Cooling-off is often misunderstood. Here is how it applies to each transaction type the Act covers. Transaction type Cooling-off / return right Mail order (online, catalogue, TV shopping) No cooling-off. 8-day statutory return right applies only if the seller does not state its own return terms Door-to-door sales 8 days Telemarketing sales 8 days Specified continuous services (e.g. language schools, gyms meeting thresholds) 8 days Multi-level marketing 20 days Business opportunity sales 20 days Door-to-door purchasing (buyer visits the consumer) 8 days ## SCTA compliance steps 01 Build or audit your Tokushoho page (特定商取引法に基づく表記). Check every Article 11 item against what your Japanese store actually does: shipping charges, payment methods, delivery lead time, returns, and the seller's legal name, address and phone number. Link it from the footer of every page and from checkout. 02 Decide your return policy deliberately. If you accept returns, state the window, conditions and who pays shipping. If you do not, say so plainly. Show the same terms on the product page and the final confirmation screen. If you say nothing, the 8-day statutory return right applies. 03 Rebuild the final confirmation screen to Article 12-6: quantity, price including shipping, payment timing and method, delivery timing, application period, and return or cancellation terms, all visible without hunting. The order button should clearly say it places an order. 04 For subscriptions or bundled hardware and service plans, show the price of each delivery or billing cycle, the number of cycles or minimum term, the total, and how to cancel on the final confirmation screen. 05 Use the same seller details across your Tokushoho page, invoices and marketplace profiles. Use an address where you actually do business, not a mail-forwarding box. If you have an office in Japan, show its address and phone number. 06 Move email marketing to opt-in. Record when and how each consumer consented, keep those records for three years, and include an easy unsubscribe in every email. 07 Train customer support on returns and cancellations. Telling a customer they cannot cancel when your published terms say they can is a violation in its own right. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a Tokushoho page (特定商取引法に基づく表記)? It is the page where an online store in Japan publishes the information Article 11 of the Specified Commercial Transactions Act requires in mail-order advertising: the seller's name, address and phone number, prices and shipping charges, payment and delivery terms, and return policy. Japanese shoppers expect to find it in the footer, and large marketplaces show the same details on each seller's information page. ### Does the SCTA give a cooling-off period for online purchases? No. Cooling-off (8 or 20 days, depending on the transaction type) applies to door-to-door sales, telemarketing, specified continuous services, multi-level marketing and business opportunity sales, not to mail order. Online buyers have a different right: if the seller does not state its own return terms, the buyer can return the goods within 8 days of delivery at their own shipping cost (Article 15-3). ### Can a foreign seller list an overseas address on the Tokushoho page? The Act requires the seller's address and phone number, and the address should be where the business actually operates. An overseas business can list its overseas address. If it also has an office in Japan, it must show that location and phone number too. A PO box or mail-forwarding address alone does not identify the seller and invites enforcement attention. ### What must the final confirmation screen show in Japan? Under Article 12-6, in force since 1 June 2022: quantity, price including shipping, payment timing and method, delivery timing, any application period, and the cancellation and return terms. It must not mislead customers about the fact that clicking places an order. For subscriptions, show each delivery's price, the number of deliveries or minimum term, and the total. ### Do the 2022 subscription rules apply to hardware subscriptions? Yes. Article 12-6 covers any mail-order contract concluded online, including recurring purchases. Hardware-as-a-service plans, device-plus-service bundles and automatic consumable replenishment all need the full set of terms, including totals and cancellation conditions, on the final confirmation screen. ### What are the penalties for violating the SCTA? The Consumer Affairs Agency can issue instructions, order suspension of the business's specified commercial transactions for up to two years, and bar responsible officers from similar businesses. It publishes the names of companies that receive orders. Some violations, including breaches of orders and false advertising, are also criminal offences. **Disclaimer:** Educational resource only. SCTA provisions are subject to amendment and CAA interpretive guidance. Consult a qualified Japan consumer law specialist for website compliance review and subscription model assessment. 🇯🇵 Japan roadmap for your product Every standard, document, and test that applies — free, no account required. See your free roadmap[ Want an expert to take your product through 🇯🇵 Japan compliance for you? One consultant from Krono's compliance team takes your product from requirements to legal sale, with a fixed quote before any work starts. See compliance services](/services) Learn this properly In-depth course that teaches the full process, not just this one answer. [Start the course — $149](/courses/42-japan-pse-marking-ecommerce-electronics-sellers)[Prefer to read? 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