Japan E-Commerce Association

Introduction: From the “2024 Logistics Issue” to the Carbon-Neutral Era In April 2024, Japan introduced a cap on overtime work for truck drivers, including an annual limit of 960 hours. This regulatory change brought the so-called “2024 logistics issue” into sharp focus as a real management challenge. Government estimates indicate that by 2030, Japan could face a transportation capacity shortage of approximately 19.5%  due to driver shortages, with the shortfall potentially r

Introduction: How the “Interim Report” Expected in Summer 2026 Will Reshape Japan’s E-Commerce Market Japan’s consumer protection framework is entering a major turning point. In November 2025, the Consumer Affairs Agency launched a review committee to reconsider the Consumer Contract Act. This was followed in January 2026 by the establishment of a parallel committee focusing on digital transactions, including a review of the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions. These ini

Introduction: China’s Live Commerce Scale Is Becoming Real in Japan Live commerce has already become a mainstream growth engine in China. According to iResearch projections referenced by JETRO, China’s live commerce GMV is expected to reach 6.4172 trillion yuan in 2025 , approaching roughly a quarter of total online retail. Meanwhile, Japan’s B2C e-commerce market continues to expand. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) reports that Japan’s 2024 B2C e-comme

Introduction: What ¥55.5 Billion in Losses Really Means In 2024, losses from credit card fraud in Japan reached ¥55.5 billion , the worst level on record. More importantly, over 90% (¥51.35 billion; about 92%)  of that damage came from card-not-present “card number theft” —fraud occurring primarily in e-commerce environments. This is not a niche “security issue.” In Japan’s e-commerce market, fraud prevention is now a board-level topic that directly affects revenue, profitabi

Introduction: Japan’s Unique Evolution That Global Players Often Miss In 2025, retail media accelerated globally. Industry attention has focused on major platforms and measurement stacks such as Amazon Marketing Cloud , Walmart Luminate (renamed “Scintilla”) , and Kroger’s 84.51° . Yet many overseas manufacturers still underestimate what is happening in Japan. The reason is structural: global data strategies often assume a distributed ecosystem—multiple retailers, multiple pl

Introduction: Payments Are No Longer “Processing” — They Are Experience Many global companies still regard payments as the final technical step in the purchase process. Customers select a product, add it to the cart, and complete payment—the last step is often treated as a simple system transaction. In Japan, this perception is already outdated. Payments are no longer merely the final step of checkout; they have become one of the most decisive factors shaping the overall purc

Introduction: The Real Shift Is Not the Disappearance of CookiesFor several years, the planned deprecation of third-party cookies in Google Chrome drew intense attention. In July 2024, Google revised its position and announced it would maintain third-party cookie availability under a new user choice framework. As a result, the immediate issue is no longer a sudden, universal disappearance of cookies. However, the real transformation affecting digital marketing is happening el

New Opportunities in the Era of Adaptive Commerce Japan’s e-commerce market is one of the world’s largest, yet it has evolved in uniquely “Japanese” ways—shaped by consumer expectations for careful explanation, trust-building, and rigorous comparison. As “adaptive commerce” accelerates toward 2026, these characteristics will no longer be a barrier for overseas brands. Instead, they become a powerful advantage—because AI can now deliver the right information, in the right orde

Introduction: The New Reality Behind Japan’s ¥8.1 Trillion Inbound Spend in 2024 In 2024, inbound visitor spending in Japan reached ¥8.1 trillion , setting a new record. This is a market of national-scale significance. At the same time, the number of foreign residents in Japan has risen to around 2.67 million , and annual consumption by this group is estimated at roughly ¥5 trillion . Together, inbound visitor spending and foreign-resident consumption form an approximately ¥1

Introduction: Moving Beyond “Strict Regulation = Market Barrier” When overseas pharmaceutical companies consider entering the Japanese market, many assume that Japan has one of the world’s most stringent regulatory environments for pharmaceuticals. This perception is largely accurate. However, what is often overlooked is that regulatory rigor itself can become a source of trust, quality assurance, and long-term competitive advantage . Japan’s regulatory framework does not mer