PCI DSS compliance in Japan

PCI DSS compliance in Japan at a glance

Merchants in Japan that keep card information must comply with PCI DSS; the alternative the rules allow is not to retain card information at all. That choice comes from the Credit Card Security Guidelines, now at version 6.0, issued by the Credit Transaction Security Council with the Japan Consumer Credit Association as secretariat. Under the supervisory policy for the Installment Sales Act, the guidelines are the practical benchmark for the card-number protection the Act requires, and following them, or equivalent measures, is treated as meeting the legal standard. E-commerce merchants carry an extra duty in version 6.0 to check and fix vulnerabilities in their systems and websites, whether or not they hold card data. Payment service providers and outsourcers face brand and acquirer validation requirements of their own. Compliance is validated by a Qualified Security Assessor or by self-assessment, as the brands require. Sterling's Tokyo office scopes the cardholder data environment and builds the evidence, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included.

Who needs PCI DSS in Japan, and what happens without it

These are the organisations in Japan that most often need to show PCI DSS.

• Card merchants that retain card informationThe Credit Card Security Guidelines require PCI DSS compliance where card information is retained.
• E-commerce merchantsThe guidelines add vulnerability measures for EC merchants' systems and websites whether or not they retain card data.
• Payment service providers and outsourcers handling card data for merchantsCard brands and acquirers require PCI DSS validation of service providers.

PCI DSS requirements in Japan

Strip away the vocabulary and PCI DSS asks any business that stores, processes or transmits card data to comply in six areas.

In Japan these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: PCI DSS explained →

• PCI DSS requirements, clause by clause in plain language
• The documents PCI DSS expects
• PCI DSS checklist

How to achieve PCI DSS compliance in Japan

One team from the Tokyo office carries the work from scoping to sign-off. Nationwide from the Tokyo office, on-site where the scope requires; remote delivery for distributed teams.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against PCI DSS and the Japanese requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before any external review.
5. Reviews by regulators, customers and auditorsSterling supports the reviews your regulators, customers and auditors run.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

• PCI DSS gap analysis
• PCI DSS implementation plan
• PCI DSS internal audit

How long does PCI DSS compliance take in Japan?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Japan these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Cardholder data environment size and segmentation
• Whether card information is retained or the merchant moves to non-retention
• E-commerce website vulnerability measures under the guidelines

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• What drives the PCI DSS timeline
• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does PCI DSS compliance cost in Japan?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and any external assessor’s fees, which are quoted separately. In Japan these factors move both.

• Number of systems and locations in the cardholder data environment
• QSA fees quoted separately from consulting
• Remediation of segmentation, logging and vulnerability findings

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

• What makes up the cost of PCI DSS

PCI DSS consultants and assessors in Japan

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; your regulators, customers and auditors then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers PCI DSS and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Japan are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

PCI DSS in Japan: questions clients ask

More on PCI DSS for Japanese organisations

• PCI DSS: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement PCI DSS
• Banking and financial services: PCI DSS for the sector
• BPO and contact centres: PCI DSS for the sector
• E-commerce and retail: PCI DSS for the sector
• Fintech and payment facilitators: PCI DSS for the sector
• Healthcare providers and insurers: PCI DSS for the sector
• Hospitality and travel: PCI DSS for the sector
• Software and hosting: PCI DSS for the sector
• Sterling in Tokyo
• PCI DSS compliance in Japan and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Japanese businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Japan often combine PCI DSS with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 21 standards Sterling delivers in Japan →