Can an Overseas Brand Launch on GREEN FUNDING? Fees, Screening and the Partner-Account Route

Short answer: Yes, overseas brands do launch on GREEN FUNDING, but not by self-service sign-up. Every project starts with a consultation and GREEN FUNDING's own screening, and GREEN FUNDING doesn't publish a fixed list of eligibility rules on its main page. Its published fees are 20% including tax on the Standard plan, or 13% including tax on the Partner plan, which also carries a one-time initial fee of ¥1,430,000 (tax included) on a partner's first project. Many overseas brands go through a Japanese partner, and some use a partner's existing account. That can lower the fee, but it moves money and responsibilities through a third party, so it needs a clear contract. Platform facts below come from GREEN FUNDING's own page (in Japanese), checked on 15 October 2026.

What GREEN FUNDING is, in one paragraph

GREEN FUNDING is a Japanese reward crowdfunding platform in the CCC Group, the company behind TSUTAYA. Its listings lean toward gadgets, audio, tech and design products, which is why it comes up so often for brands that have already run a Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign. It uses All-or-Nothing funding only: if a project misses its goal, backers are refunded and GREEN FUNDING charges no fee. Its physical Touch & Try displays let people see campaign products in person at Tsutaya Electrics+ (Futakotamagawa), SHIBUYA TSUTAYA, Umeda Tsutaya Books and, since April 2025, Fukuoka Tenjin Tsutaya Books.

For how it compares with Makuake and CAMPFIRE overall, see Makuake vs CAMPFIRE vs GREEN FUNDING. This article answers the narrower question overseas brands ask most: can we launch there, what does it cost, and what changes if we go through a partner?

Can an overseas brand apply?

GREEN FUNDING actively presents itself to overseas brands. Its page has a "for Overseas" section with overview documents in English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean, and says it works with crowdfunding platforms around the world to help international products raise funds in Japan.

What it doesn't publish on that page is a checklist of who qualifies. The process it describes is:

1. a consultation through its contact form,
2. internal screening by GREEN FUNDING,
3. page creation with the platform's advice,
4. launch, and
5. delivery of rewards after the campaign ends.

GREEN FUNDING also says it selects projects carefully. So the honest answer is that an overseas brand can apply, and whether a particular project is accepted is GREEN FUNDING's decision. Nobody outside the platform, Gloture included, can promise approval.

What you will need in practice

These are practical requirements we see in every Japanese campaign rather than rules GREEN FUNDING lists publicly. Confirm the specifics with the platform for your project.

• A Japanese campaign page. Backers read Japanese, and a translated Kickstarter page rarely works. See After Kickstarter or Indiegogo for what usually needs rewriting.
• Japanese communication during the campaign. Questions, comments and update posts arrive in Japanese and need timely answers.
• Delivery to backers in Japan, with a realistic date and a plan for delays.
• A product that can legally be sold in Japan. Electrical and wireless products in particular may need PSE and giteki (technical conformity) before sale. See the Japan product compliance checklist.
• Someone who receives the funds. GREEN FUNDING pays out at the end of the month after the project ends (a project ending on 15 August is paid on 30 September). Ask early who the contracting party will be and where the money is paid.

The two published fee plans

GREEN FUNDING publishes two plans. Both include the 4% card-processing fee, and both say the rate can vary by project.

Source: GREEN FUNDING (in Japanese), checked 15 October 2026. GREEN FUNDING itself suggests the Partner plan for projects aiming at a cumulative ¥25 million or more.

When the Partner plan pays off on its own

The arithmetic is simple. The Partner plan saves 7 percentage points of the amount raised, against a one-time ¥1,430,000. On a first project, that breaks even at about ¥20.4 million raised (¥1,430,000 ÷ 7%).

Most first campaigns from overseas brands raise far less than that. For them, the Standard plan is cheaper on their own account, unless they can use an existing partner's account, which is where the next section comes in.

The partner-account route: what actually changes

Because the initial fee is paid once per partner, some Japanese companies that hold a GREEN FUNDING Partner account let client brands launch under it. For a brand, the attraction is the lower rate without paying the initial fee. But it also changes who stands between you and the platform.

When you launch through someone else's account:

• The partner, not you, is the account holder. GREEN FUNDING deals with the account holder, and the platform still screens your project as usual.
• Money flows through the partner. The platform pays the account holder, who then pays you under your agreement. You need to know the timing, the currency, who pays transfer charges and what happens if backers are refunded.
• The partner will want to check your product first. Their account and reputation are at stake, so expect sample testing and approval before launch.
• Responsibilities have to be allocated in writing. Refunds, defective units, late or lost deliveries, backer support and the costs of each must be assigned to someone. If the contract is silent, problems surface at the worst time: after the money has been raised.
• Some responsibilities don't move at all. Product safety obligations, certification and liability for the product stay with whoever legally imports and sells it. An account arrangement doesn't change that.

Questions to ask any partner before you sign

• Which plan and fee will apply to our project, and is it confirmed by GREEN FUNDING for this project?
• When and how will funds reach us after the platform pays out, and who pays transfer costs?
• Who handles and pays for refunds, defects and delivery problems?
• What work is included, what is billed separately, and how is it billed?
• Does the partner take a commission on funds raised?
• Who owns the campaign page content, backer data and Japanese copy after the campaign?

Makuake is a different arrangement

Makuake is often mentioned in the same breath, but it works differently. Makuake's help pages say an overseas-based project owner may be able to list after prior screening, provided the project page is managed in Japanese, backers are supported in Japanese, rewards are delivered within Japan only and the product has (or will have) the certifications needed to sell it in Japan (Makuake, in Japanese). Its published fee is 20% of funds raised excluding tax (22% including tax), with payment processing included (Makuake, in Japanese). Makuake also says projects are, in principle, for products not yet on general sale.

In Gloture's own arrangements, a Makuake project is applied for by the client's own company and account, and the client receives the funds directly from the platform. That's a choice about how we work, not a Makuake rule.

Preparation checklist

Frequently asked questions

Can a foreign company launch on GREEN FUNDING without a Japanese partner?

GREEN FUNDING offers overview materials for overseas brands and screens each project individually, but it doesn't publish a fixed rule on this on its main page. In practice, Japanese copy, Japanese support, delivery in Japan and receiving the funds are all easier with someone in Japan. Ask GREEN FUNDING directly about your situation.

Is the 13% Partner rate available to every project?

No. The Partner plan is a plan for the account holder, with a ¥1,430,000 initial fee on its first project, and GREEN FUNDING says rates can vary by project. If you launch under a partner's account, confirm which rate applies to your project before you plan your margins.

Does using a partner's account guarantee approval?

No. GREEN FUNDING screens projects regardless of whose account they run under, and the account holder will usually review your product too.

Who pays for advertising during a campaign?

Advertising is separate from the platform fee. Treat it as its own budget decision with a clear limit. No platform or partner can honestly guarantee what an advertising budget will raise.

Where Gloture fits

Gloture holds a GREEN FUNDING Partner account. An eligible client can launch under it once Gloture has reviewed product samples and approved the project, and after signing a separate agreement that covers funds and responsibilities. GREEN FUNDING still screens the project. For projects under this arrangement, the platform fee is 13% including tax and payment fees, subject to GREEN FUNDING's terms for the project. The client pays no setup fee for using the account, and Gloture takes no commission on funds raised. Refunds, product losses and delivery costs remain the client's.

The campaign work itself (Japanese page copy, revisions, updates and backer communication) is Gloture's local execution support, billed by tracked time. Product PR around the launch is a separate service. We don't guarantee platform approval, funding amounts or sales.