Japan Credit Information Reference Center

What Japan Credit Information Reference Center does

Japan Credit Information Reference Center Corp. (JICC, 株式会社日本信用情報機構) is a Tokyo-headquartered, member-owned credit bureau designated by Japan's Financial Services Agency in March 2010 as one of only two designated credit information institutions (指定信用情報機関) under the Money Lending Business Act. Founded 1986 and reorganized through consolidation of 33 regional credit centers in 2009, JICC maintains the largest non-bank consumer credit database in Japan — approximately 520 million registered records covering roughly ¥324 trillion in outstanding balances as of March 2025. Its core infrastructure consists of a centralized credit information backbone system integrated with SAS/Hadoop analytics and operates member-facing inquiry portals plus consumer-facing disclosure channels (smartphone app, mail, convenience-store kiosks). Approximately 1.6 billion credit inquiries and 12 million consumer disclosures are processed annually, supported by a 113-employee team across Tokyo and Osaka.

JICC operates a cooperative B2B membership model serving 1,263 member credit grantors — including major consumer finance companies, credit card issuers, banks, guarantee firms, and leasing companies — who pay usage-based inquiry fees for credit assessment data. Revenue streams include (1) per-inquiry fees from member companies (primary), (2) transaction-based disclosure fees from individual consumers (¥2,177 standard mail, ¥2,511 express, ¥1,111 for self-report comment registration), and (3) statistical and retail business analysis services for risk insights. For its consumer-facing self-report comment system, JICC also enables individuals to register fraud-prevention notices (lost/stolen IDs, identity misuse, guarantor refusals) that are shared with members during credit checks.

JICC participates in three mutual information exchange frameworks: CRIN (three-bureau delinquency/fraud exchange with CIC and Zenkoku Ginkō, operational since 1987), FINE (balance exchange with CIC, launched 2010), and IDEA (total-debt assessment across the three bureaus, launched May 2022). The company holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 information security certification (IS 573785, first registered April 2004, renewed March 2025) and operates domestic data centers with disaster-recovery backup. JICC generated approximately ¥7.6 billion in operating revenue in FY40 (March 2025), up from ¥6.3 billion in FY37.

Name

Japan Credit Information Reference Center

Legal name

株式会社日本信用情報機構

Website

https://jicc.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

JICC is a Tokyo-headquartered, member-owned designated credit information institution under Japan's Money Lending Business Act, operating one of the country's largest non-bank consumer credit databases (~520M records, ¥324T outstanding) and serving 1,263 lending members via cooperative data exchange networks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Credit Information Services (Consumer Credit Bureau)

NAICS

Credit Bureaus (561450), Credit Bureaus (56145)

SIC

Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)

akta.pro primary industry

Credit Bureaus & Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies (FSAKAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Consumer Credit Decisioning & Underwriting Platforms (FSAKAKAG)

Keywords

• Credit information services
• Designated credit bureau
• Consumer credit registry
• Credit information exchange
• Personal credit disclosure

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 照会料 (Inquiry Fees): Member companies (加盟会員) pay inquiry fees each time they query the credit information database for credit assessment purposes. This is the primary revenue source for JICC, accounting for the bulk of operating revenue.
2. 開示手数料 (Disclosure Handling Fees): Individual consumers pay disclosure fees for accessing their own credit information records. Standard mail disclosure: ¥2,177 (tax included); Express mail: ¥2,511. Self-report comment registration: ¥1,111 per comment type.
3. статистика情報サービス (Statistical Information Services): JICC provides retail business analysis services and statistical data to member companies, analyzing registered credit data for risk assessment insights.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

JICC operates as one of two designated credit information institutions under Japan's Money Lending Business Act, collecting, registering, managing, and providing consumer credit information to approximately 1,263 member companies (consumer finance, credit card, banking, guarantee, leasing) for credit assessment. For individual consumers, JICC provides a credit information disclosure service (via smartphone app, mail, and convenience store kiosks) and a self-report comment registry for fraud prevention. Revenue is generated primarily through per-inquiry fees from member institutions, with secondary revenue from consumer disclosure transaction fees.

Product overview

Japan Credit Information Reference Center (JICC) operates as a designated credit information institution under Japan's Money Lending Act, providing a unified portfolio of credit information services to both member companies and individual consumers. The core offering for member companies consists of personal credit information provision, corporate information services, and phone number search services — all delivered through closed, member-exclusive portals. For consumers, JICC offers a credit information disclosure system and a self-report (本人申告) system, accessible via smartphone app, mail, and convenience store multi-function copiers. The services are interconnected: the disclosure and self-report systems feed consumer-facing data back to consumers, while member services aggregate and distribute credit data from consumer lending and credit transactions. JICC also provides a chatbot (JICCチャットサービス) for consumer support and publishes statistical data on credit trends.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personal Credit Information Provision Service (\u500b\u4eba\u4fe1\u7528\u60c5\u5831\u63d0\u4f9b\u30b5\u30fc\u30d3\u30b9) Provides personal credit information \u2014 including loan contracts, repayment history, and transaction facts \u2014 to member companies (consumer finance firms, credit card companies, banks, guarantee companies, leasing companies) via per-inquiry access for credit assessment, supporting compliance with the total debt limit rules under Japan's Money Lending Business Act. This is JICC's primary revenue-generating offering, accounting for the bulk of operating revenue from usage-based inquiry fees.
• Credit Information Disclosure System (\u4fe1\u7528\u60c5\u5831\u958b\u793a\u5236\u5ea6) Enables individual consumers in Japan to request and receive disclosure of their own credit information registered with JICC. Available through three channels: smartphone app (with My Number Card IC chip eKYC authentication), mail application (downloaded/printed at convenience store multi-function copiers with voucher payment), and convenience store kiosk form printing. Disclosure is delivered via designated-recipient postal service for mail applications or in-app for smartphone requests.
• Self-Report Comment System (\u672c\u4eba\u7533\u544a\u5236\u5ea6) Allows consumers to register self-reported comments \u2014 such as notices of lost/stolen identification documents, identity-misuse warnings, or guarantor refusal declarations \u2014 which are then shared with member companies during credit checks to support fraud prevention and consumer protection. Accessible via smartphone app or mail/in-store application, payable via convenience store voucher per comment type.
• Corporate Information Service (\u6cd5\u4eba\u60c5\u5831\u30b5\u30fc\u30d3\u30b9) Provides corporate credit information \u2014 including corporate identity details and personal identification information of guarantors \u2014 to member companies upon per-inquiry request, for use in business loan credit assessments. Available to members alongside the personal credit information service.
• Phone Number Search Service (\u96fb\u8a71\u756a\u53f7\u691c\u7d22\u30b5\u30fc\u30d3\u30b9) Provides phone number information to member companies upon inquiry, used as a reference data point in creditworthiness assessments for consumer finance and credit card applications.
• Retail Business Analysis Service (\u30ea\u30c6\u30fc\u30eb\u30d3\u30b8\u30cd\u30b9\u5206\u6790\u30b5\u30fc\u30d3\u30b9) and Statistical Information Services Statistical and analytical services that analyze JICC's registered credit data, providing member companies with aggregated information on credit risk trends, delinquency patterns, and regional market potential to support sound credit decisions and risk management.

Quantifiable outcome

• 約1.6億件の信用情報照会在庫（年間）
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 株式会社シー・アイ・シー（CIC）coreTechnology or Integration · 11 March 2010CIC is the other designated credit information institution in Japan. Under the Money Lending Business Act's designated credit information institution system, JICC and CIC conduct mutual information exchange (FINE network) for balance information, enabling lenders to accurately assess total borrower debt across both major credit bureaus. This is a legally mandated partnership.
• 全国銀行個人信用情報センター（Kokumin Ginko / KSC）coreTechnology or Integration · 1 March 1987JICC participates in two information exchange networks with 全国銀行個人信用情報センター: (1) CRIN - a 3-bureau network sharing delinquency information and fraud prevention comments; (2) IDEA - for total debt assessment in card loan and cashing credit decisions. Both networks enable comprehensive borrower debt visibility.
• 株式会社リロクラブ（Relo Club）minorOthersJICC is a member of the Relo Club employee benefits program, providing employees access to discounted accommodation, theme parks, sports facilities, cinemas, and restaurants as part of the company's welfare benefits package.
• 日本貸金業協会（日本貸金業協会）coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJICC works closely with the Japan Financial Services Association (J-FSA) on the self-restraint lending system (貸付自殺防止制度), consumer education initiatives including the consumer consultation sessions (消費者懇談会), and industry standards for credit information handling.
• BSIグループジャパン株式会社minorOthersBSI Group Japan serves as JICC's ISO/IEC27001:2022 certification body (審査登録機関), conducting regular audits of JICC's information security management system covering credit information collection, registration, management, provision, and exchange.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• TransUnion: Global credit bureau providing consumer and business credit information, analytics, and decisioning. Comparable in core function (credit reporting and risk information services) but far larger and operating across multiple geographies and product lines.
• Experian plc: One of the three global consumer credit bureaus, operating credit reporting, analytics, and decisioning at scale across many markets. Comparable in core function (credit information aggregation and provision), though operating globally and including broader commercial/analytics offerings versus JICC's domestic non-bank consumer focus.
• Equifax Inc. Global consumer credit bureau providing credit reports, scores, and monitoring. Directly comparable on the core credit-information-aggregation business model, though Equifax operates at much greater scale, multi-country, and with broader commercial and identity-fraud offerings.

Regional players

• SCHUFA Holding AG: Germany's primary consumer credit bureau, operating a membership-based credit information exchange model very similar to JICC. Comparable in business model and regulatory-style consumer credit information infrastructure, but serving the German market rather than Japan.

Direct peers

• 全国銀行個人信用情報センター (KSC): Operated by the Japanese Bankers Association, KSC is the third major consumer credit bureau in Japan and participates in CRIN and IDEA networks with JICC and CIC. Comparable as a credit-information-exchange institution, but with a banking-focused rather than non-bank consumer-finance lens.
• 株式会社シー・アイ・シー (CIC): The other designated credit information institution under Japan's Money Lending Business Act. CIC operates the same regulated credit bureau model with mutual information exchange (FINE) with JICC and is the closest one-to-one peer in product, regulatory status, and customer base.

Others

• CRIF S.p.A. Italian-origin global credit information and business information provider, operating consumer and commercial credit bureaus in multiple countries. Comparable as a credit bureau operator but with broader business information and analytics offerings across many geographies.
• Creditsafe Group: Global business and consumer credit information provider offering credit reports, monitoring, and analytics. Comparable on data products and credit information services, but primarily business-focused and operating globally rather than as a Japan-specific regulated credit bureau.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Japan Credit Information Reference Center