Article 2Definitions

①The term "bank" as used in this Act means a person engaging in banking by obtaining a license referred to in Article 4, paragraph (1) granted by the Prime Minister.

②The term "banking" as used in this Act means the business of performing any of the following actions:

③The term "installment savings" as used in this Act means money that is accepted on multiple occasions at regular intervals or within a fixed period of time, with the promise that a fixed amount of money will be paid on a designated date.

④The term "installment savings, etc." as used in this Act means, in addition to installment savings, money paid in in installments, and accepted within a fixed period of time, with the promise that a fixed amount of money will be paid at or before the end of that period.

⑤The term "depositor, etc." as used in this Act means a depositor or a person that puts money into installment savings (including a person that pays in money in installments as prescribed in the preceding paragraph).

⑥The term "total shareholder or investor voting rights" as used in this Act means voting rights of all shareholders or voting rights of all equity investors (for a stock company, excluding voting rights in respect of shares that the holder may not exercise voting rights with regard to all of the matters that can be resolved at a shareholders meeting, but including voting rights in respect of shares whose holders are deemed to have voting rights pursuant to the provisions of Article 879, paragraph (3) (Jurisdiction over a Special Liquidation Case) of the Companies Act (Act No. 86 of 2005); the same applies hereinafter).

⑦The term "shares or equity" as used in this Act means shares or equity interest.

⑧The term "subsidiary company" as used in this Act means the second company for which the first company holds voting rights accounting for over fifty percent of the total shareholder or investor voting rights. In such a case, the second company for which the first company and one or more of its subsidiary companies hold voting rights accounting for over fifty percent of the total shareholder or investor voting rights, or for which one or more of the first company's subsidiary companies hold voting rights accounting for over fifty percent of the total shareholder or investor voting rights, is deemed to be the subsidiary company of the first company.

⑨The term "major shareholder threshold" as used in this Act means twenty percent (or fifteen percent, if a person satisfying the requirement specified by Cabinet Office Order as one with regard to which a fact exists that is presumed to have a material influence on decisions about the company's financial and business policies, holds the voting rights in the company) of the total shareholder voting rights.

⑩The term a "bank's major shareholder" as used in this Act means a person that holds a number of voting rights in a bank which is equal to or greater than the major shareholder threshold (including a person that holds those voting rights in the name of another person (or under a pseudonym); the same applies hereinafter), and is incorporated under the authorization referred to in Article 52-9, paragraph (1), or that obtains the authorization referred to in that paragraph or the proviso to paragraph (2) of that Article.

⑪In the case referred to in paragraph (8) or the preceding paragraph, the voting rights held by the company or the person that holds those voting rights are not to include the voting rights from shares or equity that the company or person holds as trust property in a monetary or security trust (limited to those that the settlor or beneficiary may exercise or those whose exercise the settlor or beneficiary may give instructions to the company or the person that holds them) or the voting rights specified by Cabinet Office Order, but are to include voting rights from shares or equity that constitute trust property which the company or the person that holds those voting rights may exercise as the settlor or beneficiary, or whose exercise the company or person may give instructions as the settlor or beneficiary (excluding those specified by Cabinet Office Order), and voting rights from shares which may not be asserted against the issuer pursuant to the provisions of Article 147, paragraph (1) or Article 148, paragraph (1) of the Act on Book-Entry Transfer of Corporate Bonds and Shares (Act No. 75 of 2001).

⑫The term "holding company" as used in this Act means a company whose percentage of the total amount of the acquisition cost (or any other value if such value is listed in the latest balance sheet) of shares or equity in subsidiary companies (limited to domestic companies) to the amount calculated by deducting the amount of assets specified by Cabinet Office Order (meaning the amount calculated pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Office Order) from the amount of total assets (meaning the total amount of assets calculated by a method specified by Cabinet Office Order) exceeds fifty percent.

⑬The term "bank holding company" as used in this Act means a holding company that has a bank as its subsidiary company, and that is incorporated under the authorization referred to in Article 52-17, paragraph (1) or has obtained the authorization referred to in that paragraph (1) or the proviso to paragraph (3) of that Article.

⑭The term "bank agency services" as used in this Act means the business of performing any of the following actions on behalf of a bank:

⑮The term "bank agent" as used in this Act means a person that performs bank agency services under the license of the Prime Minister as referred to in Article 52-36, paragraph (1).

⑯The term "principal bank" as used in this Act means a bank that accepts deposits or installment savings, etc., lends funds, discounts negotiable instruments, or deals in funds transfer transactions as referred to in the items of paragraph (14) under a contract provided for in each item of that paragraph, based on the action set forth in the items of that paragraph which a bank agent performs.

⑰The term "electronic payment handling services" as used in this Act means the business of performing the following actions, and the term "electronic payment-related deposit intermediary services" as used in this Act means the action set forth in item (ii):

⑱The term "electronic payment handling service provider" as used in this Act means a person that performs electronic payment handling services by obtaining the registration referred to in Article 52-60-3.

⑲The term "foreign electronic payment handling service provider" as used in this Act means a person that performs electronic payment handling services under the same type of registration as the registration referred to in Article 52-60-3 obtained in a foreign country pursuant to the provisions of foreign laws and regulations that are equivalent to this Act (including other administrative dispositions similar to the registration) or a person that performs services equivalent to those services in accordance with laws and regulations of the foreign country.

⑳The term "certified association of electronic payment handling service providers" as used in this Act means a general incorporated association that has been granted the certification under the provisions of Article 52-60-25.

（二十一）The term "electronic payment services" as used in this Act means the business of performing any of the following actions (excluding the actions set forth in item (i) that are performed in order to enable a depositor prescribed in that item to make periodic payments to a specific person and any other actions specified by Cabinet Office Order as those that are found to have little likelihood of resulting in insufficient user protection):

（二十二）The term "electronic payment service provider" as used in this Act means a person engaging in electronic payment services by obtaining the registration referred to in Article 52-61-2.

（二十三）The term "certified association of electronic payment service providers" as used in this Act means a general incorporated association that has been granted the certification under the provisions of Article 52-61-19.

（二十四）The term "designated dispute resolution organization" as used in this Act means a person that has obtained the designation under Article 52-62, paragraph (1).

（二十五）The term "banking services" as used in this Act means services that a bank performs pursuant to the provisions of Article 10 and Article 11, services that a bank performs pursuant to the provisions of the Secured Bond Trust Act (Act No. 52 of 1905) and other laws, and bank agency services that a person engaged in bank agency services performs on behalf of that bank.

（二十六）The term "electronic payment handling business" as used in this Act means the business involving the actions set forth in the items of paragraph (17) that are performed by an electronic payment handling service provider.

（二十七）The term "banking services, etc." as used in this Act means banking services or electronic payment handling business.

（二十八）The term "complaint processing procedures" as used in this Act means procedures for processing a complaint related to banking services, etc. (meaning a complaint about banking services, etc.; the same applies in Article 52-67, Article 52-68, and Article 52-72).

（二十九）The term "dispute resolution procedures" as used in this Act means procedures that attempt to resolve a dispute related to banking services, etc. (meaning a dispute about banking services, etc. which can be settled between the parties; the same applies in Article 52-67, Article 52-68, and Articles 52-73 through 52-75) without recourse to court proceedings.

（三十）The term "dispute resolution services" as used in this Act means services involved in complaint processing procedures and dispute resolution procedures, as well as services incidental to the services.

（三十一）The term "categories of dispute resolution services" as used in this Act means categories of banking services and electronic payment handling business which are related to dispute resolution services

（三十二）The term "basic contract for the implementation of dispute resolution procedures" as used in this Act means a contract concluded between a designated dispute resolution organization and a banking service provider (meaning a bank or electronic payment handling service provider; the same applies hereinafter) with regard to the implementation of dispute resolution services.