伊藤忠联合Mercuria等入股日本免税系统商Smart Technologies，布局访日退税新制

ITOCHU Invests in Smart Technologies & Resources, a Leading Domestic Duty-Free System Provider
Advancing New Business Opportunities in Japan’s Growing Inbound Tourism Market
October 28, 2026
ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that it, Mercuria Holdings Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Toshihiro Toyoshima, President; hereinafter “MHD”) and En Growth Fund
*1
have jointly invested in Capital Ship Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Taku Kato, Representative Director), the holding company of Smart Technologies & Resources Inc. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Taku Kato, Representative Director; hereinafter “Smart Technologies”), a leading domestic provider of duty-free systems.
In recent years, Japan’s inbound tourism market has been expanding rapidly. The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a record high of approximately 42.7 million in 2025, and their domestic consumption also hit an all-time high of around ¥9.5 trillion.
*2
A major revision of the duty-free system is scheduled to be implemented in November 2026. Under the new refund method, travelers will pay the tax-inclusive price when purchasing goods and receive a consumption tax refund after obtaining approval from customs upon departure. This change is creating a need to develop new infrastructure that supports these tax refund operations.
Smart Technologies develops and provides services including
the SmartDetax
service, which uses AI to help duty-free retailers improve operational efficiency, and
the JPrefund
tax refund and refund-support service that enables duty-free retailers to return the equivalent of the consumption tax to eligible customers. Currently, Smart Technologies services are used by more than 2,500 retailers. Ahead of the scheduled November 2026 system change, Smart Technologies developed a refund system compatible with the new system, and some participating retailers have already begun providing services using the refund method.
In January 2026, ITOCHU entered into a business alliance agreement with Smart Technologies.
*3
Since then, the companies have pursued joint efforts to develop participating retailers and support their operations in collaboration with BELLSYSTEM24, Inc., an equity-method affiliate of ITOCHU that provides business process outsourcing (BPO) services.
*4
Through this investment, the ITOCHU Group and MHD Group will draw on their respective customer bases, sales networks, and expertise in the payment and finance domains to further strengthen the business platform of Smart Technologies. Additionally, the groups will leverage traveler purchase data and customer touchpoints obtained through duty-free shopping and tax refund services to create new business opportunities in the expanding inbound tourism market, including in the areas of data marketing and sales promotion support.
*1
En Growth Fund 1 L.P. and En Growth Fund 2 L.P. are funds advised by Mercuria Investment Co., Ltd., MHD’s core operating company.
*2
See the Japan Tourism Agency’s preliminary results for calendar year 2025 (
インバウンド消費動向調査（旧 訪日外国人消費動向調査）
).
*3
ITOCHU Announces Strategic Business Alliance with Smart Technologies & Resources, a Leading Domestic Tax-Free System Provider | Press Releases | ITOCHU Corporation
*4
Business process outsourcing is the outsourcing of certain business processes to specialized service providers.
About Smart Technologies & Resources Inc.
Company name
Smart Technologies & Resources Inc.
Representative
Taku Kato
Headquarters
Minato-ku, Tokyo
Established
September 2018
Capital
¥100 million
URL
https://smartdetax.com/
Press Releases 2026
News Releases 2026 ICT & Financial Business Company