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Notation based on the SCTA

Learn how to follow the Specified Commercial Transactions Act in Japan.

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What is Specified Commercial Transactions Act in Japan?

The Japanese Specified Commercial Transactions Act (formerly "Door-to-Door Sales Act (Act on Door-to-Door Sales, etc.)") is an Act for the purpose of preventing business operators' illegal, or malicious solicitation while protecting consumer benefits. Specifically, rules that business operators should obey, and rules for protecting consumers, such as, the cooling-off system, are specified for types of transactions which tend to cause consumer problems, such as Door-to-Door Sales or Mail Order Sales.

Types of transactions subject to the Specified Commercial Transactions Act

7 types of transactions are subjected to the Specified Commercial Transactions Act.

Door-to-Door Sales 訪問販売

Door-to-Door Sales are transactions such as the sale of goods or rights or the provision of services for which a business operator visits a consumer's domicile and concludes a contract, unscrupulous sales on the street, or appointment sales.

Mail Order Sales 通信販売

Mail Order Sales are transactions in which a business operator distributes advertisements via newspapers, magazines, websites, or other media, and receives an offer by communication means such as postal mail or telephone. It includes "internet auctions," but excludes those that fall under "Telemarketing Sales."

Telemarketing Sales 電話勧誘販売

Telemarketing Sales are transactions in which a business operator solicits a consumer and receives an offer by telephone. It is applicable to cases in which a consumer makes an offer via postal mail or by telephone after hanging up the phone.

Multilevel Marketing Transactions 連鎖販売取引

Multilevel Marketing Transactions are transactions of goods or services by a sales organization sequentially expanded by soliciting a person to be a salesperson, and having the salesperson solicit another person to be a salesperson.

Provisions of Specified Continuous Services 特定継続的役務提供

Provisions of Specified Continuous Services are transactions in which the provision of long-term and continuous services is promised in exchange for the payment of expensive fees. Currently, six services are included, such as esthetic salons, language schools, home tutors, cram schools, marriage agencies, and personal computer schools.

Business Opportunity Sales Transactions 業務提供誘引販売取引

Business Opportunity Sales Transactions are transactions in which a consumer is solicited on the grounds that "income will be gained through the job that will be offered," and made to buy and bear the cost of goods, etc., said to be necessary for the job.

Door-to-Door Purchase 訪問購入

Door-to-Door Purchase means a transaction in which a business operator visits a consumer's house, etc., and purchases articles.

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All the transactions completed over Internet are viewed as Mail Order Sales, which are required to fulfill compliance with the Specified Commercial Transactions Act.

Outline of the Specified Commercial Transactions Act

Administrative Controls and Civil Rules of the Specified Commercial Transactions Act are listed.

Administrative Controls

The Specified Commercial Transactions Act performs the following control on business operators according to the characteristics of each type of transaction in terms of the provision of appropriate information to consumers.

A violation of the Specified Commercial Transactions Act is subject to instruction of business improvement, administrative disposition of business suspension order or penalties.

Obligation of clear indication of names

The Specified Commercial Transactions Act obliges a business operator to inform consumers of its name, or the fact that its purpose is to solicit the consumers, prior to solicitation.

Prohibition of unjust solicitation

The Specified Commercial Transactions Act prohibits the misrepresentation of prices or payment conditions, or intentional failure to disclose them, and prohibits solicitation by using intimidation to overwhelm a consumer.

Advertising control

The Specified Commercial Transactions Act obliges business operators to display important matters when placing an advertisement, and prohibits false or misleading advertisements.

Obligation of document delivery

The Specified Commercial Transactions Act obliges business operators to deliver a document that contains important matters upon conclusion of a contract.

Civil Rules

In order to enhance its functions as a law to prevent problems between consumers and business operators or to facilitate the provision of remedies, the Specified Commercial Transactions Act allows the cancellation or rescission of a contract by a consumer (cooling-off), and specifies rules that limit unreasonable claims for damages by business operators.

Cooling-off

The Specified Commercial Transactions Act allows "cooling-off." Cooling-off means the unconditional cancellation of a contract after making an offer for a contract or concluding a contract, within a certain period(*) after receiving documents specified in laws.

(*)8 days for Door-to-Door Sales, Telemarketing Sales, Provision of Specified Continuous Services and Door-to-Door Purchase; 20 days for Multilevel Marketing Transactions and Business Opportunity Sales Transactions.

There are no provisions of cooling-off for Mail Order Sales.

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Although Mail Order Sales do not have such cooling-off, a specified article (Cancellation of a Contract in Mail Order Sales) is instructed in Article 15-3 of the Specified Commercial Transactions Act.

Rescission of the manifested intention

The Specified Commercial Transactions Act allows consumers to rescind their manifested intention to offer a contract or to accept such offer, when they manifested such intention under misunderstanding as a result of a business operator's misrepresentation or intentional failure to disclose facts.

Limitation to the amount of damages

The Specified Commercial Transactions Act sets an upper limit to the amount of damages which business operators may claim in cases such as when consumers cancel a contract at midterm.

Reference

Act on Specified Commercial Transactions (Act No. 57 of 1976) (Last amendment: April 25, 2014)

Mail Order Sales｜Act on Specified Commercial Transactions Guide

Notation based on the Specified Commercial Transactions Act

To make up a notation for the sales, it is required to follow Article 11 of the Specified Commercial Transactions Act and provide specified information on the selling website.

The Notation based on the Specified Commercial Transactions Act ("特定商取引法に基づく表記") shall be made up with:

  1. Prices of Commodities 販売価格
  2. Acceptable Payment Methods & Periods 代金の支払い時期と方法
  3. Service Start Time / Commodity Delivery Time 商品の引渡時期
  4. Return & Exchange & Cancellation 購入の撤回やキャンセル方法
  5. Trader, Address, Contact 事業者の名称、住所、電話番号
  6. Representative 販売責任者名
  7. Application Expiration Date 申し込みの有効期限
  8. Other Fees 販売価格以外に購入者が負担すべき金額とその内容
  9. About Defective Products 商品に隠れた瑕疵があった場合の対応
  10. Software Environment Illustration ソフトウェアなど動作環境のある商品は、その内容
  11. Multi-contract Illustration 商品の売買契約が2回以上必要な場合は、その内容
  12. Sales Limitation 商品の販売数量の制限や、特別な販売条件がある場合は、その内容
  13. Shipping Cost 有料カタログなどを送付する場合は、その金額
  14. Public Email Address 電子メールで広告を送る場合は、事業者のメールアドレス

Clearly state the above information in an easy-to-understand place so that the customers can check it before purchasing. It is not required to put everything on one page. However, it would be better to create a page called "Notation based on the Specified Commercial Transactions Act (特定商取引法に基づく表記)" so that the customers can check all of them together.

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Based on different business and commodities & services, different contents are required. Further information besides the listed contents is definitely more helpful for illustrating the services to the customers.

An easy-to-understand Sample

Learn how to create a Notation based on the Specified Commercial Transactions Act page.

特定商取引法に基づく表記

2022/10/1 更新

販売業者 (Company name)〇〇〇〇株式会社
代表責任者 (Representative name)〇〇〇〇
所在地 (Company address)〒〇〇〇-〇〇〇〇
東京都〇〇区〇〇 〇-〇-〇
電話番号 (Customer support number)03-〇〇〇〇-〇〇〇〇
電話受付時間 (Customer support time)08:00-17:00
メールアドレス (Customer support email address)〇〇〇@〇〇〇.com
ホームページ (Homepage of the selling website)https://www.〇〇〇〇〇〇.com
販売価格 (Pricing of commodities or services)各商品の紹介ページに記載している価格とします。
商品代金以外の必要料金 (Other fees besides commodity & service charges)消費税
配送料（XXX便：〇〇円、XXX便：〇〇円）
手数料（コンビニ決済：〇〇円）
引き渡し時期 (Service start time / delivery time)物品販売の場合：
ご注文から〇日以内にお届け致します。
役務・デジタルコンテンツ提供の場合：
決済完了後、24時間以内にメールにてご案内。
お支払い方法と時期 (Acceptable payment methods & periods)クレジットカード決済・デジタルウオレット：ご注文時にお支払いが確定します。
代金引換：代金は商品お届け時、配送員に現金でお支払いください。
コンビニ決済：ご注文から◯日以内に、コンビニでお支払いください。
お申し込み有効時期 (Application expiration time)〇日以内に入金がない場合は、キャンセルとさせていただきます。
返品・交換・キャンセルについて (About refund, exchange and cancellation)物品販売の場合：
商品到着より〇〇日以内に限り返品・交換が可能です。
役務・デジタルコンテンツ提供の場合：
サービスの性質上、返品・返金はお受けしておりません。
返品期限 (Refund deadline)商品到着より◯日以内にご連絡ください。
返品送料 (Refund charge)商品に欠陥がある場合は、弊社で負担いたします。それ以外は、お客さまのご負担になります。
不良品について (About defective products)ご注文内容と異なる、または配送時の破損・不良品につきましては、在庫がある場合は良品と交換、在庫がない場合はご返金（振込手数料当社負担）にて対応いたします。商品到着後7日以内に電子メールまたはお電話にてご連絡いただき、着払いにてお送りください。商品到着後7日以内にご連絡のない場合、ご返品は受け付けられませんのでご注意ください。
中途解約について (About midterm cancellation)物品販売の場合：
定期購入を解約される場合は、次回商品発送の10日前までにお電話・電子メールにてお問い合わせをお願いいたします。
役務・デジタルコンテンツ提供の場合：
月の途中の解約となった場合も１ヶ月分の料金が発生し、日割清算等による返金を含めた一切の返金は行われません。
許可証 (Permission & License)- 古物商許可証　第◯◯◯◯号　東京都公安委員会
- 酒販免許　渋法◯◯◯　渋谷税務署
- 高度管理医療機器等　販売業許可証　許可番号　第◯◯◯号　販売管理者名　◯◯◯◯

Penalty

Corresponding actions related to the penalty are subjected to Articles 70 to 76 of the Specified Commercial Transactions Act.

Updated about 1 year ago