Japan Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in japan, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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eCommerce
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Please navigate to the eCommerce Leading Sector Page for detailed information on eCommerce opportunities in Japan. For tips on how to use eCommerce in exporting and international business strategy, please visit the eCommerce Innovation Lab (EIL). 

Spending Holidays

Japan’s biggest spending holiday is New Year.  Japanese clean house and buy new clothing for New Year.  Also, Japan consistently has higher online spending in the summer months when Japanese firms are known to give yearly summer bonuses. Average worker bonuses are nearly $3,000 and the spending of that bonus is primarily focused on luxury goods, leisure, and travel. Additional spending holidays include White Day (March 14) and Christmas. 
 

Local eCommerce Sales Rules & Regulations

Various GOJ agencies, including METI and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication (MIC), regulate eCommerce in Japan. Consumer and personal information/data protection laws apply to the online marketplace.  Also, all online retailers must follow the Specified Commercial Transactions Law regulated by the Consumer Affairs Agency.

In May 2020, Japan’s Diet passed a new law, the Act on Improvement of Transparency and Fairness in Trading on Specified Digital Platforms, that will require e-Commerce platforms to submit an annual report to METI on their business practices. METI will subsequently solicit comments from merchants, conduct reviews and publish the results. U.S. firms Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple, as well as Japanese firms Rakuten and Yahoo-Japan, are among those affected. See Cabinet Office summary. 

The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), which assesses antitrust issues in B2C e-commerce, conducted and - in 2019 - released an online trade practices survey, which included a perspective on manufacturers, distributors, retailers, online shopping malls, and other players. See results of the survey (https://www.jftc.go.jp/en/pressreleases/yearly-2019/April/190409_1.html). 
 

Local eCommerce Business Service Provider Ecosystem

Companies using eCommerce channels to reach the Japanese consumers or businesses must consider: 

  • eCommerce platforms
  • Payment methods
  • Customer loyalty programs and points systems
  • Shipping logistics 
     

Customer service, returns, after-sales service

Companies looking to enter the market should be able to advertise, brand, and provide customer support in Japanese.  

eCommerce Platforms in Japan

Amazon Japan

Net sales in 2024 were approximately $27 billion, an increase of 5.4% from 2023 (including retail sales and subscriptions) Commerce platforms

Amazon Japan is known to be used by customers seeking an exact product or product typeayment methods

Rakuten

More than 100 million members

Domestic eCommerce gross merchandise sales in 2024 was approximately $42 billion

Rakuten is known for hosting “stores” that customers can browse rather than seek an exact product

Yahoo! Japan Shopping 

Third largest eCommerce platform in Japan

Yahoo! Japan is a group company of Z Holdings, which also owns LINE, the most popular social media network in Japan as well as popular eCommerce platforms including Zozotown (apparel), Ikkyu (travel) and Askul (stationery and office supplies).  Cross promotions and social media help Yahoo! Japan retain a top spot in eCommerce.

Department Stores and Retail Outlets 

Mitsukoshi Isetan

Most influential store in the fashion market 

Hankyu Department Stores

One of the busiest department stores in Japan with approximately 100,000 customers a day

Yodobashi Camera

An eCommerce site of a major home appliance chain

The second largest individual B-to-C eCommerce site after Amazon with approximately $1.6 billion online sales

Supermarket eCommerce Sites 

Aeon

Customers can choose how they want to receive products – delivered or pick up at a store.

Ito Yokado

Customers cannot use this online grocery shopping service if there are no local Ito Yokado nearby.

More information is available at the Japan Franchise Association and at the U.S. Commercial Service.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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