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The move into October means that Japan now has an e-invoicing standard based on Peppol.
Preparations have taken some time and have included the work of obtaining three local e-invoice types.
These three specifications are based on a new simplified format called PINT, which is in line with Japanese national conditions.
The international electronic purchasing network we have come to know as Peppol is reaching a respectable age. Something that must of course be described as honorable, but which also brings with it certain predicaments related to respectable longevity. Compatibility is beginning to wane in the sense that as new countries outside Europe join the Peppol network, they are faced with different environments where the Peppol BIS Billing 3 format is not entirely suitable.
The way out is to find other constructive solutions.
This is exactly what the OpenPeppol Administrative Committee has decided to do. At a meeting in June, it was announced that a slightly simplified invoice standard had been developed and that it was called Peppol International Invoice (PINT). Japan, along with Australia and New Zealand, was thus able to recognize that there was a format that met their local requirements.
The following month, Japan published its e-invoice specifications based on PINT. The formats were developed by The Digital Agency, which was appointed by the Japanese government in September 2021 and at the same time designated as the country's PINT authority.
Big digital transformation
In other words, efforts to pave the way for e-invoicing, and help improve business efficiency, have paid off and now, in October, Peppol will become the mandatory infrastructure for the country's new e-invoicing system.
This move will mark a digital transformation of major proportions. One of Japan's key characteristics is its level of innovation and technology, but during the pandemic, domestic statistics revealed that less than 12% of the country's government administration was carried out online (source: The Japan Times).
So, despite advanced technology in all sorts of diverse fields, paper culture has been allowed to reign in Japanese offices. As the world's third largest economy, it's about time that the country's invoicing became electronic.
- BELGIUM FOR MANDATORY E-BILL
Belgium is the next country to announce a draft law on mandatory e-invoicing for domestic B2B transactions. The draft adopted last Friday by the Belgian Council of Ministers states that the aim is to have the law in place by 1 January 2026.
The proposal in question is a relaunch of the part of a previously presented tax reform that concerned e-invoicing, but the content has been slightly adjusted and differs in two important respects:
- The implementation is not intended to be gradual. It will apply to all Belgian established VAT-registered businesses from a stated date.
- An associated e-reporting obligation is expected to be introduced later.
Like France, Germany and Poland, for example, the Belgian government will need to seek a derogation from the European Commission and pass the legislation through parliament. But this is a practice that will soon disappear. The ViDA proposal, which is currently under negotiation, clearly states that as of January 1, 2024, Belgium is allowed to introduce mandatory B2B e-invoicing requirements at national level without a special derogation from the EU.
