①If a seller has offered a sales contract and sent the goods under that offer to a person other than one that has offered the seller a sales contract or to a person other than the purchaser under a sales contract that the seller has concluded (hereinafter referred to as the "offerer or purchaser" in this paragraph), or if a seller has offered an offerer or purchaser a sales contract for goods other than those under a sales contract with the offerer or purchaser and has sent the goods under that offer, the seller may not demand the return of the goods that were sent.

②The provisions of the preceding paragraph do not apply to an offer to enter into a sales contract that the person to which the goods were sent will conclude for a business activity or as a business activity.

When a seller has sent goods under the pretence of the valid sales contract, it may not claim the return of the goods sent.

①If any person finds it to be likely that the fairness of specified commercial transactions or the interests of a purchaser or other person will be prejudiced, the person may notify the competent minister to that effect and ask that appropriate measures be taken.

②Upon being notified as under the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the competent minister must conduct the necessary investigations and take measures under this Act or any other appropriate measures if the minister finds the details the minister has been notified of to be true.

①Pursuant to the provisions of order of the competent ministry, the competent minister may designate a corporation that is a general incorporated association or a general incorporated foundation and that is found to be capable of carrying out the business activities prescribed in the following paragraph (hereinafter referred to as "business activities for ensuring appropriate specified commercial transactions" in this paragraph and Article 66, paragraph (5)) appropriately without fail as a person that will carry out business activities for ensuring appropriate specified commercial transactions (hereinafter referred to as a "designated corporation") at the offer of the corporation.

②A designated corporation is to carry out the following business activities:

When the competent minister finds it necessary to improve a designated corporation's management of the business activities prescribed in paragraph (2) of the preceding Article, the minister may order the designated corporation to take any necessary measures for improvement.

The competent minister may revoke the designation of a designated corporation if the corporation has violated the order under the provisions of the preceding Article.

①When planning the enactment, revision, or abolishment of Cabinet Order under Article 2, paragraph (4), item (i), Article 26, paragraph (1), item (viii)(d), Article 26, paragraph (3), the items of Article 26, paragraph (4), Article 26, paragraph (5), item (i) or (ii), Article 26, paragraph (6), item (ii), Article 26, paragraph (7), item (ii), Article 41, paragraph (1), item (i) (limited to the provisions involving the period), Article 41, paragraph (2), Article 48, paragraph (2), Article 58-4, or Article 58-17, paragraph (2), item (ii), the competent minister must consult with the Consumer Commission or the Consumer Affairs Council pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order.

②When planning the enactment, revision, or abolishment of a Cabinet Order under Article 2, paragraph (1), item (ii) or paragraph (3); Article 4, paragraph (2) (including as applied mutatis mutandis by replacing the terms pursuant to Article 5, paragraph (3)); Article 6, paragraph (4); Article 13, paragraph (2); Article 18, paragraph (2) (including as applied mutatis mutandis by replacing the terms pursuant to Article 19, paragraph (3)); Article 20, paragraph (2); Article 26, paragraph (5), item (iii) or paragraph (7), item (i), Article 34, paragraph (4), Article 37, paragraph (3), Article 40-2, paragraph (2), item (iv), Article 41, paragraph (1), item (i) (limited to the part involving the amount of money); Article 42, paragraph (4); Article 49, paragraph (2), item (i)(b) or item (ii), Article 52, paragraph (3); Article 55, paragraph (3); Article 58-7, paragraph (2) (including as applied mutatis mutandis by replacing the terms pursuant to Article 58-8, paragraph (3)); or Article 66, paragraph (2) (limited to the part involving a closely related person), the competent minister must consult with the Consumer Commission or the Consumer Affairs Council pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order.

When an order is enacted, amended, or abolished based on the provisions of this Act, the necessary transitional measures (including transitional measures concerning penal provisions) may be prescribed by the order to the extent that is judged reasonably necessary for the enactment, revision, or abolishment.

①On finding that it is necessary to do so in order to enforce this Act, the competent minister may order a seller, service provider, orchestrator, solicitor, general multilevel marketing distributor, person engaged in business opportunity sales, or buyer (hereinafter referred to as the "seller or equivalent person") to submit reports, its books, documents, or any other articles, and may have government employees enter the offices, premises or other places to conduct business activities of the seller or equivalent person and inspect its books, documents, or any other articles, or question the employees or other related people.

②When the competent minister finds it particularly necessary to enforce this Act, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order, the minister may order a person selling related goods or any other person specified by Cabinet Order as being closely related to a seller or an equivalent person (hereinafter referred to as a "closely related person" in this paragraph) to submit reports or materials, or may have ministry employees enter the offices, premises or other places to conduct business activities of the seller or equivalent person and inspect its books, documents, or any other articles, or question the employees or other related people.

③When the competent minister finds it particularly necessary to enforce this Act, to the extent necessary, the minister may have ministry employees to enter the offices, premises or other places where business activities are conducted of a person to which business is entrusted by a seller or equivalent person and inspect the person's books, documents, or any other articles related to the entrusted business.

④When the competent minister finds it particularly necessary to enforce this Act, the minister may order a person that has dealings with a seller or equivalent person to submit reports or materials to which reference should be made with regard to the business or property of the seller or equivalent person.

⑤To the extent that is necessary for ensuring the appropriate management of business activities for ensuring appropriate specified commercial transactions, the competent minister may have a designated corporation make the necessary reports on the state of its business activities for ensuring appropriate specified commercial transactions or concerning its assets, or have ministry employees enter the place of business of the designated corporation and inspect the state of its business activities for ensuring appropriate specified commercial transactions or inspect its books, documents, or any other articles.

⑥The provisions of paragraphs (1) through (4) apply mutatis mutandis to a contractor sending email advertising mail order sales, a contractor sending email advertising multilevel marketing transactions, and a contractor sending email advertising business opportunity sales transactions. In this case, the term "seller or equivalent person" in the provisions of paragraphs (2) through (4) is deemed to be replaced with "contractor sending email advertising mail order sales, contractor sending email advertising multilevel marketing transactions, or contractor sending email advertising business opportunity sales transactions".

⑦A ministry employee who enters and inspects a store or any other place of business pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) through (3) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to the preceding paragraph) or paragraph (5) must carry identification and present it to the relevant persons.

⑧The authority for entry and inspection under the provisions of paragraph (1) through (3) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to paragraph (6)) and paragraph (5) must not be construed as having been conferred for the purpose of a criminal investigation.

On finding that it is necessary to do so in order to enforce this Act, the competent minister may consult with government agencies, public entities, and others, or ask for their cooperation .

Each instruction or order under the provisions of this Act are given by serving a document specified by order of the competent ministry.

The provisions of Article 100, paragraph (1), Article 101, Article 102-2, Article 103, Article 105, Article 106, Article 107, paragraph (1) (limited to the portion related to item (i); the same applies in paragraph (1), item (ii) of the next Article) and paragraph (3), and Article 108 of the Code of Civil Procedure (Act No. 109 of 1996) apply mutatis mutandis to the service of documents. In this case, the terms "court" in Article 100, paragraph (1) of the Act and "presiding judge" in Article 108 of the Act are deemed to be replaced by "competent minister", the term "court execution officer" in Article 101, paragraph (1) of the Act and "court clerk" in Article 107, paragraph (1) of the Act is deemed to be replaced by "competent minister's employee", and the "Rules of the Supreme Court" is to be replaced by "order of the competent ministry".

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.