About japanlaw
japanlaw is a place to read Japanese laws if you are not a lawyer: the Japanese beside English, where every text comes from, and every legal term explained where you meet it.
The laws held here (8)
出入国管理及び難民認定法
労働基準法
労働契約法
所得税法
What you can read here
The text of each law as it is in force today, and the amendments that have been promulgated but have not yet come into force. Every provision is shown in Japanese beside an English translation, and you can link straight to any , or . The link keeps pointing at the same provision when an amendment inserts or deletes articles around it.
Words the law and the Japanese legal terms you will meet in every other source are marked in the text, and open an explanation where they stand. A reference to another provision can be followed, and each provision lists the provisions that refer to it.
Where the text comes from
The Japanese text comes from e-Gov 法令検索, the government's database of laws.
The English is the , from Japanese Law Translation, wherever it matches the Japanese in force. Every other provision has a made here, and a mark beside each passage tells you which of the two you are reading.
The full list of records is on the Sources page.
Who it is for
People who are not lawyers but have to deal with a Japanese law: someone at work, someone who employs people, someone new to Japan. In English, the aim is that you can follow what a provision says without reading Japanese at all.
What it is not
This is a copy for reading and reference. It is not an official source and not legal advice. Only the Japanese text the government publishes has legal effect, and every English translation, the Ministry of Justice's included, is there to help you read it. The terms of use say more.
For AI agents
The same text is published in a form an AI agent can read, with its sources. How to connect one is on the agents page.