Companies that wish to supply goods and services to Japanese government entities need to obtain a supplier qualification in order to be eligible to take part in procedures for government tenders. For central government institutions, organisations falling directly under the jurisdiction of those institutions, and national organisations, the so-called Unified Supplier Qualification System or touitsu shikaku shinsa exists. 

This system means that prospective suppliers can apply at any one of the participating government entities and will receive a qualification valid for a large number of central government entities and their affiliated agencies (See WTO Annex 1 and Annex 3).  

The application is free of charge and will take a few weeks to be processed at the most, if all documentation is present and correct.  The qualification is valid for a maximum period of three years, depending on when the application is submitted. After this period, the application will need to be repeated, i.e. there is no automatic renewal.

The review for the Unified Supplier Qualification will result in a classification ranging from A to D, which largely depends on the turnover of the company.  In the majority of tenders, it is stipulated which class of companies is eligible to place bids, although there are also organisations that place no restrictions. All documentation required needs to be submitted in Japanese. Foreign-language documents will need to have Japanese translations added. 

Online application

For the sake of speed, it is advisable to apply online once all documentation has been prepared. It is also possible to do part of the application online and send attached documentation separately by mail. While the application is possible online, it is currently not possible to receive the certificate by electronic means if you apply for the first time. The government will usually be reluctant to send the certificate overseas, so it is advisable to have a local representative. The JTPP Helpdesk offers this service. In case of extensions of the certificate, it is possible to receive the certificate by email as a PDF. 

With sufficient Japanese language ability, applying online should be possible. We advise you to first prepare the required documentation before starting the online application. Please consult the application guidelines, and Internet application manual  to check which documents are required. Of course, you can also make use of the JTPP Helpdesk Supplier Qualification Support Service.

Required documentation

The following documents need to be prepared for the application.

Note: Documents issued by public offices must be less than 3 months old and documents must be clearly printed.

Source: Single Supplier Qualification Application guidelines 

Related documents

• Sample of supplier notification with explanation in English (PDF)
• Business history template with English explanation (Word/PDF)
• Sample letter of attorney with English explanation (Word/PDF)
• Foreign character notification (gaishitodoke) with explanation (PDF)
• Foreign character notification (gaishitodoke) (PDF)
• List of characters which can be used in application (in Japanese) (PDF)