Published Aug 4, 2026 — alert under Article 38(1) of the Consumer Safety Act: 竜の野, STORE専門ショップ, Sie市場店
On August 4, 2026, Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) issued a public alert about fake mail-order websites that posed as cheap sellers of rare, limited-edition goods. The trigger: since January 2025, consumer affairs centers across Japan have received a large number of complaints saying "I ordered a rare, limited-edition item on a shopping site and paid, but the goods never arrived." The CAA investigated and confirmed that the operators of the websites using the names 竜の野, STORE専門ショップ and Sie市場店 had each engaged in conduct likely to unfairly harm consumers' interests (conduct that deceives consumers). This measure is not an administrative sanction such as a suspension order; it is a "publication of information" under Article 38, paragraph 1 of the Consumer Safety Act (Act No. 50 of 2009). That provision exists so the government can tell consumers information that helps prevent damage from occurring or spreading — which is why the actual site names can be published. The CAA is also passing this information to prefectures and municipalities so they can spread the word. Details, including the sites' tactics, are compiled in the published document (PDF, 4.7 MB).
For foreign residents and visitors, telling a genuine Japanese shopping site from a fake one is not easy: company details and sales terms are usually written only in Japanese, so odd phrasing or an unfamiliar shop name is hard to spot. The three sites named here worked by making rare, limited-edition goods look like a bargain — exactly the situation when you want to send a Japan-only item to family abroad or stock up before flying home. The core harm is simple: you pay, the goods never arrive, and the seller stops responding. Keep everything — card or bank transfer records, the order confirmation screen, and all emails with the seller. If you are in trouble, don't handle it alone: dialing the Consumer Hotline "188" connects you to your nearest consumer affairs center, and the National Consumer Affairs Center also runs a consultation service for visitors to Japan.
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