# 不正競争防止法 / Unfair Competition Prevention Act — 第十六条 (Article 16) - Law: 不正競争防止法 (Unfair Competition Prevention Act), 平成五年法律第四十七号 - English title "Unfair Competition Prevention Act": Ministry of Justice translation - Kind: Act — the distinction between 法律 (Act), 政令 (Cabinet Order), 省令 (Ministerial Order) and 条例 (local ordinance) decides who may issue it and what it may say. - Provision: 第十六条 (Article 16)（外国の国旗等の商業上の使用禁止） — address `art-16` - Text in force since: 2026-05-21 - URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/ja/unfair-competition-prevention-act/art-16 - Permanent URL (e-Gov law ID, never renamed): https://japanlaw.org/l/405AC0000000047/art-16 - Every provision below carries its address and both URLs on the line under it. - Japanese text: e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁). English: as marked on each line below. Only the Japanese as published by the government has legal effect; the text below is a copy of it. Every English rendering below is a translation and says which kind: the Ministry of Justice's translation, or this site's machine translation, whose model and date the Sources list names. They are never merged and never substituted for one another. --- ### 第十六条（外国の国旗等の商業上の使用禁止） — (Prohibition on the Commercial Use of the National Flag of Foreign States) caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System art-16 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/unfair-competition-prevention-act/art-16 · https://japanlaw.org/l/405AC0000000047/art-16 **第一項** 何人も、外国の国旗若しくは国の紋章その他の記章であって経済産業省令で定めるもの（以下「外国国旗等」という。）と同一若しくは類似のもの（以下「外国国旗等類似記章」という。）を商標として使用し、又は外国国旗等類似記章を商標として使用した商品を譲渡し、引き渡し、譲渡若しくは引渡しのために展示し、輸出し、輸入し、若しくは電気通信回線を通じて提供し、若しくは外国国旗等類似記章を商標として使用して役務を提供してはならない。ただし、その外国国旗等の使用の許可（許可に類する行政処分を含む。以下同じ。）を行う権限を有する外国の官庁の許可を受けたときは、この限りでない。 art-16/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/unfair-competition-prevention-act/art-16/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/405AC0000000047/art-16/par-1 No person may use anything that is identical or similar to a foreign state's national flag, coat of arms, or any other emblem specified by the Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (referred to as "foreign state's national flag, etc." below) (such identical or similar items are referred to as "emblems similar to a foreign state's national flag, etc." below) as their trademark. No person may transfer, deliver, display for the purpose of transfer or delivery, export, import, or provide through telecommunications lines goods using an emblem similar to a foreign state's national flag, etc. as their trademark. No person may provide services while using an emblem similar to a foreign state's national flag, etc. as a trademark; provided, however, that this does not apply if permission has been obtained from the government agency of the foreign state authorized to grant permission (including an administrative action similar to permission; the same applies below) for the use of the foreign state's national flag, etc. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第二項** 前項に規定するもののほか、何人も、商品の原産地を誤認させるような方法で、同項の経済産業省令で定める外国の国の紋章（以下「外国紋章」という。）を使用し、又は外国紋章を使用した商品を譲渡し、引き渡し、譲渡若しくは引渡しのために展示し、輸出し、輸入し、若しくは電気通信回線を通じて提供し、若しくは外国紋章を使用して役務を提供してはならない。ただし、その外国紋章の使用の許可を行う権限を有する外国の官庁の許可を受けたときは、この限りでない。 art-16/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/unfair-competition-prevention-act/art-16/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/405AC0000000047/art-16/par-2 Beyond what is prescribed in the preceding paragraph, no person may use a foreign state's coat of arms specified by the Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, as referred to in the preceding paragraph (referred to as "coat of arms of a foreign state" below) in a manner likely to mislead as to the place of origin of goods; no person may transfer, deliver, display for the purpose of transfer or delivery, export, import or provide through telecommunications lines goods using the coat of arms of a foreign state in that manner. No person may provide services while using the coat of arms of a foreign state in the same manner; provided, however, that this does not apply if permission has been obtained from the government agency of the foreign state authorized to grant permission to use the coat of arms of a foreign state. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第三項** 何人も、外国の政府若しくは地方公共団体の監督用若しくは証明用の印章若しくは記号であって経済産業省令で定めるもの（以下「外国政府等記号」という。）と同一若しくは類似のもの（以下「外国政府等類似記号」という。）をその外国政府等記号が用いられている商品若しくは役務と同一若しくは類似の商品若しくは役務の商標として使用し、又は外国政府等類似記号を当該商標として使用した商品を譲渡し、引き渡し、譲渡若しくは引渡しのために展示し、輸出し、輸入し、若しくは電気通信回線を通じて提供し、若しくは外国政府等類似記号を当該商標として使用して役務を提供してはならない。ただし、その外国政府等記号の使用の許可を行う権限を有する外国の官庁の許可を受けたときは、この限りでない。 art-16/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/unfair-competition-prevention-act/art-16/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/405AC0000000047/art-16/par-3 No person may use anything that is identical or similar to the seal or sign used by the national or local government of a foreign state for supervision or certification purposes, as specified by the Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (referred to as "official markings of a foreign national government, etc." below) (such identical or similar items are referred to as "official markings similar to that of a foreign national government, etc." below) as a trademark on goods or for services that are identical or similar to those for which the official marking of a foreign national government, etc. is used. No person may transfer, deliver, display for the purpose of transfer or delivery, export, import or provide through telecommunications lines goods using an official marking similar to that of a foreign national government, etc. as their trademark. No person may provide services while using an official marking similar to that of a foreign national government, etc. as a trademark; provided, however, that this does not apply if permission has been obtained from the government agency of the foreign state that is authorized to grant permission for use of the official marking of a foreign national government, etc. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System --- ## Cites - art-16/par-2: 前項 → 不正競争防止法 第十六条第一項 (Article 16, paragraph (1)), art-16/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/unfair-competition-prevention-act/art-16/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/405AC0000000047/art-16/par-1 ## Cited by 4 provisions cite this one. No official source publishes this direction. - 不正競争防止法 第十六条第二項（外国の国旗等の商業上の使用禁止） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/unfair-competition-prevention-act/art-16/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/405AC0000000047/art-16/par-2 - 不正競争防止法 第二十一条第三項第七号（罰則） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/unfair-competition-prevention-act/art-21/par-3/item-7 · https://japanlaw.org/l/405AC0000000047/art-21/par-3/item-7 - 不正競争防止法 附則第七条第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/unfair-competition-prevention-act/suppl-4051-47/art-7/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/405AC0000000047/suppl-4051-47/art-7/par-1 - 不正競争防止法 附則第八条第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/unfair-competition-prevention-act/suppl-4051-47/art-8/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/405AC0000000047/suppl-4051-47/art-8/par-1 --- ## Sources - e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 不正競争防止法 — the text in force from 2026-05-21 (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/405AC0000000047/20260521_507AC0000000039), retrieved 2026-10-11 - Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Unfair Competition Prevention Act — Ministry of Justice translation (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/4920/tb), retrieved 2026-10-11 - This site's parser, version 189 — 不正競争防止法 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-10-11