Compliance Radar
Who was sanctioned, and for what?
Fines, court rulings and incidents from Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa: 2,033 cases from 44 jurisdictions, each with an official source and checked against that source before publication. Filter by country, area of law and sector. Click a chart to drill down one level.
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Where?
by authority- Consumer Affairs Agency (消費者庁, CAA) 8 cases 100 % · €941,067
What for?
by topicWho?
by sectorAll sectors
When?
per quarter, by date of decision| Period | Cases | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Q4 2023 | 0 | – |
| Q1 2024 | 0 | – |
| Q2 2024 | 0 | – |
| Q3 2024 | 0 | – |
| Q4 2024 | 0 | – |
| Q1 2025 | 0 | – |
| Q2 2025 | 0 | – |
| Q3 2025 | 2 | – |
| Q4 2025 | 2 | – |
| Q1 2026 | 1 | €941,067 |
| Q2 2026 | 1 | – |
| Q3 2026 | 2 | – |
| Q4 2026 | 0 | – |
8 cases
18 Sep 2026 Kinpodo Co., Ltd. (株式会社金宝堂)Kinpodo: order over a bait price 'from 104,500 JPY' for family funerals Order
From March to May 2025, Kinpodo advertised family funerals in exclusively rented halls under the name 'Chiisana Mori no Ie' in television commercials at a price 'from 104,500 JPY'. In fact, apart from a few cases, customers had to pay at least 308,000 JPY; the order required a corrective notice, measures to prevent recurrence and cessation.
A 'from' price may only be advertised if customers can realistically obtain it.
'From' prices and bait offers
- Authority / court
- Consumer Affairs Agency (消費者庁, CAA)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail · Misleading advertising and pricing
- Legal basis
- Art. 7 Abs. 1 i. V. m. Art. 5 Nr. 2 Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations (不当景品類及び不当表示防止法, Gesetz Nr. 134/1962)
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Other
- Published
- 18 Sep 2026
- 株式会社金宝堂に対する景品表示法に基づく措置命令について (Eintrag, 18.09.2026) Press release of an authority
- News Release 18.09.2026 mit Maßnahmenanordnung 消表対第807号 (PDF) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 4 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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6 Aug 2026 Snow Corporation; SNOW Japan Co., Ltd. (SNOW Japan株式会社)Snow Corporation and SNOW Japan: orders over undisclosed paid posts on X Order
SNOW Japan, to which South Korea's Snow Corporation had left decisions on advertising content in Japan for the jointly offered service, had users of X publish posts about the AI image functions of the 'SNOW' app from April 2025 onwards, for payment and following its instructions, without making the commission recognisable; the posts were treated as advertising by both companies. On 6 August 2026 each of them received an order to stop the display of posts still online, inform consumers and take measures to prevent recurrence.
A foreign provider that leaves its advertising in Japan to a partner remains responsible for undisclosed paid posts.
Stealth marketing and disclosure of paid posts
- Authority / court
- Consumer Affairs Agency (消費者庁, CAA)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail · Misleading advertising and pricing
- Legal basis
- Art. 7 Abs. 1 i. V. m. Art. 5 Nr. 3 (Bekanntmachung zu Stealth-Marketing) Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations (不当景品類及び不当表示防止法, Gesetz Nr. 134/1962)
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Media and online platforms
- Published
- 6 Aug 2026
- 「SNOW」と称するアプリケーションの利用サービスの提供事業者2社に対する景品表示法に基づく措置命令について (Eintrag, 06.08.2026) Press release of an authority
- News Release 06.08.2026 mit Maßnahmenanordnungen 消表対第681号 und 第682号 (PDF) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 4 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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11 Jun 2026 GEO Store Co., Ltd. (株式会社ゲオストア)GEO Store: order over a sham deadline in a smartphone buy-back promotion Order
GEO Store advertised, among other channels on the official GEO account on X, for example from 12 May to 8 June 2025, a 10% bonus on buy-back prices for used smartphones and tablets that was said to apply only until a certain date. In fact, the same or higher bonuses were available afterwards; the investigation was conducted jointly with the Chubu office of the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC, 公正取引委員会).
Time-limited promotions must actually end – a deadline after which the offer continues unchanged creates artificial time pressure.
Time-limited offers and artificial urgency
- Authority / court
- Consumer Affairs Agency (消費者庁, CAA)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail · Misleading advertising and pricing
- Legal basis
- Art. 7 Abs. 1 i. V. m. Art. 5 Nr. 2 Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations (不当景品類及び不当表示防止法, Gesetz Nr. 134/1962)
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Retail and e-commerce
- Published
- 11 Jun 2026
- 株式会社ゲオストアに対する景品表示法に基づく措置命令について (Eintrag, 11.06.2026) Press release of an authority
- News Release 11.06.2026 mit Maßnahmenanordnung 消表対第484号 (PDF) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 4 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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12 Mar 2026 Excom Global Co., Ltd. (エクスコムグローバル株式会社)Excom Global ('Imoto no WiFi'): surcharge over unsubstantiated 'No. 1' claims €941,067
From February 2020 to May 2024, Excom Global advertised its rental of mobile Wi-Fi routers for travel abroad ('Imoto no WiFi') in travel-guide adverts and on its own websites as number one for customer satisfaction, for being chosen by overseas travellers and for customer service. The commissioned survey, without checking actual use, merely asked for impressions of the websites of the company and nine arbitrarily selected competitors and was also not reproduced accurately; a surcharge of 172,620,000 JPY was imposed.
Anyone advertising survey wins must know and check the methodology – responsibility stays with the advertiser, not the survey provider.
'No. 1' claims and rankings
- Authority / court
- Consumer Affairs Agency (消費者庁, CAA)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail · Misleading advertising and pricing
- Legal basis
- Art. 8 Abs. 1 i. V. m. Art. 5 Nr. 1 Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations (不当景品類及び不当表示防止法, Gesetz Nr. 134/1962)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Telecoms, IT and software
- Culpability
- negligent
- Published
- 12 Mar 2026
Original amount 172,620,000 JPY, converted at the ECB reference rate of 12 Mar 2026.
- エクスコムグローバル株式会社に対する景品表示法に基づく課徴金納付命令について (Eintrag, 12.03.2026) Press release of an authority
- News Release 12.03.2026 mit Surcharge-Bescheid 消表対第181号 (PDF) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 4 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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23 Dec 2025 Chiba Lotte Marines Co., Ltd. (株式会社千葉ロッテマリーンズ)Chiba Lotte Marines: commitment plan with partial refund after signed-ball promotion Other
In a promotional letter of January 2025 for its paid fan club 'TEAM26', the baseball club Chiba Lotte Marines gave the impression that every new member would definitely receive a ball hand-signed by a player at the booth by the stadium, although only some members received one. Instead of an order, a commitment plan was approved on 23 December 2025 – a board resolution, information for consumers, measures to prevent recurrence, allegedly a partial refund of annual fees and reports on implementation; no infringement was thereby established.
Free gifts must state clearly whether every customer or only some will receive them; a commitment plan with refunds can avoid a formal order.
Advertising free gifts and special offers correctly
- Authority / court
- Consumer Affairs Agency (消費者庁, CAA)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail · Misleading advertising and pricing
- Legal basis
- Art. 30, Art. 31 Abs. 1 und 3 (Zusagenverfahren), Verdacht eines Verstoßes gegen Art. 5 Nr. 2 Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations (不当景品類及び不当表示防止法, Gesetz Nr. 134/1962)
- Action
- Other
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Other
- Published
- 23 Dec 2025
- 株式会社千葉ロッテマリーンズから申請があった確約計画の認定について (Eintrag, 23.12.2025) Press release of an authority
- News Release 23.12.2025 zur Genehmigung des Zusagenplans (PDF) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 4 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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17 Oct 2025 NOVA Language Company Co., Ltd. (株式会社NOVAランゲージカンパニー)NOVA: order over waiving an enrolment fee that was never charged Order
On the website of its 'NOVA' English schools, NOVA Language Company advertised several courses, for example in September 2024, by waiving an enrolment fee of 22,000 JPY (11,000 JPY for a children's course). The company had not charged anyone such a fee over a considerable recent period; the order required a corrective notice, measures to prevent recurrence and cessation.
A waived charge is only an advantage if it is otherwise actually charged – fictitious fees are misleading price advertising.
Advertising price advantages and fee waivers correctly
- Authority / court
- Consumer Affairs Agency (消費者庁, CAA)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail · Misleading advertising and pricing
- Legal basis
- Art. 7 Abs. 1 i. V. m. Art. 5 Nr. 2 Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations (不当景品類及び不当表示防止法, Gesetz Nr. 134/1962)
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Other
- Published
- 17 Oct 2025
- 株式会社NOVAランゲージカンパニーに対する景品表示法に基づく措置命令について (Eintrag, 17.10.2025) Press release of an authority
- News Release 17.10.2025 mit Maßnahmenanordnung 消表対第1556号 (PDF) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 4 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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12 Sep 2025 Japanet Takata Co., Ltd. (株式会社ジャパネットたかた)Japanet Takata: order over comparison with a future 'regular price' for osechi Order
From 8 October to 23 November 2024, Japanet Takata offered a two-tier New Year food box ('osechi' for 2025) in its online shop, stating that the 'Japanet regular price' of 29,980 JPY had been reduced by 10,000 JPY to 19,980 JPY, with the regular price presented as applying after the promotion ended. There was no reliable plan to sell at the higher price afterwards; the investigation was conducted jointly with the Kyushu office of the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC, 公正取引委員会).
Anyone advertising against a future price needs a robust sales plan at that price that is actually carried out.
Reference prices and discount promotions
- Authority / court
- Consumer Affairs Agency (消費者庁, CAA)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail · Misleading advertising and pricing
- Legal basis
- Art. 7 Abs. 1 i. V. m. Art. 5 Nr. 2 Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations (不当景品類及び不当表示防止法, Gesetz Nr. 134/1962)
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Retail and e-commerce
- Published
- 12 Sep 2025
- 株式会社ジャパネットたかたに対する景品表示法に基づく措置命令について (Eintrag, 12.09.2025) Press release of an authority
- News Release 12.09.2025 mit Maßnahmenanordnung 消表対第1401号 (PDF) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 4 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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1 Aug 2025 P&G Japan G.K. (P&Gジャパン合同会社)P&G Japan: order over unsubstantiated anti-mould claims for a Febreze product Order
P&G Japan advertised its 'Febreze bathroom anti-mould' product (ファブリーズ お風呂用防カビ剤), among other things on the packaging from April 2022 to May 2023, by claiming that simply placing it in the bathroom would prevent black mould for around six weeks. The documents submitted did not substantiate this effect, so the advertising was deemed misleading; the order required a corrective notice, measures to prevent recurrence and cessation.
Anyone promising an effect must hold robust evidence before advertising; without it, the claim is deemed misleading.
Substantiating efficacy claims in advertising
- Authority / court
- Consumer Affairs Agency (消費者庁, CAA)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail · Misleading advertising and pricing
- Legal basis
- Art. 7 Abs. 1 und 2 i. V. m. Art. 5 Nr. 1 Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations (不当景品類及び不当表示防止法, Gesetz Nr. 134/1962)
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Chemicals and pharmaceuticals
- Published
- 1 Aug 2025
- P&Gジャパン合同会社に対する景品表示法に基づく措置命令について (Eintrag, 01.08.2025) Press release of an authority
- News Release 01.08.2025 mit Maßnahmenanordnung 消表対第1255号 (PDF) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 4 Oct 2026 · Direct link