Consumer Protection | Contracts, Online Shopping and Deceptive Sales, Set 1

Since April 1, 2022, the age of adulthood under Japan's Civil Code has been 18. People aged 18 and 19 may contract without parental consent, but they cannot rescind solely on the ground that they were minors and lacked consent. A separate ground, such as unlawful solicitation, may change the analysis and should be assessed individually.

Consumer Hotline 188 is the nationwide number that generally directs callers with contract, deceptive-sales, door-to-door or mail-order problems to a consumer affairs center serving their area. Numbers 119 and 118 serve different emergencies. If serious bodily harm has occurred or danger is imminent, contact the police or fire service before calling 188.

A home-renovation contract made through door-to-door sales may generally be cooled off by written or electronic notice, such as email, within eight days from receipt of the contract document. This is not a request that requires the seller's approval, and you need not wait for completion of the work. Ask 188 or another qualified service about possible exclusions or a defective document.

Mail-order sales do not have the general cooling-off system that applies to door-to-door sales. If the advertisement gives no special return terms, however, a consumer may return the product within eight days after receipt and generally bears the return cost. A clearly displayed no-return provision generally controls, while a defective product can raise a different legal issue.

When a business sends goods unilaterally to obtain payment despite there being no order or sales contract, no contract is formed and no payment is due. You may dispose of goods you received immediately, and opening or disposing of them does not create a payment obligation. If an order by a household member, a delivery error or an existing contract remains possible, check the records first.

The introductory price or second charge alone does not show the full burden of a continuing contract. On the final confirmation screen, check whether the purchase is one-time or recurring, the number and quantity of deliveries, each charge, the total or payment over a stated period, and how and when cancellation is allowed. Review counts and sales figures do not substitute for contract terms.

Sender names and email addresses can be forged, and phishing sites can resemble genuine sites, so appearance alone cannot establish authenticity. Avoid the message link and use a previously saved official site or the official app. Financial institutions do not ask for IDs or passwords by email or SMS.

When fraud used a bank transfer, promptly contact both the police and the financial institution holding the destination account. Money remaining in that account can fund distributions to victims, so contact before it is withdrawn matters. Recovery is not guaranteed and may be partial or unavailable depending on the remaining balance and other victims.

Japan's Consumer Contract Act permits rescission in certain cases where a consumer contracted because of unfair solicitation by a business. Signing in a store does not itself eliminate every remedy, while in-store contracts do not all have an unconditional cooling-off period. Organize the statement and how it led to the contract, then seek advice on the specific requirements.

A sudden registration-complete screen designed to make someone believe a contract exists and pay a fee is a typical one-click billing scheme. Do not pay or contact the number shown. Calling or paying may disclose more personal information and worsen the harm. If unsure, consult Consumer Hotline 188.