Smart Checkout

Smart Checkout, now operating under the corporate name SCO Group (株式会社SCOグループ), is a Japanese payment-processing, leasing and insurance company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded in March 2013 as a credit-card payment information processing company under the name Smart Checkout Co., Ltd. In July 2017 it began its medical (dental) expense payment solution business, and in August 2017 Yusuke Tamai became representative director after acquiring all shares. The company is best known for Pay Light, a card-payment service for dental clinics that simplified payment at the reception desk. Pay Light was the first in the dental industry to offer a 1.5% rate and later achieved the industry's lowest fee of 1.25%, which helped it gain the top share among dental payment services. As of 2024, Pay Light was used by more than 10,000 dental clinics, over 35% of the roughly 30,000 clinics in Japan that accept credit cards. The company has expanded its offerings to include Pay Light Plus (a smartphone reservation and payment platform), Pay Light Lease (a leasing service for dental equipment), Pay Light RS (lease/rental service), Pay Light+ (multi-payment service), Medie Cup (dental treatment subscription), Iromas (integrated reception and payment system linked to electronic medical records), Rabbit (link-based and API payment), and Pay-tan Call (an AI telephone reception service launched in January 2024). It also operates HAKARA Maintenance Clinic Hakata, a preventive dentistry clinic opened in November 2023 in Fukuoka, through its group company Dental Renovation. The company changed its name to SCO Group Co., Ltd. on April 1, 2024. It has engaged in sports sponsorship, including a uniform sponsorship with Montedio Yamagata in 2021 and a 15% equity stake acquired in 2024, though it announced in October 2025 that it would end the support relationship and seek a buyer for the shares. It also sponsors table tennis player Maharu Yoshimura and the avex ROYALBRATS dance team. In July 2025, a TV commercial featuring film director and actor Takeshi Kitano began airing.

Smart Checkout was established in March 2013 as a credit-card payment information processing company. In July 2017, it launched its medical (dental) expense payment solution business, and in August 2017, Yusuke Tamai became representative director after acquiring all shares. In March 2018, it founded dot2dot Co., Ltd., a company supporting the introduction of dental maintenance care. In January 2019, it moved its headquarters to 2-2-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, and in March 2019 obtained PCI DSS version 3.2.1 certification. In April 2019, it established Medie Co., Ltd. (now iromas Co., Ltd.), a treatment fee payment solution company. In April 2020, it moved its headquarters to 1-6-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku. In July 2020, it launched Pay Light, a card payment service for dental clinics. In November 2020, it started Medie Cup, a dental treatment subscription. In July 2021, group company iromas (formerly Medie) changed its name and representative. In August 2021, it joined the Japan Credit Information Reference Center (JICC), a designated credit information agency. In November 2021, it launched Pay Light RS, a lease/rental service for dental clinics. In February 2022, it launched Pay Light+, a multi-payment service for dental clinics. On April 1, 2024, the company changed its name to SCO Group Co., Ltd. On July 19, 2025, a TV commercial featuring Takeshi Kitano began airing. The company has also engaged in sports sponsorship, including a uniform sponsorship with Montedio Yamagata in October 2021, and in January 2024 it acquired a 15% stake in the club from Abeam Consulting, though it announced in October 2025 that it would end the relationship and seek a buyer for the shares. It also sponsors table tennis player Maharu Yoshimura and the avex ROYALBRATS dance team.

• Founded as a credit-card payment information processing company.

• Started medical (dental) expense payment solution business.

• Yusuke Tamai became representative director after acquiring all shares.

• Established dot2dot Co., Ltd., a dental maintenance care support company.

• Moved headquarters to 2-2-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku.

• Obtained PCI DSS version 3.2.1 certification.

• Established Medie Co., Ltd. (now iromas Co., Ltd.), a treatment fee payment solution company.

• Moved headquarters to 1-6-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku.

• Launched Pay Light, a card payment service for dental clinics.

• Started Medie Cup, a dental treatment subscription.

• Group company iromas (formerly Medie) changed its name and representative.

• Joined the Japan Credit Information Reference Center (JICC).

• Launched Pay Light RS, a lease/rental service for dental clinics.

• Launched Pay Light+, a multi-payment service for dental clinics.

• Opened HAKARA Maintenance Clinic Hakata, a preventive dentistry clinic in Fukuoka.

• Released Pay-tan Call, an AI telephone reception service.

• Changed company name to SCO Group Co., Ltd.

• TV commercial featuring Takeshi Kitano began airing.

Payment and operational solutions specialized for dental clinics, with a focus on low-cost card processing and integrated clinic management.

• Pay Light

  A card payment service that simplifies payment at the reception desk. It was the first in the dental industry to offer a 1.5% rate and later achieved the industry's lowest fee of 1.25%, gaining the top share. It supports all five major card brands.

• Pay Light Plus

  A platform for easy smartphone reservations. Patients can go directly to the reserved unit upon arrival and pay on the spot, eliminating post-treatment accounting. It supports credit card payments and dental loans, with bank account withdrawal and monthly fixed payments being added.

• Pay Light Lease

  A rental service with debt performance guarantee exclusively for dental clinics. Smart Checkout purchases equipment and provides it to clinics under a lease contract, reducing high initial costs. It leverages experience with over 7,000 dental clinic credit card merchant contracts and offers screening as fast as one hour with a high approval rate.

• Pay Light RS

  A lease/rental service for dental clinics launched in November 2021.

• Pay Light+

  A multi-payment service for dental clinics launched in February 2022.

• Medie Cup

  A dental treatment subscription service started in November 2020.

• Iromas

  A system that integrates electronic medical records, reception computers, and reservation systems to centralize input tasks. It automates reception interactions and includes Pay Light, supporting cash, card, and QR payments.

• Rabbit

  A payment connection method with four patterns: link-based/API payment, one-shot payment, cycle payment (subscription), and quick payment (customizable payment screen design).

• Pay-tan Call

  An AI voice automated telephone reception service released on January 29, 2024, available 24/7. It handles initial reception, transcribes call content, and records it to patient pages. No initial cost is required.

1. 1Wikidata: Smart Checkoutwikidata.org
2. 2SCOグループ - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org