Verify Japan suppliers before you pay.
Japan is a major supplier corridor for global buyers. KeyBS Trust verifies Japan suppliers before you pay — registry checks, document forensics, beneficial-ownership, sanctions, and bank-beneficiary match in a single audit-ready report.
Quick answers
Why Japan supplier verification matters
Japan is a leading supplier of automotive components, industrial machinery, precision instruments, electronics, chemicals, and specialty food. The National Tax Agency issues the 13-digit Corporate Number (法人番号); the Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局) maintains the corporate registry (登記事項証明書). Japanese corporate data is highly authoritative and most fraud risk concentrates not in the supplier's existence but in mis-identification of intermediaries vs. principals — sōgō shōsha (trading houses), distributors, and OEMs are often confused. Yakuza-related and 反社 (anti-social) exposure is a low-frequency but high-severity verification topic.
Active fraud patterns we see in Japan
Trading intermediary presented as the manufacturer
Distributor or trading house presents itself as a direct manufacturer of a Japanese brand; in fact the buyer is paying mark-up to an intermediary with no warranty pathway.
Corporate registry purpose-of-business and METI / manufacturer-association cross-checks identify the actual role.
Yakuza / 反社 (anti-social) exposure
Counter-party has historical or current ties to designated organised-crime groups (指定暴力団) or anti-social entities (反社会的勢力).
Anti-social-forces screening using Japanese-language sources is included from Enhanced upward; sensitive findings trigger analyst review.
Dormant kabushiki kaisha used as a façade
An old 株式会社 with prestigious history is acquired and re-used to give a new venture credibility it has not earned.
KeyBS surfaces director-change and capital-history flags from the 登記事項証明書.
Counterfeit 'Made in Japan' for goods made elsewhere
Goods relabelled / re-finished in Japan to claim 'Made in Japan' origin when the substantial manufacture happened abroad.
Where applicable, JIS / METI origin-rule cross-checks are surfaced for the claimed product category.
Personal account or paypay payment request
Corporate supplier asks for payment to a personal Mizuho / SMBC / MUFG account or via personal PayPay / LINE Pay.
Bank-beneficiary match enforced; personal-account corporate payment blocked.
PSE / JIS / PSC certification expired
Electronics, gas, or consumer-protection suppliers present expired PSE / PSC / JIS certifications as current.
METI / NITE registration is verified live for any safety-mark claim.
Registry and verification sources
| National Tax Agency — Corporate Number Publication Site (国税庁法人番号公表サイト) | National Tax Agency | www.houjin-bangou.nta.go.jp ID: 13-digit Corporate Number (法人番号) |
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| Legal Affairs Bureau — Corporate Registry (登記事項証明書) | Ministry of Justice (法務省) | www1.touki.or.jp |
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| EDINET — FSA Electronic Disclosure | Financial Services Agency | disclosure.edinet-fsa.go.jp |
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| METI / NITE registration databases | Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry | www.meti.go.jp |
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What to ask your Japan supplier for
Required
- Corporate Registry Certificate (登記事項証明書 / 履歴事項全部証明書)
- National Tax Agency Corporate Number print-out
- Bank confirmation in the Japanese legal name (with bank stamp)
- Representative director's personal seal certificate (印鑑証明書)
- Articles of Incorporation (定款)
Recommended
- Latest tax-payment certificate (納税証明書)
- JIS / PSE / PSC certificate (where applicable)
- METI manufacturer-association membership
- Latest financial statements (決算書)
- EDINET filings (for listed-affiliate suppliers)
What KeyBS Trust checks on every Japan supplier
- Company existence on the official registry
- Registry status (active, not deregistered, not struck off)
- Director / legal representative identity
- Beneficial ownership (where publicly available)
- Sanctions / PEP / watchlist screening
- Adverse-media check
- Document authenticity (forensic review)
- Bank beneficiary match against the legal entity
- Website / domain review
- Premises or factory confirmation (Premium, where available)
Choose the verification depth that matches the purchase
Which product do you need?
KeyBS Pay Scout Check and KeyBS Trust Verified are different products for different stages of the buyer journey.
- • Registry existence + status
- • Sanctions / PEP screen
- • Bank-beneficiary match
- • Returns in minutes
- • Everything in Scout Check
- • Document forensics + UBO
- • Analyst sign-off
- • Optional on-site (Premium)
Not sure which to choose? Use Scout Check for orders under $5,000 or first-time evaluations. Use Trust Verification for orders over $10,000, recurring relationships, or when you need an audit-ready report. For orders in between, start with Scout Check and upgrade to Trust if anything raises questions.
Are you a Japan supplier? Get verified.
A KeyBS Trust Verified badge tells your buyers your business is real, registered, and audit-checked. Display it on your invoices, website and quotations.
Verify my Japan businessQuestions buyers ask about Japan suppliers
How do I verify a Japanese supplier before payment?
Search the 13-digit Corporate Number on the NTA site to confirm legal name and registered address. Pull the 登記事項証明書 from the Legal Affairs Bureau for directors, capital, and corporate purpose. Verify the bank beneficiary in the Japanese legal name with the bank stamp. For orders above USD 10k, KeyBS Trust verification combines NTA, Legal Affairs Bureau, METI / NITE (if applicable), 反社 screening, and bank-beneficiary match.
What is the Corporate Number (法人番号)?
A 13-digit number issued by the National Tax Agency to every registered Japanese entity. The first digit is a check digit, followed by the 12-digit Companies Registry corporate number. It is the canonical identifier for any Japanese counter-party.
How long does Japan supplier verification take with KeyBS Trust?
Standard: 1–3 business days. Enhanced (with METI / EDINET / 反社 cross-check): 3–5 business days. Premium with Tokyo / Osaka / Nagoya on-site visit: 5–8 business days.
What is 反社 (han-sha) screening?
Anti-social-forces screening — verifying the counter-party has no current or historical ties to designated organised-crime groups or other anti-social entities. Japanese banks require it; corporate counter-parties increasingly do too. KeyBS conducts 反社 screening using Japanese-language sources from Enhanced upward.
What is the difference between a 株式会社 (KK), 合同会社 (GK) and a sōgō shōsha?
株式会社 is a joint-stock company. 合同会社 is a limited-liability company (LLC). A sōgō shōsha (e.g., Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsui & Co., Itochu, Sumitomo, Marubeni) is a general trading house — a 株式会社 that acts as an intermediary across many industries. Buying from a sōgō shōsha is legitimate; buying from one believing it is the manufacturer creates warranty and pricing-transparency risk.
Should I accept payment instructions to a Hong Kong or Cayman account from a Japanese supplier?
Rarely legitimate for a Japanese SME supplier. Listed multinationals may have documented related entities; SMEs almost never do. Unsolicited offshore routing is a strong fraud signal.
Can KeyBS check beneficial owners in Japan?
Yes — for non-listed entities via the Legal Affairs Bureau shareholder data and AML disclosure obligations, and for listed entities via EDINET. Sensitive findings (反社 exposure) are surfaced under controlled analyst review.
Does KeyBS verify JIS / PSE / PSC marks?
Yes — for electronics, gas appliances, and consumer-safety categories, the mark issuer (METI / NITE / accredited bodies) is verified against the live registry, not from the supplier's PDF certificate.
Verify before you pay your Japan supplier.
From USD $49. Minutes turnaround on Standard. Audit-ready report.
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