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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 (140)

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.

How the text and the English are checked

The Japanese is the text the government publishes on e-Gov, and nothing in it is changed here. Each law's page says when it was last checked against e-Gov.

is written by an AI model, using the English the Ministry of Justice's translations use for the same legal terms. Every paragraph is checked for a defined term the Japanese uses and the English leaves out. No lawyer has reviewed it.

What this site says about a law — what it is for, who it applies to, its exceptions — is written with an AI model from the law's own provisions, and every sentence names the provisions it rests on. Before it is shown, a second AI, apart from the one that wrote it, reads those provisions and holds each sentence against them, and a sentence they do not support is rewritten.

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.

Who runs it, and how to reach us

japanlaw is run by Genjido LLC (源氏道合同会社), a company in Japan.

Write to contact@genjido.com if you find a mistake — Japanese that differs from e-Gov, a translation that says something the Japanese does not, an explanation that misleads — or if you have a question about the site or would like to work with us. For a mistake, say which page, by its address, and what is wrong.

We cannot answer questions about your own situation: for that, ask a lawyer or another qualified professional.

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.