# Consumers and personal data — Japanese laws in English — japanlaw.org

This is the Markdown twin of https://japanlaw.org/en/laws/consumers. Every law, and how to address a provision: https://japanlaw.org/llms.txt. The same laws as MCP tools (no sign-in): https://japanlaw.org/mcp.

Japan's consumer and data law in English: consumer contracts, door-to-door and online sales, advertising, spam, personal information and online platforms.

- Consumers and personal data (消費者・個人情報): 6 laws on this topic, each Act (法律) with the orders that go with it — Cabinet Orders (政令) and Ministerial Orders (省令) — listed beneath it, then the laws at home in another topic that this one lists too.
- Each law links to its page; its Markdown twin is the same path under /md. The descriptions are this site's own summaries, not the law's words.
- Only the Japanese as published by the government has legal effect.

## Laws

- [消費者契約法 / Consumer Contract Act](https://japanlaw.org/en/consumer-contract-act): 平成十二年法律第六十一号 · Act (法律) · text in force since 2026-06-24 · 61 articles in the main text · English: 100% of paragraphs. Protects consumers in their contracts with businesses: a consumer can rescind (取り消す) their agreement to a contract they were misled or pressured into, contract terms that free a business from liability or otherwise unfairly harm consumers are void (無効), and qualified consumer organizations (適格消費者団体) can demand that businesses stop such practices. Markdown: https://japanlaw.org/md/en/consumer-contract-act
- [特定商取引に関する法律 / Act on Specified Commercial Transactions](https://japanlaw.org/en/specified-commercial-transactions-act): 昭和五十一年法律第五十七号 · Act (法律) · text in force since 2026-08-12 · 157 articles in the main text · English: 100% of paragraphs. Makes seven kinds of trade fair — door-to-door sales (訪問販売), mail order sales (通信販売), telemarketing sales (電話勧誘販売), multilevel marketing (連鎖販売取引), specified continuous services (特定継続的役務提供), business opportunity sales (業務提供誘引販売取引) and door-to-door purchases (訪問購入) — and protects the customers of these businesses from harm. Markdown: https://japanlaw.org/md/en/specified-commercial-transactions-act
- [不当景品類及び不当表示防止法 / Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations](https://japanlaw.org/en/premiums-and-representations-act): 昭和三十七年法律第百三十四号 · Act (法律) · text in force since 2026-05-21 · 52 articles in the main text · English: 100% of paragraphs. It protects consumers by limiting the premiums (goods, money and other benefits offered with a deal) and banning the misleading advertisements and other representations that businesses use to draw customers unfairly and that are likely to hinder consumers' free and rational choice. Markdown: https://japanlaw.org/md/en/premiums-and-representations-act
- [特定電子メールの送信の適正化等に関する法律 / Act on Regulation of Transmission of Specified Electronic Mail](https://japanlaw.org/en/specified-electronic-mail-act): 平成十四年法律第二十六号 · Act (法律) · text in force since 2025-06-01 · 38 articles in the main text · English: 100% of paragraphs. The rules for businesses that send advertising email: mail only people who consented or otherwise fall within the Act's list, stop when asked, show who is sending, never fake the sender's details, and never mail made-up addresses to send in bulk. Markdown: https://japanlaw.org/md/en/specified-electronic-mail-act
- [個人情報の保護に関する法律 / Act on the Protection of Personal Information](https://japanlaw.org/en/personal-information-protection-act): 平成十五年法律第五十七号 · Act (法律) · text in force since 2026-10-01 · 185 articles in the main text · English: 100% of paragraphs. The rules on how businesses and public bodies must handle personal information — including businesses abroad that handle the information of people in Japan in supplying them goods or services — what people can ask of them about their own, and the commission that oversees them. Markdown: https://japanlaw.org/md/en/personal-information-protection-act
- [特定電気通信による情報の流通によって発生する権利侵害等への対処に関する法律 / Act on Measures against Infringement of Rights, etc. Arising from the Distribution of Information through Specified Telecommunications](https://japanlaw.org/en/information-distribution-platform-act): 平成十三年法律第百三十七号 · Act (法律) · text in force since 2026-07-17 · 38 articles in the main text · English: 100% of paragraphs. When a provider whose service sends information to people at large over telecommunications is liable for information on it that infringes someone's rights, how a person who claims to be harmed can have its sender identified, through the courts if need be, and what duties large designated providers have to handle requests to stop such information quickly and to be open about how they stop information. Markdown: https://japanlaw.org/md/en/information-distribution-platform-act

## Other topics

- [Work and employment (労働)](https://japanlaw.org/en/laws/work): Markdown: https://japanlaw.org/md/en/laws/work
- [Visas, residence and nationality (在留・国籍)](https://japanlaw.org/en/laws/immigration): Markdown: https://japanlaw.org/md/en/laws/immigration
- [Tax (税)](https://japanlaw.org/en/laws/tax): Markdown: https://japanlaw.org/md/en/laws/tax
- [Pensions, insurance and welfare (社会保障)](https://japanlaw.org/en/laws/social-security): Markdown: https://japanlaw.org/md/en/laws/social-security
- [Business and companies (会社・取引)](https://japanlaw.org/en/laws/business): Markdown: https://japanlaw.org/md/en/laws/business
- [Family, contracts and courts (民事)](https://japanlaw.org/en/laws/civil): Markdown: https://japanlaw.org/md/en/laws/civil
- [Housing and property (住まい・不動産)](https://japanlaw.org/en/laws/housing): Markdown: https://japanlaw.org/md/en/laws/housing
- [Crime and safety (刑事)](https://japanlaw.org/en/laws/crime): Markdown: https://japanlaw.org/md/en/laws/crime
- [Driving and transport (交通)](https://japanlaw.org/en/laws/transport): Markdown: https://japanlaw.org/md/en/laws/transport
- [Constitution and government (憲法・行政)](https://japanlaw.org/en/laws/government): Markdown: https://japanlaw.org/md/en/laws/government
- [Every law](https://japanlaw.org/en/laws): Markdown: https://japanlaw.org/md/en/laws