Terms of Service

Last updated: June 25, 2026

These Terms of Service (the "Terms") set forth the conditions for using Rukayu (the "Service"). Please read these Terms carefully before using the Service. By using the Service, you are deemed to have agreed to these Terms.

Article 1 (Definitions)

• Operator: The business entity providing the Service (the seller listed in the legal notice under Japanese law).
• Service: The Rukayu tipping and support payment platform.
• Sender: A user who sends a tip to a recipient.
• Recipient: A user who registers with the Service and receives tips.
• Tip: Money paid by a sender in any amount at the sender's discretion (a transfer for gratitude, support, or similar purposes).
• Payment Provider: Stripe, Inc. and its affiliates.

Article 2 (Nature of the Service)

1. The Service is a payment platform that intermediates tip transfers between senders and recipients. The Operator provides payment processing, recipient page display, fee collection, and related functions.
2. The Operator does not guarantee the quality, legality, or accuracy of products, services, or activities offered by recipients. Contractual relationships between senders and recipients belong to those parties, and the Operator is not an agent of either party.
3. Tip deposits and payouts are processed through the Payment Provider's Stripe Connect. Completion of transfers, payout timing, exchange rates, account restrictions, and related matters depend on the Payment Provider's terms, reviews, and systems.
4. Contracts under the Service are formed between senders and recipients, and the Operator intermediates them. Handling of recipients' claims relating to tips, and the timing of payouts to recipients relative to card payment processing, follow the Payment Provider's (Stripe Connect) terms and procedures. Recipients agree that the Operator and Payment Provider may process such claims to the extent required under the Payment Provider's terms.

Article 3 (Eligibility)

1. The Service may be used by persons with legal capacity, or by persons who have obtained consent from a legal guardian.
2. Senders shall send tips based on their own intent using available payment methods.
3. Recipients must complete identity verification and account registration required by the Payment Provider (Stripe Connect onboarding), and maintain valid payout settings.
4. Use by antisocial forces or persons affiliated with such groups is prohibited.
5. The Operator may decline an application for registration, or suspend use without prior notice even after approval.

Article 3-2 (Recipient Obligations and Representations)

1. (Legal compliance) Recipients shall comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and guidelines when receiving tips through the Service.
2. (Complaint handling) Recipients shall respond in good faith and appropriately, at their own responsibility, to complaints and inquiries from senders and other users regarding their activities and content, and represent and warrant that they maintain systems to do so.
3. (Consent to disclosure of information) Recipients consent in advance that the Operator or Payment Provider (including its master merchant / platform agent) may provide registration, identity verification, and transaction information about recipients to the Payment Provider, card networks and issuers/acquirers (including JCB Co., Ltd.), and other related parties for anti-money laundering, fraud prevention, merchant review, and other legitimate purposes, and that such parties may use the information.
4. (Exclusion of antisocial forces) Recipients represent, warrant, and agree as follows:
   1. They are not, and will not in the future be, a member of organized crime groups or other antisocial forces.
   2. If the Operator, Payment Provider, or a card company determines that a recipient is or may be affiliated with antisocial forces, the Operator may suspend use, delete accounts, or take other necessary measures (including suspension of transactions) without prior notice.
   3. If damage, costs, or disadvantage arise from such measures, recipients shall not claim damages or any monetary compensation from the Operator, Payment Provider, card companies, or their group companies.

Article 4 (Accounts)

1. Recipients must register accurate and up-to-date information and must not make false registrations or impersonate others.
2. Users are responsible for managing login credentials. If unauthorized use by a third party is suspected, contact the Operator immediately.
3. Recipients shall respond within deadlines to requests shown on the Stripe dashboard, including identity verification and additional information submissions. The Operator is not liable if payouts are paused due to non-compliance.

Article 5 (Sending and Receiving Tips)

1. Senders select an amount displayed on a recipient page (for Japanese yen: ¥50 to ¥30,000 per tip) and pay that amount. The displayed amount is the total amount payable, and the Operator does not add fees to the sender. For other currencies, a comparable per-tip cap (approximately ¥30,000 equivalent) applies in the recipient's currency.
2. For the same sender (identified by IP address or similar), daily sending in Japanese yen is capped at ¥50,000, weekly sending at ¥200,000, and daily tip count at 10.
3. Tips are voluntary transfers primarily intended to express gratitude or support to recipients. The Operator does not guarantee that a tip constitutes consideration for any specific product or service.
4. After payment completion, the tip is reflected in the recipient's Connect account in accordance with the Payment Provider's processing. For a recipient's first tip or similar cases, the Operator may hold funds on the platform for up to seven days for fraud prevention. Payout timing to bank accounts follows the Payment Provider's rules, including any payout delay.
5. If a recipient does not complete payout setup (Stripe Connect onboarding and identity verification) and a tip remains untransferred to the recipient for one (1) year from the payment date, the Operator will treat the tip as expired and refund it to the sender through the Payment Provider. Tips are not a balance, points, or prepaid instrument, and the Operator does not hold them beyond one year.
6. Ancillary information such as messages may be sent within character and content policies set by the Operator. Illegal, discriminatory, threatening, obscene, or similar content may lead to deletion and/or account suspension.

Article 6 (Fees)

1. For Japan-oriented payments such as domestic cards and PayPay, the total estimated recipient fee is 8.0% for standard tips and 14.0%while the recipient's Live mode is ON (any entry point). For overseas recipients (Stripe Connect Direct) and internationally issued cards, actual payment costs differ and may be around 9-12%. This varies by country, currency, and card.
2. Platform fee rates are as separately determined by the Operator (currently 4% of gross for standard tips and 10% while Live mode is ON). Recipients must turn Live mode OFF after streaming. For the allocation under the referral program, see Article 9.
3. Fee rates and calculation methods may be changed in accordance with the amendment procedure under these Terms.

Article 7 (Refunds, Cancellations, and Chargebacks)

1. Tips are processed immediately and, by nature, are generally non-refundable and non-cancellable. Senders must carefully verify the amount and recipient before sending.
2. The Operator will consider case-by-case handling only in the following situations: (1) apparent duplicate charges or erroneous billing due to system failure; (2) where handling is required by the Payment Provider or applicable laws; or (3) where fraudulent payment or similar circumstances reasonably require action by the Operator.
3. Even when a refund is made, processing by the Payment Provider or financial institutions may delay reflection after completion. If a refund is denied or fails at the Payment Provider, no alternative refund method is guaranteed.
4. If a sender initiates a chargeback with a card issuer or similar institution, it will be processed under the Payment Provider's procedures. If loss is incurred by the recipient or the Operator, the user concerned may be held responsible under applicable laws and the Payment Provider's terms.
5. For inquiries regarding refunds or disputes, contact the details listed in the legal notice (arigatotip@gmail.com) and include payment date, amount, recipient name, and circumstances.

Article 8 (Prohibited Conduct)

Users must not engage in any of the following:

• Acts that violate laws, public order, or morals, or use for criminal activity.
• Use for fraud, impersonation, money laundering, terrorist financing, or similar acts.
• Use for industries or products prohibited by the Payment Provider or the Operator.
• Use for cash-out purposes, or use disguised as issuance or resale of digital money, points, vouchers, or prepaid payment instruments.
• False recipient registration or unauthorized use of third-party account/identity data.
• Vulnerability probing, excessive load, unauthorized access, or scraping of the Service.
• Infringing rights of other users or third parties (copyright, portrait rights, privacy, etc.).
• Conduct causing disadvantage or damage to the Operator, Payment Provider, or other users.
• Conduct that harms the credibility of the Service or interferes with operations.
• Any other conduct the Operator reasonably deems inappropriate.

Article 9 (Referral Program)

1. The Operator may provide a program allowing recipients to refer other recipients. A referrer may receive 1% of gross tip volume (lifetime, gross basis) from referred recipients via transfers by the Payment Provider.
2. Referral attribution is limited to referral links at new registration (?ref=), cannot be changed after registration, and self-referral is not allowed.
3. Referrers must be recipients with completed Stripe Connect payout settings. Payment of referral rewards is conditioned on completed tip payments and successful processing by the Payment Provider.
4. The referral program may be modified or terminated at the Operator's discretion. If fraudulent referrals are found (e.g., fake registrations, circumvention of self-referral rules, circular tipping), rewards may be withheld and/or accounts suspended.
5. Tax filing and payment obligations regarding referral rewards are the referrer's responsibility.
6. The Operator may grant individual partner tiers with referral rates different from the standard 1% (e.g., 2% on normal tips and 5% on live tips). Partner tiers are assigned, changed, or ended at the Operator's discretion. Referred recipients' platform fees (4% normal · 10% live) do not change. Partner rewards are paid from the platform fee allocation.

Article 10 (Content and Intellectual Property)

1. Recipients are responsible for the rights, legality, and appropriateness of content they publish, including profiles, images, and text.
2. The Operator may hide or remove content without prior notice if there is suspicion of legal violations, rights infringement, or violation of these Terms.
3. Rights relating to the Service's programs, design, logos, names, and related materials belong to the Operator or legitimate rights holders. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

Article 11 (Use of Statistical Data)

The Operator may anonymize and aggregate transaction and operational data generated through use of the Service and use it for service improvement, preparation/provision of statistical reports, and provision of aggregated information to third parties. Industry information voluntarily registered by recipients may also be used only in non-identifiable form. The Operator does not sell data in a form that identifies senders or recipients. For details, please refer to the Privacy Policy.

Article 12 (Changes to or Suspension of Service)

1. The Operator may change or temporarily suspend all or part of the Service due to maintenance, feature additions/changes, or changes in Payment Provider specifications.
2. In the following cases, the Operator may suspend service provision or delete/restrict accounts without prior notice: (1) violation of these Terms; (2) request from the Payment Provider; (3) legal requirement; or (4) unavoidable operational reasons.
3. In case of service termination, the Operator will provide notice on the website or similar channel with a reasonable notice period, and outstanding recipient balances will be handled under Payment Provider procedures.

Article 13 (Disclaimer)

1. The Service is provided "as is." The Operator does not warrant fitness for a particular purpose, achievement of expected results, or uninterrupted/error-free operation.
2. The Operator is not liable for damages arising from causes beyond its reasonable control, including those related to the Payment Provider, communication networks, devices, or the recipient's Stripe account status.
3. For disputes between senders and recipients (including meaning of tips, amounts, and communication), the Operator will not be involved and bears no responsibility except to the extent required by law.

Article 14 (Limitation of Liability)

1. Where the Operator is liable for damages to a user under these Terms, except in cases of willful misconduct or gross negligence by the Operator, liability is limited to the total amount of fees paid by that user to the Operator during the preceding 12 months. However, where exemptions are restricted by the Consumer Contract Act or other laws, this limitation applies only to the extent permitted.
2. The Operator is not liable for indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages, or lost profits, except in cases of willful misconduct or gross negligence.

Article 15 (Indemnification by Users)

If a user violates these Terms or causes damage/costs to the Operator due to reasons attributable to that user, the user shall indemnify the Operator for such damage/costs, including reasonable attorneys' fees.

Article 16 (Personal Information)

Handling of personal information is governed by the Privacy Policy.

Article 17 (Amendment of Terms)

1. The Operator may amend these Terms in response to changes in laws or changes to service content.
2. The amended Terms will be announced by posting on the Service or by other methods deemed appropriate by the Operator, and become effective on the date of posting/notice. Continued use of the Service after amendment constitutes agreement to the amended Terms.
3. If an amendment causes significant disadvantage to users, the Operator will endeavor to provide a reasonable notice period.

Article 18 (Governing Law and Jurisdiction)

These Terms are governed by the laws of Japan. In the event of disputes related to the Service, the court with jurisdiction over the location of the Operator's principal office shall have exclusive jurisdiction in the first instance. If the Consumer Contract Act applies, such statutory rules shall prevail.

Article 19 (Severability)

If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

Article 20 (Contact)

For inquiries about these Terms or the Service, please contact the details listed in the legal notice under the Specified Commercial Transactions Act (arigatotip@gmail.com).

These Terms provide general usage conditions for the public and do not constitute individual legal advice. For business expansion, cross-border operations, crowdfunding, or similar matters, consultation with a qualified professional is recommended.