①A licensed installment seller that takes preservative measures for advances received must file a written notification with the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry on each base date, of the preservative measures for advances received in respect of that base amount, for that base date.

②When a licensed installment seller takes a new preservative measure for advances received and files a notification under the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the document referred to in that paragraph must be accompanied by a copy of the deposit statement showing the receipt of the deposit, if that preservative measure for advances received is the making of a business deposit for prepaid services, or by the copy of the contract, if that preservative measure for advances received is the conclusion of a contract on the entrustment of business deposits.

①If an amount that corresponds to one-half of the total amount of the advances that a licensed installment seller taking preservative measures for advances received has received by the base date, from persons with which it has concluded contracts for prepaid installment sales as of the base date, as all or part of the cost of the goods under the contracts, falls to or below the amount of the business security deposit provided for in Article 17, paragraph (1) as of the base date, the licensed installment seller may recover all of the business deposits for the prepaid services or cancel all of the contracts on the entrustment of business deposits by the next base date.

②In a case beyond what is prescribed in the preceding paragraph, if, as of the base date, the amount that can be allocated to the repayment of obligations under a contract for prepaid installment sales due to the preservative measures for advances received, exceeds the base amount for that base date, the licensed installment seller that is taking the preservative measures may recover the excess amount of the business deposits for prepaid services or cancel all or part of the contract on the entrustment of business deposits by the next base date.

③The recovery of business deposits for prepaid services under the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs may not be made without the approval of the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry having been obtained pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

④Beyond what is prescribed in the preceding paragraph, necessary matters relevant to the recovery of business deposits for prepaid services under the provisions of paragraph (1) or paragraph (2), are specified by Order of the Ministry of Justice and Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

⑤The cancellation of a contract on the entrustment of business deposits under the provisions of paragraph (1) or paragraph (2) does not become effective without the approval of the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry having been obtained pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

⑥It is not permissible for a contract on the entrustment of business deposits as a preservative measure for advances received to be cancelled in whole or in part, except in the cases prescribed in paragraph (1) or paragraph (2); provided, however, that this does not apply if a part of the contract on the entrustment of business deposits is canceled and the contract on the entrustment of business deposits still satisfies the requirements prescribed in Article 18-3, paragraph (3).

⑦Any special provisions of a contract that run counter to the preceding paragraph are void.

①If a licensed installment seller transfers all of its business or if a licensed installment seller merges or undergoes a company split (limited to when all of its business is succeeded to), the corporation succeeding to all of its business, the corporation surviving the merger, the corporation incorporated in the merger, or the corporation succeeding to the whole of business in the company split, succeeds to the status of licensed installment seller; provided, however, that this does not apply if the corporation succeeding to the whole of the business, the corporation surviving the merger, the corporation incorporated in the merger, or the corporation succeeding to the whole of business in the company split falls under one of the provisions of Article 15, paragraph (1), item (ii) or items (vi) through (viii) inclusive.

②A person that succeeds to the status of licensed installment seller pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph must file a notification of this, accompanied by documents evidencing that fact, with the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, without delay.

①If there is any change in a matter stated in one of the items of Article 12, paragraph (1), the licensed installment seller must notify the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of this without delay.

②If a licensed installment seller seeks to change the general conditions of a contract for prepaid installment sales, it must notify the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of this.

③If the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry is notified of a change under the provisions of the preceding paragraph and the minister finds that the content of the general conditions of the contract for prepaid installment sales after the change no longer conforms to the standard specified by Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Cabinet Office Order which are referred to in Article 15, paragraph (1), item (v), the minister may order the licensed installment seller to change that content.

④The provisions of Article 12, paragraphs (2) and (3) apply mutatis mutandis when a notification of a change under paragraph (1) is filed and the provisions of paragraph (2) of that Article apply mutatis mutandis when a notification of a change under paragraph (2) is filed.

A licensed installment seller must keep books, enter in them the matters specified by Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry concerning contracts for prepaid installment sales, and archive them, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

①If a licensed installment seller comes to fall under the provisions of Article 15, paragraph (1), item (iii), the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry must order that licensed installment seller not to conclude a contract for prepaid installment sales; provided, however, that this does not apply if the protection of purchasers would be compromised by that order.

②If the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry issues an order under the provisions of the preceding paragraph and the licensed installment seller comes to no longer fall under the requirements referred to in that order within six months, the minister must rescind that order.

①If a licensed installment seller's financial condition or the business operations that are connected with prepaid installment sales fall under one of the following items and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry finds it to be necessary and appropriate to protect the interests of purchasers, the minister, within the scope that it is necessary, may order the licensed installment seller to take the necessary measures to improve its financial condition or to improve business operations that are connected with prepaid installment sales:

②The amount of revenues and expenditures referred to in item (i) of the preceding paragraph and the total current assets and total current liabilities referred to in item (ii) of that paragraph, are calculated pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

③If the business operations that are connected with the prepaid installment sales of a licensed installment seller fall under paragraph (1), item (iii), before the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry seeks to issue an order under the provisions of that paragraph, the minister must consult with the Prime Minister.

④If the business operations that are connected with the prepaid installment sales of a licensed installment seller fall under paragraph (1), item (iii), and the Prime Minister finds it to be necessary to protect the interests of purchasers, the minister may state a necessary opinion on an order under the provisions of that paragraph to the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry.

①If a licensed installment seller that concludes a contract on the entrustment of business deposits as a preservative measure for advances received, falls under one of Article 27, paragraph (1), items (i) through (iv) inclusive, or if a person with the right referred to in Article 21, paragraph (1) or such a licensed installment seller files a notification indicating that the licensed installment seller falls under Article 27, paragraph (1), item (v) or item (vi), the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry must issue public notice to persons with the right referred to in Article 21, paragraph (1), without delay, indicating that any such person must file a claim with the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry within a fixed period of not less than sixty days, and that failure to file a claim within that period excludes a person from the process by which rights are exercised in connection with the preservative measures for advances received concerning the public notice.

②If the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry issues public notice under the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the minister, without delay, must instruct the entrusted party under the contract on the entrustment of business deposits with the relevant licensed installment seller to make a business deposit for prepaid services based on that contract on the entrustment of business deposits by the last day of the period during which the filing of claims to which the public notice concerns must be made; provided, however, that this does not apply if the entrusted party has already made the business deposit for prepaid services on receipt of the instructions under the provisions of the following paragraph.

③If the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry finds it to be necessary for the preservation of a person's claims arising under a contract for prepaid installment sales that the person has concluded with a licensed installment seller, the minister may instruct the entrusted party under a contract on the entrustment of business deposits with that licensed installment seller to make a business deposit for prepaid services based on the contract on the entrustment of business deposits within a designated time frame, in a case beyond what is prescribed in the main clause of the preceding paragraph.

④If the entrusted party under a contract on the entrustment of business deposits is given an instruction under the provisions of the main clause of paragraph (2), it must make the business deposit for prepaid services based on the contract on the entrustment of business deposits by the last day of the period during which the filing of claims to which the public notice under the provisions of paragraph (1) concerns must be made, and if it is given an instruction under the preceding paragraph, it must make that deposit within the time frame designated pursuant to that paragraph.

⑤When the entrusted party under a contract on the entrustment of business deposits makes a business deposit for prepaid services pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, it must submit a copy of the deposit statement showing the receipt of the deposit to the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry.

⑥The provisions of Article 16, paragraph (1) apply mutatis mutandis when a deposit is made pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (4). In this case, the phrase "the principal business office" in paragraph (1) of that Article is deemed to be replaced with "the principal business office of the licensed installment seller".