E-Invoicing Country

Japan

Voluntary

Voluntary, no mandate yet

Flag of Japan

Mandate Overview

The mandate

Japan operates the Qualified Invoice System (適格請求書等保存方式, QIS) administered by the National Tax Agency (NTA), mandatory since October 1, 2023 for any business that wants to claim consumption tax (JCT) input credit. Only Qualified Invoice Issuers (registered with the NTA) can issue qualified invoices; buyers can only deduct input JCT if they hold a qualified invoice. The format itself is technology-neutral — paper, PDF, or structured electronic invoice all qualify — but the Digital Agency and the Japan Peppol Authority (operated by the Digital Agency since 2021) actively promote the JP PINT (Peppol PINT JP) specification as the structured digital path.

Timeline

Key milestones

2021
Sep 1, 2021
  • Japan Peppol Authority established under the Digital Agency

2022
Dec 1, 2022
  • JP PINT (Peppol PINT Japan) specification released

2023
Oct 1, 2023
  • Qualified Invoice System (QIS) mandatory for JCT input credit deductions

2026
Sep 1, 2026
  • End of 80% transitional input credit allowance for non-qualified invoices

Flowie Coverage

How Flowie supports Japan

Flowie tracks Japan regulatory developments and supports JP PINT generation via Peppol; native qualified-invoice issuance with NTA registration handling is on the roadmap.

FAQ

Common questions

Is e-invoicing mandatory in Japan?

The Qualified Invoice System is mandatory since October 2023 for any business claiming JCT (consumption tax) input credit, but the format is technology-neutral — paper, PDF, and structured electronic invoices all qualify. JP PINT via Peppol is the recommended structured digital format, but is not itself mandated.

What format is used?

Qualified invoices must contain specific data elements (issuer registration number, tax-rate-segregated totals) but can be paper, PDF, or structured. JP PINT is the regional Peppol profile actively promoted by the Digital Agency for B2B exchange.

Ready for Japan?

Flowie keeps you compliant, automatically.

ISO 27001
GDPR
CyberVadis
PA Certified
Peppol