Japan operates a VAT-like system known as the Japan Consumption Tax (JCT). The system is broadly aligned with international VAT/GST principles and functions as a multistage indirect tax in which businesses collect tax on taxable transactions and offset tax incurred on purchases against tax collected on sales.
JCT is governed primarily by the Consumption Tax Act (Law No. 108 of 1988) and related regulations. The tax is administered by the National Tax Agency (NTA), an agency under the Ministry of Finance. The NTA is responsible for issuing guidance, processing consumption tax registrations and returns, overseeing compliance obligations, and enforcing consumption tax rules in Japan.
Businesses carrying out taxable activities in Japan — whether resident or nonresident — must comply with JCT obligations. This includes registration where required, applying the correct consumption tax rates, issuing qualified invoices in accordance with Japan’s Qualified Invoice System, maintaining appropriate accounting records, and filing periodic consumption tax returns in accordance with Japanese Consumption Tax rules.