This guide explains how to create a notification page based on the Specified Commercial Transactions Act, which is a regulatory requirement specific to Japanese accounts and businesses.
The Specified Commercial Transactions Act was designed to protect the interests of customers making purchases either online or through postal orders, and states that all sellers must display a page (a "Commercial disclosure") that provides basic information about their business and how it operates. Sellers who use Stripe to process payments must display elements that are equivalent to the "Commercial disclosure" on their the homepage, as required by the "Installment Sales Act", even if they do not offer postal-order sales to consumers who are subject to the Specified Commercial Transactions Act. This guide explains what Stripe requires its merchants to list in the "Commercial disclosure". We do not guarantee compliance with the Specified Commercial Transactions Act or other laws.
The revised Specified Commercial Transactions Act came into effect in June 2022 and changed some obligations for online businesses serving Japanese consumers. In addition to the obligation to display a "Commercial disclosure", a new mandate was introduced that requires postal-order businesses to display certain elements on the "final confirmation page" that is shown to customers. You can find more information here.
The format of the "Commercial disclosure" page can be flexible to a certain extent, but please check that the following elements are included when creating the page, as these are required.
The title of the page should be "Commercial disclosure"(特定商取引法に基づく表記) or "Postal order sales disclosure"(通信販売に関する表示事項).
Include all required items on one page.
Make the page accessible from your homepage and payment area. Many of our users place this link in their footer or navigation bar.
Required items
The "Commercial disclosure" page must contain the following information:
| Item type | Explanation | Example |
| Legal name | For businesses, this is your registered trade name. If you are an individual, this is your registered trade name or full legal name. | ABC K.K. John Smith |
| Address | The address of your place of business (address on the registry). *If you are a sole proprietor, you can omit this by saying "We will disclose without delay if requested." |
**-**12 Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 〒100-6178 |
| Phone number | A phone number that your customers can use to contact you in Japanese. *If you are a sole proprietor, you can omit this by saying "We will disclose without delay if requested." |
+81 (0)3 1234 5678 Hours: 10:00–18:00 (excluding weekends and bank holidays) |
| Email address | An email address that your customers can use to contact you | contact@example.jp |
| Head of Operations | The head of your organisation or business, or a designated company representative | John Smith |
| Additional fees | Provide information about any fees that your customers may be subject to in addition to the cost of the product or service itself, including (but not limited to) shipping costs, processing fees etc. | - A flat-rate shipping cost of ¥1000 per box - A transaction fee for Konbini payments of ¥100 |
| Exchanges and returns policy | All of our users must maintain a fair refund policy. Explain how you handle exchanges and refunds here. Please prepare two separate explanations – one for handling defective items and one for handling items that are not defective. | ＜Returns and exchanges requested by customers＞ Items before shipping: You can cancel your order by pressing the Cancel button on the website. Items after shipping: Unopened items can be refunded or exchanged for items of an equal or lesser value only if you contact the Customer Support Centre (insert phone number) within 10 days of the item being delivered. We do not accept returns or exchanges for items that have been opened. ＜Returns and exchanges for defective goods and services＞ Please contact the Customer Support Centre (*insert phone number*). We will provide a refund or exchange the item with a new product for the price of the shipping cost. |
| Delivery times | When the goods will be delivered to the customer or when the service will be provided after the customer has placed an order. | Orders will be processed within three to five working days. Products should be received within 14 days and are available as soon as you place your order. |
| Accepted payment methods | All payment methods available for customers to pay for the service | Credit cards or via local bank transfer |
| Payment period | Period in which customers are expected to make payments. | Credit card payments are processed immediately, while local bank transfers must be sent within three days of the order date. |
| Price | Sales price of the product or service (including consumption tax) | ¥4,000 Amounts listed on each product page |
Optional items
Depending on the products or services you are selling, you may want to also include the following.
Please note that in the case of a continuing sales contract (when it is necessary to conclude a contract with recurring payments), there is another provision.
| Item type | Explanation | Example |
| Application period | If you are only selling products or services for a certain period of time (such as before an event), please state it here. | Applications can be made until 21 March. |
| Available quantity | If you are only selling a fixed quantity of your product, or if there are other restrictions on sales, please state it here. | Limited to the first 200 customers only. / You can purchase up to two per person. |
| Operating environment | If you are selling software, state the operating system requirements (e.g. disk space, operating system). | iOS 9.3, 64 GB, iPhone 5 or later. |
For Checkout or Payment Links users
Using Checkout or Payment Links, you can display the link on your payment page by setting your Specified Commercial Transactions Act disclosure page URL in the Dashboard.
[Settings]
Go to Public details
Register your page in Commerce disclosures at the bottom of the page
Customers can view the page from the "Commerce disclosure" link at the bottom of the Checkout page.
For Konbini payments users
If you are accepting Konbini payments, you must include the following:
The website must be accessible in the Japanese language.
Support phone number must be a landline phone number or an IP-based phone number (050) connected to a landline. Mobile numbers are not allowed.
Support operating hours must be listed under contact information (phone number and email address).
If you are a sole proprietor and would like to add your business name as a reference, please list the business owner name at the top of the page, then add the business name underneath. The owner's name must always be listed at the top.