Consumer Contract Act
消費者契約法
Contents
Read it chapter by chapter; the first chapter follows below. Or read the whole law on one page.
Chapter I General Provisions
第一章 総則
第一条（目的）
The purpose of this Act is to protect the interests of consumers and thereby contribute to the stabilization and improvement of the general welfare and lives of the people and to the sound development of the national economy, in consideration of the disparity in the quality and quantity of information and negotiating power between consumers and traders, by permitting a consumer to rescind the manifestation of an intention to be bound by the offer of a contract or by the acceptance of an offer for such a contract in situations such as when the consumer has misunderstood or was distressed by certain actions by the trader, and by fully or partially nullifying any clauses that exempt a trader from liability for damages or otherwise unfairly harm the interests of consumers, beyond providing qualified consumer organizations with the ability to demand an injunction against a trader, entrusted party, or agent for the purpose of preventing the occurrence of, or the spreading of damage to, other consumers.
第二条（定義）
The term "consumer" as used in this Act means an individual (excluding one who becomes a party to a contract as a business or for business purposes).
この法律において「消費者」とは、個人（事業として又は事業のために契約の当事者となる場合におけるものを除く。）をいう。
The term "trader" as used in this Act (excluding Article 43, paragraph (2), item (ii)) means a corporation or association, or an individual who becomes a party to a contract as a business or for business purposes.
この法律（第四十三条第二項第二号を除く。）において「事業者」とは、法人その他の団体及び事業として又は事業のために契約の当事者となる場合における個人をいう。
The term "qualified consumer organization" as used in this Act means a corporation certified by the Prime Minister pursuant to Article 13 as a consumer organization (meaning a consumer organization as referred to in Article 8 of the Basic Consumer Act (Act No. 78 of 1968); the same applies hereinafter), which has the qualifications necessary to exercise the right to demand an injunction as governed by this Act in the interest of a large, non-exclusive group of consumers.
Article 3Efforts of Traders and Consumers
第三条（事業者及び消費者の努力）
When drafting the clauses of consumer contracts, traders are to give consideration so that consumers' rights and obligations and other content in their contracts are clear and plain for the consumers, and that leaves no doubt about their interpretation;
When soliciting consumers to enter into a consumer contract, in order to deepen the consumer's understanding of the contract, traders provide necessary information regarding consumer rights and obligations while also comprehensively taking account what the trader knows regarding the age, physical and mental conditions, knowledge and experience of each individual consumer in accordance with the nature of the goods, rights, services and any other things for the purpose of the consumer contract.
When soliciting consumers to enter into a consumer contract that is subject to an agreement on standard transaction as set forth in Article 548, paragraph (1) of the Civil Code (Act No. 89 of 1896), excluding cases in which measures are taken to ensure that the content of the standard terms of contract set forth in the same paragraph is readily accessible to the consumer, traders provide information necessary for the consumer to make a demand as set forth in Article 548-3, paragraph (1) of the same Act.
in response to a consumer's request, traders provide necessary information related to exercising the right to cancel held by the consumer specified in the consumer contract.