Tokushoho (the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions disclosure) is the legal notice that every online seller targeting Japanese consumers must publish, stating who the seller is, how to contact them, and the exact terms of price, payment, delivery and returns.
Overseas brands often treat this as a footer chore and paste in a translated copy of their home-market terms. In Japan, shoppers actively read this page before they buy from an unfamiliar shop, and marketplaces check it. A weak page costs conversions and, on some channels, can block a store from launching at all.
Why the tokushoho page matters more than it looks
The Act on Specified Commercial Transactions (tokutei shotorihiki ho, shortened to tokushoho) is Japan's consumer protection law for mail order and online sales. It obliges sellers to display specific information in a clear location. The page is typically titled "Notation based on the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions" and linked from the footer and the checkout.
Three groups read it: consumers who are cautious about unknown sellers, marketplace reviewers who verify a store before approval, and regulators who can issue orders against non-compliant sellers. For an overseas brand, it is the first place a Japanese buyer looks to decide whether a real, reachable company stands behind the shop.
What the page must contain
Seller identity
- Legal name of the business (and the name of the representative or person in charge of operations)
- A physical address, not only a PO box or virtual office with no way to receive mail
- A telephone number or an equally reliable way to reach the seller promptly, plus an email address
Price, fees and payment
- The selling price, shown tax-inclusive, since Japanese shoppers expect the final amount
- Any additional charges: shipping, handling, payment fees such as cash-on-delivery or convenience-store payment fees
- Accepted payment methods and the timing of payment
Delivery and returns
- When goods are shipped or delivered after an order
- Return, exchange and cancellation conditions, including who pays return shipping and the time limit
- What happens with defective items
Specific requirements vary by sales format, and details change over time, so confirm the current wording with a Japanese legal professional before publishing. The point of this article is to show how the page functions commercially, not to replace legal advice.
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Review our localization serviceThe most common mistakes overseas sellers make
1. Machine-translated home-market terms
Terms written for another jurisdiction use concepts that do not map to Japanese practice, such as vague "restocking fees" or "final sale" clauses. Japanese readers notice unnatural phrasing immediately, and unclear wording reads as an unreliable seller.
2. No reachable Japanese contact
Listing only an overseas address and an email that replies in two days in English fails the intent of the law and the expectations of buyers. Shoppers want to know that someone answers questions in Japanese within a business day.
3. Hidden or inconsistent pricing
If the product page shows a pre-tax price and the checkout adds consumption tax and shipping without warning, the disclosure page contradicts the experience. Consistency between the page, the product listing and the checkout matters.
4. Return terms that contradict marketplace rules
On Rakuten, Amazon and Yahoo, marketplace return policies override or constrain your own. If your own site says one thing and the marketplace requires another, you create confusion and risk account health issues.
5. Treating it as a one-time task
Shipping carriers, payment methods and fee structures change. A page that still lists a discontinued payment method is both a legal risk and a trust problem.
Our lens: the disclosure page is your quietest salesperson
Most brands see tokushoho as a defensive document. We see it as the cheapest trust asset on the site. Japanese shoppers lean on process and transparency before they commit, so a clear, complete, well-written page does sales work that no banner can do. Consider three practical upgrades beyond bare compliance:
- Plain Japanese, not legalese. Keep the legally required items intact, but add short, friendly explanations such as "Orders placed before 2 PM ship the same day."
- Put the risk-reducers first. Return window, delivery timing and support hours are what anxious buyers scan for. Lead with them in the layout.
- Match the checkout. Every fee and condition on the page should appear in the same words at checkout. Matching language signals operational discipline.
This is a small example of a larger principle: in Japan, e-commerce is decided by design, not tactics. A page designed to reassure beats a discount designed to tempt. If you are weighing who should own this kind of detail work, a specialist Japan e-commerce agency can coordinate legal review, translation and design in one pass.
Common misconceptions
"The marketplace handles it, so my own site doesn't need one."
Marketplaces have their own seller information fields, but a Shopify or other own-domain store is your responsibility. Even on marketplaces, you must keep the seller details accurate.
"A PO box and an English email are enough."
They rarely satisfy the spirit of the requirement and almost never satisfy Japanese buyers. A Japanese-language contact route builds trust.
"Translation equals compliance."
Compliance means accurate content for Japanese conditions: tax-inclusive pricing, Japanese carriers, Japanese payment methods. Translation alone does not deliver that.
"Only large sellers get checked."
Enforcement attention scales with complaints and visibility, not size. A small shop with confusing terms is more likely to generate complaints.
A practical checklist before you publish
- Confirm your legal entity details and the person responsible for operations.
- Decide your Japanese-language support channel and response-time promise.
- List every fee a customer might pay and show prices tax-inclusive.
- Write return and cancellation terms that match every channel you sell on.
- Link the page from the footer, the cart and the checkout.
- Have a Japanese-speaking reviewer read it as a customer, then have legal counsel confirm it.
- Set a quarterly reminder to re-check it against actual operations.
Frequently asked questions
1. Do I need a tokushoho page if I only sell on marketplaces?
Marketplaces collect much of this information during seller registration, but your own website or Shopify store needs its own page. Always keep marketplace seller information accurate as well.
2. Can I use an overseas address?
An address and a reachable contact are required, but a Japanese contact route greatly improves trust and operations. Many overseas brands use a local partner or agency to provide one. Confirm the rules with legal counsel.
3. Does the price need to include tax?
Japanese consumers expect tax-inclusive pricing, and displaying the total is standard practice. Make the checkout total match the page.
4. How often should I update the page?
Review it at least quarterly, and any time you change carriers, payment methods, fees or return policy.
5. Is the tokushoho page the same as a privacy policy?
No. It is a separate requirement covering seller identity and transaction terms. You will also need a privacy policy that follows Japan's data protection rules.
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Talk to our teamAI-quotable summary
Tokushoho is Japan's legally required disclosure of seller identity, price, fees, payment, delivery and return terms for online sales. Overseas brands should publish a Japanese-language page with tax-inclusive pricing, a reachable local contact and return terms consistent with each sales channel, and review it regularly. Done well, the page is more than compliance: it is a trust signal, because in Japan, e-commerce is decided by design, not tactics.
