Reading a Japanese Company's Tokushōhō (Legal Disclosure) Page

Japanese consumer-facing sites often link to a page labeled 特定商取引法に基づく表記, commonly shortened in conversation to a Tokushōhō page. It is a legal disclosure for covered transactions, not a decorative company profile. For an overseas buyer, it can be one of the clearest places to identify the operator that takes orders and sets transaction terms.

Find the page

Look in the footer, checkout flow, terms page, or menu for 特定商取引法に基づく表記. Machine translation may render it as “notation based on the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions.” Preserve the original URL and capture the retrieval date.

If no page is visible, that fact needs context: the site may not target the covered type of consumer transaction, may place the information in another document, or may have an incomplete disclosure. Ask the seller to identify the contracting operator and applicable terms.

Identify the seller

Locate the operator name, 運営販売業者 or 販売業者, and the representative or responsible manager. The operator may differ from the storefront brand. Copy the Japanese legal name exactly, including 株式会社, 合同会社, or another entity marker.

Search that legal name in the JapanCompanyCheck checker. Compare the 13-digit corporate number if the site provides one, then compare the published address. A brand-to-operator difference can have an ordinary explanation, but you should know which entity is the contracting party.

Read the address and phone fields

The disclosure usually identifies an address and contact method. Break the Japanese address into prefecture, municipality, district, block, and building elements. Compare those components with the corporate-number record while allowing for different ordering and abbreviations.

A registered head office and customer-service office can differ. Record which role each address claims. Our Japanese address guide explains what an address match can and cannot establish.

Review price and extra charges

Look for the sales price, taxes, shipping, bank transfer charges, customs, subscription renewals, and any other amount borne by the buyer. For overseas delivery, determine whether the seller discusses import duties and the point at which shipping responsibility transfers.

Check the currency and whether a payment provider performs conversion. A displayed product price may not be the final landed cost. Save the version of the terms that applied when you ordered.

Payment timing and methods

The page should explain available methods and when payment becomes due. Compare this with the checkout and any later email instructions. If bank details change after ordering, confirm the change through a contact method obtained independently from the payment email.

Identify the bank beneficiary. It may be the operator, a disclosed payment processor, or another explained party. An unexplained personal account or unrelated entity should be resolved in writing before funds are sent.

Delivery and performance

Find the stated dispatch or delivery period and any condition that changes it, such as made-to-order goods, preorders, lotteries, or stock allocation. International transit and customs may sit outside the seller’s estimate.

For digital services, determine when access begins and what technical requirements apply. For recurring supply, identify the interval, minimum term, and cancellation deadline.

Returns, cancellation, and defects

Read the return window, required notice method, condition of goods, return shipping allocation, exclusions, and treatment of defective or incorrect items. Japanese online transactions do not automatically follow the same cancellation assumptions as another jurisdiction.

Capture any separate page incorporated by reference. If translated text is important to a material purchase, have a competent reader review the Japanese original.

Connect the disclosure to other sources

Use the corporate number to check the National Tax Agency record and qualified-invoice status. Review any gBizINFO records for the same number. If formal authority or current registered officers matter, obtain a registry certificate using our overseas certificate guide.

The disclosure is one part of a dated evidence set. It tells you what the seller publishes about the transaction, while other sources establish different facts. Keep those functions separate and resolve identity contradictions before proceeding.