When buying or selling second-hand goods in Japan, participating in an auto auction, or starting a business to buy second-hand goods and export them outside Japan, obtain a Japanese secondhand dealer license from the police station in charge of the place where the sales office is set up in advance. You must apply for and obtain it.

When you apply as a private entity (individual) you will need the following documents:
1 ) Application form and your most recent photo.
2 ) Your residence card. Individuals that do not have a residential status in Japan cannot apply for the second-hand dealer’s license. You can apply if you are a permanent resident, spouse of the Japanese national, Japanese national, you have a business visa, etc. Make sure to provide your residential address.
3 ) Documents proving your identity. Submit documents that do not have your individual number (“my number”) code on it.
4 ) Certificate of registered matters.
5 ) A written oath where you pledge not to break the provisions of the Article 4 of the Second-hand Articles Dealer Act. Foreigners should attach a translation of the oath or the following inscription below the signature of the person signing the oath: “The content of the oath was translated into XX language and I have signed it fully understanding its meaning. Translator YY (signature) /stamp/”. One copy is for the owner, the other one for the manager.
6 ) Brief biographical outline: describe the last five years of your work experience.
7 ) Certificate of non-registered matters (a certificate about the absence of registration as an adult ward or as a person under curatorship, meaning that the signer has no mental issues that can prevent an individual from performing their duties by themselves. A person should be in clear mind and able to make adequate decisions).
8 ) Documents proving your right to use the office premises: certified copy of the building register, rental agreements, etc. If instead of an office you have some other kind of room or building, you need to get the written consent of the owner to use these premises for your business.
9 ) Ground plan of the office. For example, layouts from the rental agency.
10) Map of the office vicinity (area to the nearest stations).
11) Documents proving the right to use the chosen URL. For example domain registration documents.
For legal entities in addition to the above-mentioned documents you need to submit:
・A copy of the registration book.
・A copy of the articles of incorporation.
The police can ask you to submit more documents if needed because different types of used items need different supporting documentation. Before making an application consult the police officer about the set of documents you need to prepare.