Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Enforcement Actions in Japan

A recommendation was issued to Share Inc. under the Freelance and Business Transaction Fairness Act on May 19, 2026, for unfair practices involving free trial lessons for 1,674 freelance instructors.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a business improvement recommendation to Haruene Corporation under Article 66-12, Paragraph 1 of the Electricity Business Act, due to inappropriate customer explanation and solicitation methods, and incomplete documentation before contract signing.

On May 18, 2026, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry provided operational improvement guidance to J-line Corporation regarding compliance with the Electric Business Act.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued an order to Tenso Corporation, a postal receipt service provider, on May 14, 2026, to correct violations of customer identity verification obligations under the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that the company Aqua falsely applied for rent support grants, resulting in a public notice of improper receipt.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that K's Planning Co., Ltd. falsely applied for rent support benefits, resulting in a public disclosure of improper receipt.

The company, 株式会社ヒルトップ・マネジメント, was issued a measure order by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on April 2, 2026, for violations of the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds related to postal receipt services. The violations include failure to verify customer identity, failure to create verification records, and failure to report suspicious transactions, in breach of specific provisions of the law.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a recommendation to Shimano Co., Ltd. on April 2, 2026, for violating the Subcontractor Payment Delay Prevention Law. Shimano, a bicycle parts manufacturer, had been providing free storage of 4,313 molds and conducting inventory checks twice a year for subcontractors, despite not placing orders for the products made with those molds for an extended period, thereby unfairly harming the subcontractors' interests.

Fujitsu Frontech was issued a recommendation by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for violating the Subcontract Act by requiring subcontractors to store 2,577 molds and other items free of charge over a long period, despite not placing orders using those molds after May 2024.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a recommendation to Nippon Toka Packaging Co., Ltd. for violating the Subcontracting Law by requiring subcontractors to store printing plates and molds without compensation, despite not placing orders using those items after April 1, 2026.

The Small and Medium Enterprise Agency conducted an investigation into TIRAD Corporation and found violations of the Subcontract Act (Article 4, Paragraph 2, Item 3) related to unfair requests for economic benefits. On January 26, 2026, the Agency issued a recommendation to the Fair Trade Commission based on Article 6 of the Act.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that 株式会社W・H・Q was found to have submitted falsified documents related to the sustainability subsidy, amounting to 2,000,000 yen, in Ise City, Mie Prefecture.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued an administrative order to Mitsui O.S.K. Lines on December 17, 2025, for violating customer identification obligations under the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds related to a postal receipt service contract.

Makita Corporation was issued a recommendation by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for violating the Subcontractor Payment Delay Prevention Law. The company lent molds to subcontractors and failed to order parts using these molds over a long period, causing undue harm to the subcontractors' interests by having them store 3,214 molds free of charge. Makita also reached agreements on mold storage costs and paid a total of 26,165,689 yen after disposing of some molds and collecting payments from subcontractors.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a recommendation to Snik Corporation under the Subcontractor Payment Delay Prevention Law, citing that the company unilaterally set subcontracting payments based on production quantities during mass production without renegotiation, despite increased costs after production volume decreased, and stored molds and other manufacturing tools for free for an extended period.

The Fair Trade Commission issued an order to eliminate restrictions and a surcharge payment order to the Nagano Prefecture Petroleum Business Cooperative Hokushin Branch and 17 associated companies for violating the Anti-Monopoly Act by substantially restricting competition in the specific gasoline sales sector.

The Small and Medium Enterprise Agency conducted an investigation into Nihonko Electric Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and found violations of the Subcontract Act, specifically regarding the unjustified storage of molds and parts for subcontractors without proper orders. On September 29, 2025, the agency issued a recommendation to the company based on the findings.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a recommendation to Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation for violating the Subcontractor Payment Delay Prevention Law by unjustly harming subcontractors' interests through unpaid storage and inventory work of molds used for manufacturing truck and bus parts.

Toyota East Japan Corporation was advised by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry under the Subcontractor Payment Delay Prevention Law. The company was reported to have been advised and guided by the Fair Trade Commission regarding violations including unremunerated storage of molds and refusal of acceptance of automotive parts.

On October 31, 2025, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued guidance to Toyota Motor Corporation to implement corrective measures to prevent recurrence of violations of the Subcontractors Act within the Toyota group.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that a company, Value Works Corporation, was found to have submitted forged documents related to the Sustainability Subsidy, resulting in a false claim of ¥2,000,000.

The company 'Nakano Private Mailbox Center Aqua' was issued a corrective order by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on September 12, 2025, for failing to properly verify customer identity and transaction purpose under the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds. The company also did not maintain required verification records.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that Enex Corporation was found to have submitted false applications regarding rent support grants, leading to improper receipt of funds.

Yodobashi Camera was advised by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for reducing payments to subcontractors without justified reasons between January 2024 and March 2025, by applying rebates or deducting fixed amounts from subcontracting payments.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a business improvement recommendation to Hokkaido Electric Power Network Co., Ltd. on July 23, 2025, for violating information management obligations under the Electricity Business Act.

On July 23, 2025, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a business improvement recommendation to Hokkaido Electric Power Company for inappropriate viewing and use of information related to the Electric Business Act, which could significantly impact competition among power generators.

NEXT Corporation was issued a compliance order by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on June 12, 2025, for violations of the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds related to its postal receipt services. The violations include failure to verify customer identity information and failure to create required confirmation records.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a compliance order to Frontier Corporation on March 27, 2025, for violations of the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds. The company failed to verify customer identity information as required by Article 4, Paragraph 1 of the law in relation to its postal receipt service contracts.

The company KBSJ was advised by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for reducing subcontracting payments by deducting amounts such as 'One Time Bonus' from the agreed subcontracting fee between September 2023 and April 2024.

The company株式会社9999 was publicly disclosed for fraudulent receipt of the Sustained Business Grant by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

The company, LLC Bridge, was publicly disclosed for fraudulent receipt of the Sustainability Subsidy by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The violation involved falsification of tax return documents.

The company Hills was publicly disclosed for fraudulent receipt of the sustainability subsidy by falsifying application documents, as announced by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that株式会社エイト was found to have submitted false applications regarding rent support grants, leading to the public disclosure of improper receipt of ¥6,000,000.

Fukuoka Private Mailbox Service was issued a compliance order by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on December 12, 2024, for violations related to the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds, including failure to verify customer identity and to maintain transaction records in their postal receipt service contracts.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that Waires Corporation falsely applied for rent support grants, resulting in a public notice of improper receipt.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that Endo Corporation falsely applied for rent support grants, resulting in a public disclosure of fraudulent receipt of ¥3,699,996.

The company '株式会社リアルエステート' was found to have submitted falsified documents for the '持続化給付金' subsidy, resulting in improper receipt of ¥2,000,000. The violation involved falsification of tax return documents.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued an administrative order to Hiroe Enterprise Corporation on December 5, 2024, for violations of the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds related to their postal receipt services.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that Next Innovation Co., Ltd. falsely applied for rent support grants, resulting in a public disclosure of improper receipt of approximately 5.9 million yen.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued an administrative guidance to JERA for failing to supply surplus power from offline units during the spot electricity market from April 2019 to October 2023, which was deemed to influence market prices.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry canceled the certification related to the final inspection under the High-Pressure Gas Safety Act for Toa Oil Co., Ltd.'s Keihin Refinery, citing significant deficiencies in safety inspection procedures due to unapproved modifications and non-compliance with certification standards. The company was also issued a strict warning to ensure compliance and safety management.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry canceled the certification of Nishibu Seikon Corporation under the Industrial Standardization Act on September 18, 2024, due to issuing fictitious delivery notes with the JIS mark over an extended period, shipping products with different formulations than those documented in submitted delivery notes, and falsifying quality control records to conceal non-conformities.

The company, 株式会社ワンキャピタル, was publicly disclosed for fraudulent receipt of the sustainability subsidy (持続化給付金) by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The violation involved falsification of tax return documents.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that Wisteria Corporation falsely sworn in relation to the sustainability subsidy.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a recommendation to Apple Inc. regarding compliance with Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions. The issue involved failure to provide Japanese translations of certain disclosed terms simultaneously, and failure to specify deadlines for translation provision. Although Apple began including a one-month deadline for translations on its website from January 2024, some translations were still not provided after the deadline. The recommendation was based on these violations occurring between March 2021 and December 2023.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a recommendation to Amazon Japan LLC for non-compliance with the Law on Enhancing Transparency and Fairness of Specific Digital Platforms, regarding inadequate disclosure of fee categories and insufficient prior notification of fee changes.

On July 26, 2024, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a business improvement order to Chubu Electric Mirai Co., Ltd. under the Gas Business Act, based on Article 20, Paragraph 1, to ensure proper gas transactions.

On July 23, 2024, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued an order for business improvement to Chubu Electric Mirai Corporation under the Gas Business Act, following a consultation with the Electricity and Gas Trading Surveillance Commission.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued an order for business improvement to Toho Gas Co., Ltd. and Chubu Electric Mirai Co., Ltd. under the Gas Business Act on July 23, 2024, following an opinion hearing by the Electricity and Gas Trading Monitoring Committee.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a business improvement order to Toho Gas Co., Ltd. on July 5, 2024, under the Gas Business Act, due to multiple instances of frequent information exchanges between senior staff and Chuden Mirai, which involved confirming order intentions and bid prices.

The company was advised by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry under the Subcontractor Payment Delay Prevention Law for violations related to product return practices and storage of molds without orders.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a business improvement order to Chubu Electric Mirai Corporation under the Gas Business Act on July 5, 2024, due to multiple instances of frequent information exchanges with Toho Gas over a long period, including sharing of bid prices and determining prospective order recipients.

The Electricity and Gas Market Surveillance Commission conducted an operational improvement guidance on Tokyo Electric Power Renewable Power Corporation on June 20, 2024, after it was found that certain information was accessible inappropriately.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a business improvement recommendation to Tokyo Electric Power Grid Co., Ltd. for violations related to information management obligations and discriminatory treatment against certain retail and power generation companies, as per the Electricity Business Act.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that the company 'Yugen Kaisha Golf Revolution' in Saitama Prefecture was found to have submitted forged documents related to the 'Jizokuka Kyufukin' (Sustainability Grant) and received 2,000,000 yen fraudulently.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. received a recommendation from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on March 7, 2024, under the Subcontractor Payment Delay Prevention Law, regarding the operation of 'rebates' in subcontractor payments for automotive parts manufacturing. The company was advised for reducing subcontractor payments by approximately 3 billion yen between January 2021 and April 2023, which was deemed a violation of the law.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a business improvement recommendation to Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. on December 26, 2023, regarding multiple instances in 2022 and 2023 where the company submitted bids in the JEPX electricity spot market with content differing from their intended bid volumes, resulting in an approximate increase of 30 yen per kWh in spot contract prices in some cases.

The company JNP was publicly disclosed for fraudulent receipt of the Sustained Business Grant by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The violation involved falsification of tax return documents.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that Kabushiki Kaisha Kanomura Kisei was found to have submitted falsified documents for the Business Revival Support Grant, amounting to 1,000,000 yen, on August 14, 2023, in Osaka City.

The company, N.J. Trading Co., Ltd., was found to have submitted forged documents for the subsidy application related to the 'sustainable benefits' program, resulting in an improper receipt of ¥2,000,000.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a business improvement order to Chubu Electric Mirai Co., Ltd. on July 14, 2023, based on the Electric Business Act.

On July 14, 2023, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a business improvement order to Kyuden Mirai Energy Corporation under the Electricity Business Act, Article 2-17-1, based on its assessment that such an order was necessary.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a business improvement order to Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc. on July 14, 2023, based on Article 2-17, Paragraph 1 of the Electric Business Act.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a business improvement order to Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc. on July 14, 2023, based on Article 2-17-1 of the Electric Business Act.

On July 14, 2023, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a business improvement order to Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. under Article 2-17-1 of the Electric Business Act.

On July 12, 2023, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued an administrative order for operational improvement to Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc. under the Electric Business Act, following a review and consultation with the committee.

On July 12, 2023, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued an administrative order for operational improvement to Kyuden Mirai Energy Corporation under the Electric Business Act, following a hearing with the committee.

On July 12, 2023, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a business improvement order to Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc. under the Electric Business Act, following a review and consultation with the committee.

On July 12, 2023, Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. was issued a business improvement order by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry under the Electric Business Act, following a hearing with the committee.

On July 12, 2023, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued an administrative order for operational improvement to Chubu Electric Mirai Corporation under the Electric Business Act, following a review and consultation with the committee.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry canceled the certification related to the final inspection under the High-Pressure Gas Safety Act for ENEOS Corporation's Kawasaki Refinery, Furu-shima North and South areas, and issued a stern warning regarding compliance and safety management.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that Kisaragi Souken Co., Ltd. was found to have submitted falsified documents for the Sustained Business Subsidy, amounting to 2,000,000 yen, in Fukushima Prefecture.

Fast Corporation was publicly disclosed for fraudulent receipt of rent support grants by submitting false applications related to lease agreements.

Forgery of tax return application documents occurred.

The company Zero Cool Co., Ltd. was publicly disclosed for fraudulent receipt of the Sustainability Subsidy by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The violation involved falsification of tax return documents, with a monetary amount of 2,000,000 yen. The incident was reported on December 12, 2022, in Fuji-miya City, Shizuoka Prefecture.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that Unigraphica Inc. falsely applied for rent support grants, including the rent support subsidy, in relation to a lease agreement in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that Sonic Works Corporation falsely applied for rent support grants, resulting in improper receipt of funds.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that NPO Enishi received rent support grants through false applications, amounting to ¥5,899,998, in Kagoshima City, Okayama Prefecture.

The company ZBI was publicly disclosed for fraudulent receipt of the Sustained Business Subsidy by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The violation involved falsification of tax return documents.

The company ACE LLC was publicly disclosed for fraudulent receipt of the Sustained Business Grant by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The violation involved falsification of application documents for tax refunds.