On 26 August 2026, the Japan Fair Trade Commission announced that it had issued a recommendation to J-Top Co., Ltd. under Article 5, paragraph 1, item 2 of the Act on Ensuring Proper Transactions Involving Specified Entrusted Business Operators (Act No. 25 of 2023), commonly referred to in English as the Freelance Act.
This article sets out what the JFTC published, together with the statutory text as confirmed on the e-Gov law database. It contains no legal assessment or advice from this firm.
What was published
| Item | Published content |
|---|---|
| Date of recommendation | 26 August 2026 |
| Company | J-Top Co., Ltd. |
| Address | 2-26-4 Kamejima, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya |
| Business | Transport, installation and cleaning of household electrical appliances |
| Provision relied on | Freelance Act, Article 5(1)(ii) (prohibition on reducing remuneration) |
| Number of affected operators | 138 |
| Total amount deducted | 481,031 yen |
| Period covered | 1 November 2024 to 30 November 2025 |
The conduct found by the JFTC
According to the announcement, the conduct identified was as follows.
The company deducted from the remuneration payable to the specified entrusted business operators, without any cause attributable to those operators, amounts exceeding the bank transfer fees it actually paid to financial institutions, totalling 481,031 yen.
Free Tool Related to This Article
Overtime Pay Calculator
Try our free simulator related to this topic.
Try for free →The recommendation
According to the announcement, the company was required, when entrusting business to specified entrusted business operators in future, not to reduce the amount of remuneration where there is no cause attributable to those operators.
The statutory provision
Article 5, paragraph 1 of the Freelance Act prohibits a specified entrusting business operator from engaging in the listed conduct when it entrusts business to a specified entrusted business operator. Item 2 reads:
"(ii) reducing the amount of remuneration where there is no cause attributable to the specified entrusted business operator."
The same paragraph prohibits refusal to receive performance (item 1), return of goods (item 3), unreasonably low remuneration (item 4), and forced purchase or use (item 5). The text is available on the e-Gov law database.
Primary sources
・Japan Fair Trade Commission, "Recommendation to J-Top Co., Ltd." (26 August 2026) https://www.jftc.go.jp/houdou/pressrelease/2026/aug/260826_jtop.html
・e-Gov, Act on Ensuring Proper Transactions Involving Specified Entrusted Business Operators (Act No. 25 of 2023) https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/505AC0000000025
About this article
This article summarises information published by a Japanese government body, compiled by our editorial team. It has not been reviewed by an attorney and contains no legal assessment or advice on any specific matter. Please contact us for advice on a particular case.
