What EDINET is
EDINET (Electronic Disclosure for Investors' NETwork) is the electronic filing system run by Japan's Financial Services Agency (FSA). Companies submit the documents that the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act requires, such as annual securities reports and large shareholding reports, and anyone can read them free of charge.
Where TDnet carries fast, event-driven news under the exchange's rules, EDINET is the home of detailed statutory filings. For long-term research it is the more important of the two.
What is filed on EDINET
| Group | Documents |
|---|---|
| Periodic filings by the company | Securities report (yuho, annual), semi-annual report, internal control report |
| Ad hoc filings | Extraordinary report (for events such as M&A, litigation or disasters), amendments to earlier filings |
| Shareholder and acquisition filings | Large shareholding report (holders above 5%), change report, tender offer statement and report, position statement by the target company |
Since April 2024, quarterly securities reports have been abolished. Companies still publish quarterly earnings releases on TDnet, and the semi-annual report on EDINET covers the first half of the year. The securities report itself is covered in how to read a yuho.
Useful features
- Statutory documents only. Voluntary announcements are not on EDINET; they appear on TDnet or the company's own site.
- Detail. A single document can run to hundreds of pages.
- Machine-readable data. Financial data is available in XBRL format, and the FSA provides an API, so the numbers can be extracted by software.
- History. Past filings remain searchable for years, which helps with long-term company analysis.
Most filings are written in Japanese. Some companies also publish English translations of their annual reports on their own investor relations pages, but that is voluntary.
EDINET vs. TDnet
| EDINET | TDnet | |
|---|---|---|
| Operator | Financial Services Agency | Tokyo Stock Exchange |
| Legal basis | Financial Instruments and Exchange Act | Exchange listing rules |
| Timing | Periodic and ad hoc | As events occur |
| Main documents | Securities reports, large shareholding reports, tender offer statements | Earnings releases, forecast revisions, buybacks |
| Detail | Comprehensive, audited annual data | Key points, fast |
A simple way to remember it: the earnings release (kessan tanshin) on TDnet is the quick first read, and the securities report on EDINET is the definitive, audited version that arrives later.
Why EDINET matters to investors
EDINET holds the information that the earnings release does not: the risk factors a company recognizes in its own business, management's explanation of why results changed, the shareholder register, governance and executive pay. For anyone building a view on a company rather than reacting to a headline, these are the sections worth reading first.
It is also where ownership changes become visible. A large shareholding report shows who has crossed 5%, and a tender offer statement shows who is bidding for a company and at what price (see tender offers in Japan).
Reading EDINET in English
Because most EDINET filings are in Japanese, the practical options are to use the company's English IR materials where they exist, to use machine translation on the key sections while checking numbers against the original, or to use a service that reads the filings for you. For a step-by-step approach, see how to follow Japanese small caps without English IR.
KabuNew collects new EDINET filings, summarizes them in English with AI and sends alerts for the stocks you follow. AI summaries can contain errors; check the original filing before you act. Nothing here is investment advice.