①The term "provision of specified continuous services" as used in this Chapter and Article 58-22, paragraph (1), item (i) means the following:

②The term "specified continuous services" as used in this Chapter and Article 58-22, paragraph (1), item (i) and Article 67, paragraph (1) means services that are continuously provided, in exchange for payment, during transactions that arise in people's daily lives, and that are specified by Cabinet Order as falling under both of the following items:

①If a service provider or a seller seeks to enter into a specified continuous service contract or a sales contract for specified rights (hereinafter referred to as a "contract for specified continuous service or sale of specified rights" in this Chapter and Article 58-22) with a person who seeks to be provided with specified continuous services or a person who seeks to purchase the rights to be provided with specified continuous services, the service provider or the seller must deliver a document containing an outline of the contract for specified continuous service or sale of specified rights to them pursuant to the provisions of order of the competent ministry, prior to the person's entry into the contract for specified continuous service or sale of specified rights.

②Having entered into a specified continuous service contract, a service provider must immediately deliver to the person being provided the specified continuous services a document containing the details of the specified continuous service contract pursuant to the provisions of order of the competent ministry, with respect to the following information:

③Having entered into a sales contract for specified rights, a seller must immediately deliver to the purchaser a document containing the details of the sales contract for specified rights pursuant to the provisions of order of the competent ministry, with respect to the following information:

④In place of the delivery in writing under the preceding three paragraphs, a service provider or seller may provide information that should be described in documents by an electronic or magnetic means, after gaining approval from a person who seeks to be provided with specified continuous services or a person who seeks to purchase the rights to be provided with specified continuous services, a recipient of the specified continuous services or sales contract for specified rights, or the purchaser of the rights to be provided with specified continuous services, pursuant to Cabinet Order. In this case, the service provider or seller is deemed to have delivered the documents.

⑤The provision of information that should be described in writing as specified in the first sentence of the previous paragraph under paragraph (2) or paragraph (3) through electronic or magnetic means (excluding means specified by ordinance of the competent ministry) means that the information is deemed to have reached a person who is provided with specified continuous services or a person who purchases the rights to be provided with specified continuous services.

In the provision of specified continuous services, when a service provider or a seller advertises the terms and conditions under which it provides specified continuous services or under which it sells the rights to be provided with specified continuous services, it must not make a representation about the content, results, or any other information specified by order of the competent ministry concerning the specified continuous services that differs significantly from the truth or misleads people into believing that it is significantly better or more advantageous than it is in reality.

On finding that it is necessary to do so in order to determine whether a service provider's or seller's representation falls under the category of representations provided in the preceding Article, the competent minister may ask the service provider or the seller that made that representation to submit materials showing reasonable grounds to support it within a specified period. In this case, when the service provider or the seller fails to submit those materials, the representation is deemed to fall under the category of representations provided in the preceding Article with regard to the application of the provisions of Article 46, paragraph (1) and Article 47, paragraph (1).

①A service provider or seller must not misrepresent the following information in soliciting a person to enter into a contract for specified continuous service or sale of specified rights or in order to prevent the cancellation of the contract:

②A service provider or a seller must not intentionally fail to disclose facts with respect to the matters listed in items (i) through (vi) of the preceding paragraph in soliciting a person to enter into a contract for specified continuous service or sale of specified rights.

③A service provider or a seller must not use intimidation to overwhelm a person in order to have the person enter into a contract for specified continuous service or sale of specified rights or to prevent the person from canceling the contract.

On finding that it is necessary to do so in order to determine whether a service provider or a seller has misrepresented the information prescribed in paragraph (1), item (i) or (ii) of the preceding Article, the competent minister may ask the service provider or the seller to submit materials showing reasonable grounds to support the information conveyed to the other party, within a specified period. In this case, with regard to the application of the provisions of Article 46, paragraph (1) and Article 47, paragraph (1)the, if the service provider or the seller fails to submit those materials, the service provider or the seller is deemed to have misrepresented the information prescribed in paragraph (1), item (i) or (ii) of the preceding Article.

①When a service provider or a seller conducts prepaid transactions during the provision of specified continuous services (meaning a transaction connected with the provision of specified continuous services where the service provider or the seller receives an amount of money exceeding an amount specified by Cabinet Order from the counterparty prior to the provision of specified continuous services; the same applies in the following paragraph), it must keep documents describing its business and financial status at the office where it carries out business activities that are connected to a contract for specified continuous service or sale of specified rights, pursuant to the provisions of order of the competent ministry.

②The counterparty to a prepaid transaction connected with the provision of specified continuous services may ask to inspect the documents prescribed in the preceding paragraph or may pay the fee specified by the service provider or the seller under the paragraph and may request to be issued a certified copy or extract of the documents.

①If a service provider or a seller has violated any of the provisions of Article 42, paragraphs (1) through (3), Article 43, 44, or 45 or has engaged in any of the following conduct, and the competent minister finds that the conduct is likely to prejudice the fairness of a transaction connected with the provision of specified continuous services and the interests of a person entering into a specified continuous service contract and receiving specified continuous services or a person purchasing the rights to be provided with specified continuous services after entering into a sales contract for specified rights (hereinafter referred to as the "service recipient or purchaser" in this Chapter), the minister may instruct the service provider or the seller to take measures for correcting the violation or conduct, measures for protecting the interests of the service recipient or purchaser, and any other necessary measures:

②Having given an instruction under the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the competent minister must issue a public announcement to that effect.

①If a service provider or a seller has violated any of the provisions of Article 42, paragraphs (1) through (3), Article 43, 44, or 45 or has engaged in any of the conduct listed in the items of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article, and the competent minister finds that the conduct is likely to significantly prejudice the fairness of a transaction connected with the provision of a specified continuous service and the interests of the service recipient or purchaser or the service provider or the seller fails to follow the instructions under the provisions of that paragraph, the minister may order the service provider or the seller to suspend its business activities that are connected with the provision of specified continuous services in whole or in part, during a specified period of no longer than two years. In this case, if the service provider or the seller is an individual, the minister may also prohibit the individual from becoming an officer in charge of business activities that are subject to the suspension at a corporation that engages in those business activities for a period equal to the period of the suspension.

②When the competent minister orders suspension of a business pursuant to the provisions of the first sentence of the preceding paragraph, and when the service provider or seller is an individual and a specified associated corporation of them (meaning a corporation whose business management is substantially controlled by a service provider or seller, or an officer or employee of them (including a person who was officer or employee within a one-year period before the date of the order; the same applies in paragraph (2) of the next Article) and other corporations specified by Cabinet Order; the same applies in this paragraph and paragraph (2), item (i) of the Article) and is found to conduct business activities equal to the business activities on the scope subject to the suspension, the minister may order the service provider or seller to suspend the business activities conducted by the specified associated corporation for the period equal to the period of the suspension.

③Having issued an order under the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs, the competent minister must issue a public announcement to that effect.

①If the competent minister orders a service provider or a seller to suspend its business activities pursuant to the first sentence of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article, and a person that the relevant items among the following items prescribe for the category of the case stated in that item is a person specified by order of the competent ministry as one whose provision of specified continuous services should be restricted so as to ensure the effectiveness of the order in consideration of the facts constituting the grounds for the order and the extent of the responsibility that the person had for those facts, the minister may prohibit the person from commencing new business activities that fall within the scope of the suspension (including becoming an officer in charge of the relevant business activities of a corporation that engages in that business activities) for a period equal to the period of that suspension:

②When the competent minister prohibits business activities of an officer or employee pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph and the officer or employee falls under any of the following items, the minister may order the officer or employee to suspend the same business activities conducted by it and provided for in the items for a period equal to the period of the prohibition.

③Having issued an order under the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs, the competent minister must issue a public announcement to that effect.

①If a service provider or a seller has entered into a contract for specified continuous service or sale of specified rights, the service recipient or purchaser may cancel the contract in writing or through electronic or magnetic records, except when eight days have passed after the date on which the service recipient or purchaser received the document referred to in Article 42, paragraph (2) or (3) (if the service recipient or purchaser did not cancel the contract under this paragraph by that time limit because the service recipient or purchaser was under the misconception that information about the cancellation of the contract under the provisions of this paragraph that the service provider or the seller had misrepresented to the service recipient or purchaser, in violation of the provisions of Article 44, paragraph (1), was true, or because the service recipient or purchaser was overwhelmed due to the service provider's or the seller's use of intimidation, in violation of the provisions of Article 44, paragraph (3), once eight days have passed after the date on which the service recipient or purchaser received a document delivered to them by the service provider or the seller pursuant to the provisions of order of the competent ministry that contains a notice to the effect that the service recipient or purchaser may cancel the contract under the provisions of this paragraph).

②If a contract for specified continuous service or sale of specified rights has been canceled under the provisions of the preceding paragraph, and the service provider or the seller has sold, acted as an agent for the sale of, or arranged the sale of goods specified by Cabinet Order as goods that a service recipient or purchaser needs to purchase at the time the service recipient or purchaser is provided with specified continuous services (hereinafter referred to as "related goods" in this Chapter and Article 58-22, paragraph (2), Article 58-26, paragraph (1), and Article 66, paragraph (2)), the provisions of the preceding paragraph also apply to any contract connected with the sale of the goods (hereinafter referred to as a "sales contract for related goods" in this Article, the following Article and Article 58-22, paragraph (2)); provided, however, that this does not apply if, in spite of having received the document referred to in Article 42, paragraph (2) or (3), the service recipient or purchaser has used or consumed in whole or in part related goods specified by Cabinet Order as having a value that is likely to decline significantly through their use or partial consumption (excluding the case where the service provider or the seller induced the service recipient or purchaser to use or consume the related goods in whole or in part).

③The cancellation of a contract for specified continuous service or sale of specified rights and the cancellation of a sales contract for related goods under the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs take effect at the time the service recipient or purchaser states in writing or through a notification with electronic or magnetic records that the service recipient or purchaser is canceling each of them.

④If a contract for specified continuous service or sale of specified rights is canceled under the provisions of paragraph (1) or if a sales contract for related goods is canceled under the provisions of paragraph (2), the service provider or the seller may not claim damages or demand the payment of any penalty in connection with the cancellation.

⑤If a sales contract for specified rights is canceled under the provisions of paragraph (1) or if a sales contract for related goods is canceled under the provisions of paragraph (2), the seller or the person selling the related goods bears the costs required for taking back or returning any rights already transferred under the sales contract for specified rights or any related goods already delivered under the sales contract for related goods.

⑥If a contract for specified continuous service or sale of specified rights is canceled under the provisions of paragraph (1), the service provider or the seller may not demand that the service recipient or purchaser pay consideration or any other money for specified continuous services under the contract, even if specified continuous services have already been provided based on that contract.

⑦If a specified continuous service contract is canceled under the provisions of paragraph (1), the service provider must promptly return any money the service provider has received in association with the specified continuous service contract to the recipient of the specified continuous services.

⑧Any special provisions of a contract that run counter to the provisions of the preceding paragraphs and that are disadvantageous to the service recipient or purchaser are hereby invalidated.

①If a service provider has entered into a specified continuous service contract, the recipient of the specified continuous services may effect a prospective cancellation of the contract in question when eight days have passed after the date on which the recipient of the specified continuous services has received the document referred to in Article 42, paragraph (2) (if the recipient of the specified continuous services did not cancel the specified continuous service contract under the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article by the relevant time limit because the recipient of the specified continuous services was under the misconception that information about canceling the specified continuous service contract under the provisions of the paragraph that the service provider had misrepresented to the recipient of the specified continuous services, in violation of the provisions of Article 44, paragraph (1), was true, or because the recipient of the specified continuous services was overwhelmed due to the service provider's use of intimidation, in violation of the provisions of Article 44, paragraph (3), when eight days have passed after the date on which the recipient of the specified continuous services received a document delivered to them by the service provider, pursuant to the provisions of order of the competent ministry, that contains a notice to the effect that the recipient of the specified continuous services may cancel the specified continuous service contract under the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article).

②If a specified continuous service contract is canceled pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the service provider may not demand that the recipient of the specified continuous services pay an amount of money that exceeds the aggregate of the amount specified in the following items for the cases listed in them and the amount of the relevant damages for delay based on the statutory interest rate, even if there is a provision for liquidated damages or a provision for a penalty:

③If a seller enters into a sales contract for specified rights, the purchaser of the right to be provided with specified continuous services may cancel the sales contract for specified rights when eight days have passed after the date on which the purchaser of the right to be provided with specified continuous services has received the document referred to in Article 42, paragraph (3) (if the purchaser of the right to be provided with the specified continuous services does not cancel the sales contract for specified rights under the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article by the time when the period has passed because the purchaser of the right to be provided with specified continuous services was under the misconception that information about canceling the sales contract for specified rights under the provisions of that paragraph that the seller had misrepresented to the purchaser of the rights to be provided with specified continuous services, in violation of the provisions of Article 44, paragraph (1), was true, or because the purchaser of the right to be provided with the specified continuous services was overwhelmed due to the seller's use of intimidation, in violation of the provisions of Article 44, paragraph (3), once eight days have passed after the date on which the purchaser of the right to be provided with specified continuous services has received a document delivered to them by the seller, pursuant to the provisions of order of the competent ministry, that contains a notice to the effect that the purchaser of the right to be provided with specified continuous services may cancel the sales contract for specified rights under the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article).

④If a sales contract for specified rights has been canceled pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the seller may not demand that the purchaser of the right to be provided with specified continuous services pay an amount of money that exceeds the aggregate of the amount specified in the relevant items among the following items for the cases listed therein and the amount of the relevant damages for delay based on the statutory interest rate, even if there is a provision for liquidated damages or a provision for a penalty:

⑤If a contract for specified continuous service or sale of specified rights has been canceled pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) or (3), and the service provider or the seller has sold, acted as an agent for the sale of, or arranged for the sale of the related goods to the service recipient or purchaser, the service recipient or purchaser may cancel the sales contract for related goods.

⑥If a sales contract for related goods is canceled pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the seller of the related goods may not demand that the service recipient or purchaser pay an amount of money that exceeds the aggregate of the amount specified in the relevant items among the following items for the cases listed therein and the amount of the relevant damages for delay based on the statutory interest rate, even if there is a provision for liquidated damages or a provision for a penalty:

⑦Any special provisions that run counter to the provisions of the preceding paragraphs and that are disadvantageous to the service recipient or purchaser, are hereby invalidated.

①If a service recipient or purchaser was under a misconception specified in one the following items as a result of the service provider's or the seller's having engaged in the conduct listed in the following items in soliciting the service recipient or purchaser to enter into a contract for specified continuous service or sale of specified rights, because of which the service recipient or purchaser manifested the intention to offer to enter into or accept the contract, the service recipient or purchaser may retract the manifestation of that intention to offer to enter into or accept the contract:

②The provisions of Article 9-3, paragraphs (2) through (5) apply mutatis mutandis to the retraction under the provisions of the preceding paragraph of the manifestation of an intention to offer to enter into or accept a contract for specified continuous service or sale of specified rights.

③The provisions of Article 49, paragraphs (5) through (7) apply mutatis mutandis if the manifestation of an intention to offer to enter into or accept a contract for specified continuous service or sale of specified rights has been retracted pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1).

①The provisions of this Chapter do not apply to any provision of the specified continuous services stated below:

②The provisions of Article 49, paragraphs (2), (4), and (6) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 49-2, paragraph (3)) do not apply to specified continuous services provided or related goods sold through installment sales.