①The competent minister may effect service by publication in the following cases:

②Service by publication is effected by taking the measures of placing a notice that the document to be served is to be delivered to the person who is to receive service at any time in a state in which an unspecified number of persons can view it, by a method specified by order of the competent ministry, and of posting a document stating that notice on the bulletin board of the office of the competent minister, or placing that notice, displayed on the screen of a computer installed at that office, in a state in which it can be viewed.

③Service by publication becomes effective once two weeks have passed from the date on which the measures under the provisions of the preceding paragraph were commenced.

④The period stated in the preceding paragraph is six weeks for service by publication that is done for service that would be effected in a foreign country.

When an employee of the competent minister uses the electronic data processing system prescribed in Article 6, paragraph (1) of the Act on the Advancement of Government Administration Processes That Utilize Information and Communications Technology (Act No. 151 of 2002), pursuant to the provisions of Article 7, paragraph (1) of that Act, to do administrative work involving a disposition notice, etc. prescribed in Article 3, item (ix) of that Act that is to be carried out by service of documents pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter, the employee must use that electronic data processing system to record the particulars of the service under the provisions of Article 100, paragraph (1) of the Code of Civil Procedure as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 66-4 in a file that is stored on a computer (including input or output device) used by the minister, instead of preparing and submitting a document that states those particulars.

①In this Act, the competent minister is as follows:

②The Prime Minister delegates the authority under this Act (limited to authority under the jurisdiction of the Financial Services Agency, excluding the authority specified by Cabinet Order) to the Commissioner of the Financial Services Agency.

③The Prime Minister delegates the authority under this Act (limited to that under jurisdiction of the Consumer Affairs Agency, excluding the authority specified by Cabinet Order) to the Commissioner of the Consumer Affairs Agency.

④In this Act, order of the competent ministry means an order issued jointly by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry; provided, however, that the order of the competent ministry prescribed in Article 61, paragraph (1) means an order issued by the competent minister as specified in paragraph (1), item (v).

Part of the administrative functions prescribed in this Act that are under the authority of the competent minister may be undertaken by a prefectural governor pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order.

①The competent minister may have the head of a local branch office undertake a matter that is placed under that minister's authority by this Act, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order.

②The Commissioner of the Financial Services Agency, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order, may delegate part of the authority that has been delegated to them pursuant to the provisions of Article 67, paragraph (2) to the Director-General of a Local Finance Bureau or the Director-General of a Local Finance Branch Bureau.

③The Commissioner of the Consumer Affairs Agency, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order, may delegate part of the authority that has been delegated to them pursuant to the provisions of Article 67, paragraph (3) to the Director-General of a Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry.

The competent minister, the heads of relevant administrative organs (if the administrative organ is an organ based on a council system, the administrative organ), the heads of relevant local governments, the head of the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, and other related persons must make efforts to exchange necessary information and secure other close mutual coordination, in order to ensure fairness in specified commercial transactions and prevent damage that may be caused to purchasers and others.

①The competent minister may provide foreign authorities that enforce acts of foreign countries equivalent to this Act (referred to as "foreign enforcement authorities" in paragraphs (2) and (3)) with information that the minister thinks benefits the performance of the authorities' work (limited to work equivalent to work prescribed in this Act; the same applies in the next paragraph).

②For the provision of information prescribed in the preceding paragraph, appropriate measures must be taken to prevent the information from being used for purposes other than the performance of the foreign enforcement authorities' duties and for investigation (limited to those after target facts constituting crimes have been identified) or judgment of foreign criminal cases (referred to as "investigation or judgment") without the consent prescribed in the next paragraph.

③When a foreign enforcement authority makes a request, the competent minister may give consent to the use of the information provided pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) for investigation or judgment of foreign criminal cases related to the request, except for cases falling under any of the following items:

④When the competent minister gives consent as prescribed in the preceding paragraph, the competent minister must receive confirmation from the Minister of Justice that the request does not fall under items (i) or (ii) of the paragraph and from the Minister of Foreign Affairs that the request does not fall under item (iii) of the paragraph.