🇯🇵How to verify a supplier in Japan
To verify a supplier in Japan, look the company up for free in the official National Tax Agency Corporate Number Publication and confirm it is registered and currently active. The registry returns registered name, 13-digit corporate number, and registered address; free and fully open.
The official registry
- Registry
- National Tax Agency Corporate Number Publication
- Company ID
- corporate number (13 digits)
- Cost
- Free basic lookup
- Active status
- The publication flags closures; full commercial-registry extracts (with directors and capital) are obtained from the Legal Affairs Bureau.
Verify it in four steps
1. Open the National Tax Agency Corporate Number Publication
National Tax Agency Corporate Number Publication is the official government record of companies in Japan. Basic name or number search is free.
2. Search the exact legal name or ID
Search the supplier's registered name or its corporate number (13 digits). If the name does not match cleanly, treat it as a red flag, it may be a trade name, a different entity, or wrong.
3. Confirm it is active, not struck off
The publication flags closures; full commercial-registry extracts (with directors and capital) are obtained from the Legal Affairs Bureau.
4. Check it makes what it sells
A real factory carries a manufacturing activity code and a consistent trade history; a middleman reselling everything is the most common mismatch.
This is a factual pointer to public records, not legal advice. For the full method, see the 7 checks that separate a real supplier from a scam.
We do this check for you
On every Japan company we list, we show what the open record says, each linked to its free public source so you can re-check it yourself, no paid badge. And we go past the big directories to the local and craft makers who are too small for them but real, then verify and sort them, so you find genuine Japan suppliers, not just the loudest.
Questions
Is checking a Japan supplier free?
Yes. A basic name or number lookup in the National Tax Agency Corporate Number Publication is free. Some full official extracts are paid, but confirming a company exists and is active costs nothing.
What ID does a Japan company have?
Its corporate number (13 digits). Ask the supplier for it, then confirm it in the National Tax Agency Corporate Number Publication and check the registered name matches.
How do I know a Japan supplier is a real manufacturer, not a reseller?
The registry's activity code is the tell: a manufacturing code means a real maker, a wholesale or retail code means a trader.