①No person may provide clearing services for interbank funds transfers unless the person has obtained a license from the Prime Minister.

②The provisions of the preceding paragraph do not apply to deposit-taking institutions and the Bank of Japan.

①A person who intends to obtain a license referred to in paragraph (1) of the preceding Article must, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Office Order, submit a written application for license containing the following particulars to the Prime Minister:

②The following documents must be attached to the written application for a license referred to in the preceding paragraph:

①When an application for license referred to in Article 64, paragraph (1) is filed, the Prime Minister must examine whether the application conforms to the following criteria:

②The Prime Minister must not grant a license when an applicant for a license falls under any of the following items, or a written application for license or its accompanying documents contain a false statement or lack a statement about important particulars:

①A person falling under any of paragraph (2), item (v), (a) through (e) of the preceding Article may not become a company director, etc.:

②When a director, etc. of a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer falls under a category of a person prescribed in the preceding paragraph, the company director, etc. loses their position.

③When a company director, etc. of a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer violates laws and regulations or a disposition under laws and regulations by government agencies, the Prime Minister may order the clearing institution for interbank funds transfer to dismiss the company director, etc.

①The provisions of the proviso to Article 331, paragraph (2) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 335, paragraph (1) of the Companies Act), Article 332, paragraph (2) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 334, paragraph (1) of that Act), Article 336, paragraph (2), and the proviso to Article 402, paragraph (5) of the Companies Act do not apply to a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer that is a stock company.

②With regard to the application of Article 458 of the Companies Act to a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer that is a stock company, the term "three million yen" in that Article are deemed to be replaced with "an amount specified by Cabinet Order which may not be less than three million yen".

①A clearing institution for interbank funds transfer must not engage in any business other than the clearing services for interbank funds transfer and business related thereto; provided, however, that this does not apply if a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer has obtained, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Office Order, the approval from the Prime Minister for a business that is obviously causing no hindrance to the provision of the clearing services for interbank funds transfer in a proper and steady manner by the clearing institution for interbank funds transfer.

②Having discontinued the approved business referred to in the proviso to the preceding paragraph, a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer must notify the Prime Minister to that effect pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Office Order.

①A clearing institution for interbank funds transfer may, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Office Order, entrust part of the clearing services for interbank funds transfer to a third party with the approval of the Prime Minister.

②A clearing institution for interbank funds transfer must set the requirements for a contract for the partial entrustment of the clearing services for interbank funds transfer under the provisions of the preceding paragraph that the party to whom business is entrusted must take measures to conduct the business in a proper and steady manner.

①A clearing institution for interbank funds transfer must provide the clearing services for interbank funds transfer pursuant to the provisions of its business rules.

②The business rules must specify the following particulars:

A clearing institution for interbank funds transfer must prescribe that if any loss is caused by the clearing services for interbank funds transfer, all of the losses are borne by the clearing participant in its business rules and take other measures to ensure appropriate provision of the clearing services for interbank funds transfer.

①If a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer prescribes the methods to perform netting calculations, to apply collateral to payment of obligations, and other payment and settlement methods in its business rules, when a bankruptcy proceeding, rehabilitation proceeding, reorganization proceeding, special liquidation proceeding, or recognition and assistance proceeding has been started against a clearing participant, the method used to determine the amount of claims pertaining to outstanding obligations, etc. held by the clearing institution for interbank funds transferor the clearing participant and other payment and settlement methods used in relation to these proceedings are to be governed by those business rules.

②The term "outstanding obligations, etc." as used in the preceding paragraph means obligations borne in the course of the clearing services for interbank funds transfer to a clearing participant by way of assumption, novation, or other means, claims against that clearing participant (limited to those having the same content as those obligations) acquired as consideration for bearing those obligations, and security of those claims.

③In bankruptcy proceedings, rehabilitation proceedings or reorganization proceedings, the claims specified in paragraph (1) that a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer has, are bankruptcy claims, rehabilitation claims, or reorganization claims, and the claims specified in paragraph (1) that a clearing participant has, are the properties that belong to the bankruptcy estate, rehabilitation debtor's assets, or the property of the reorganization company, or the property of the reorganization cooperative financial institution.

①A company director, etc. (or, if a company director, etc. is a corporation, a person who is to perform the duties; the same applies in the following paragraph) or an employee of a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer, or a person who was formerly in that position must not divulge or misappropriate any confidential information learned during the course of their duties relating to the clearing services for interbank funds transfer or other business related thereto to another person.

②A company director, etc. or an employee of a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer, or a person who was formerly in that position must not use any information learned during the course of their duties relating to the clearing services for interbank funds transfer or other business related thereto for any purpose other than using those for the clearing services for interbank funds transfer or other business related thereto.

③The provisions of the preceding two paragraphs apply mutatis mutandis to a person to whom business is entrusted pursuant to the provisions of Article 70, paragraph (1) (or, if the person is a corporation; its officers) or the person's employees and other persons who engage in the entrusted business, or persons who were formerly in that position.

A clearing institution for interbank funds transfer must not provide unjust discriminatory treatment to a particular person in relation to the clearing services for interbank funds transfer.

When a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer intends to amend the articles of incorporation or business rules, it must obtain the authorization from the Prime Minister.

When any of the particulars set forth in Article 65, paragraph (1), item (ii) are changed (excluding the amount of net assets) or items (iii) through (v) of that paragraph, a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer must notify the Prime Minister to that effect without delay.

A clearing institution for interbank funds transfer must, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Office Order, prepare and maintain the books and documents on its clearing services for interbank funds transfer.

A clearing institution for interbank funds transfer must, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Office Order, prepare a written report on its clearing services for interbank funds transfer for each business year and submit it to the Prime Minister.

①When the Prime Minister finds it necessary for the provision of the clearing services for interbank funds transfer in a proper and steady manner, the Prime Minister may order that clearing institution for interbank funds transfer to submit reports or materials that can be used as reference for its business or property, or have officials enter the business office, office or other facility of the clearing institution for interbank funds transfer, ask questions about the status of its business or property or inspect its books and documents or other items.

②When the Prime Minister finds it particularly necessary for the provision of the clearing services for interbank funds transfer in a proper and steady manner, the Minister may, to the extent necessary for this, order a person to whom business has been entrusted by the clearing institution for interbank funds transfer (including persons to whom the service has been entrusted by the entrusted person (including multi-tier entrustment arrangements); hereinafter the same applies in this Article) to submit reports or materials that can be used as reference for the business or property of the clearing institution for interbank funds transfer, or have officials enter the facility of the person to whom business has been entrusted by the clearing institution for interbank funds transfer, ask questions about the status of the business or property of the clearing institution for interbank funds transfer or inspect its books and documents or other items.

③A person to whom business has been entrusted by a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer referred to in the preceding paragraph may, if there are reasonable grounds, refuse the submission of reports or materials, or the questions or inspection under the provisions of that paragraph.

When the Prime Minister finds it necessary for the provision of clearing services for interbank funds transfer in a proper and steady manner, the Minister may, to the extent necessary for this, order a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer to take necessary measures to improve the operation of its business or its financial status, or other measures necessary for the supervision.

①If it turned out that a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer already falls under any of the items of Article 66, paragraph (2) when it obtained a license referred to in Article 64, paragraph (1), the Prime Minister may revoke the license referred to in Article 64, paragraph (1).

②The Prime Minister may, when a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer violates this Act or an order under this Act, or a disposition under this Act or the order, revoke the license referred to in Article 64, paragraph (1) or the approval referred to in the proviso to Article 69, paragraph (1), order suspension of all or part of the business of the clearing institution for interbank funds transfer by setting a period not exceeding six months, or order the clearing institution for interbank funds transfer to dismiss its company directors, etc.

A resolution to discontinue the clearing services of a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer or a resolution of dissolution of a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer does not come into effect without the approval of the Prime Minister.

When the Prime Minister finds that maintenance of an orderly financial system may be materially affected by implementing any of the following dispositions on a clearing institution for interbank funds transfer, the Minister must consult with the Minister of Finance about measures necessary for maintaining of an orderly financial system in advance:

The Prime Minister is to, when implementing any of the following dispositions, promptly notify the Minister of Finance to that effect:

If the Prime Minister finds it necessary in order to reach a disposition based on the provisions of this Chapter, the Minister may seek the opinion from the Bank of Japan.