Under the provisions of this Act, the government conducts, as the Program for Automobile Accident Countermeasures, the Program Guaranteeing Compensation for Automobile Accidents prescribed in paragraph (1) of the following Article and the Program for Promoting the Protection of Injured Parties, etc. prescribed in Article 77-2, paragraph (1).

①As the Program Guaranteeing Compensation for Automobile Accidents, the government conducts the following services:

②Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism prescribes the procedures for filing a claim as referred to in each item of the preceding paragraph.

①If the injured party is to receive a benefit equivalent to an indemnity for damage under item (i) or (ii) of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article based on the Health Insurance Act (Act No. 70 of 1922), the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act (Act No. 50 of 1947), or a law or regulation that Cabinet Order prescribes, the government does not indemnify the injured party for any amount of damage as under item (i) or (ii) of that paragraph that falls within the scope of the benefit.

②In a case as referred to in item (ii) of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article, if an injured party is compensated for damage by the person that is liable for damages as under Article 3, the government does not indemnify the injured party for any amount of damage as under that item that falls within the scope of the compensation received.

①The government is not liable for delays following receipt of a claim to an indemnity for damage under Article 72, paragraph (1), item (i) or (ii) until the necessary period of time has passed to look into the accident caused by the operation of the automobile subject to the claim and to verify the amount of damage for which it must provide the indemnity.

②When the government is conducting the necessary investigations to look into an accident as prescribed in the preceding paragraph, if an injured party, without a legitimate reason, interferes or fails to comply with the investigation, the government is not liable for delays arising during the period that the indemnity for damage is delayed due to the interference or failure to comply.

The right to file a claim under Article 72, paragraph (1), item (i) or (ii) may not be attached.

The right to file a claim under Article 16, paragraph (4) or Article 17, paragraph (4) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 23-3, paragraph (1)) or Article 72, paragraph (1), item (i) or (ii) is extinguished by prescription once three years have passed from the time when those rights can be exercised.

①Having indemnified an injured party for damage as under Article 72, paragraph (1), item (i) or (ii), the government acquires the rights that the injured party holds against the person liable for the damages, to the extent of the amount it has paid.

②If damage has arisen due to the bad faith of the policyholder, insured, mutual insurance policyholder, or person covered under mutual insurance, and the insurer or the cooperative has paid damages to the injured party pursuant to Article 16, paragraph (1) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 23-3, paragraph (1)), the government acquires the rights that the injured party holds against the policyholder, insured, mutual insurance policyholder, or person covered under mutual insurance, to the extent of the amount it has paid.

③If a person in possession is not liable for damages, and the insurer or the cooperative makes a provisional payout to the injured party pursuant to Article 17, paragraph (1) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 23-3, paragraph (1)), the government may demand the return of the provisional payout from the injured party.

①The government may entrust an insurer or cooperative with a part of the services under Article 72, paragraph (1), item (i) or (ii), as prescribed by Cabinet Order.

②Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in the following items, a cooperative may provide the services with which it has been entrusted pursuant to the preceding paragraph:

③On entrusting an insurer or cooperative with services pursuant to paragraph (1), the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism must issue public notice of the name of the insurer or cooperative to which the services have been entrusted and of the information that Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism prescribes.

①The government is to carry out the following operations as the Program for Promoting the Protection of Injured Parties, etc.:

②The government is to have the National Agency for Automotive Safety & Victims' Aid carry out, among the operations relating to the Program for Promoting the Protection of Injured Parties, etc., those listed in Article 13 of the Act on the National Agency for Automotive Safety & Victims' Aid, Independent Administrative Agency (Act No. 183 of 2002).

①In order to achieve stable and effective implementation of the Program for Promoting the Protection of Injured Parties, etc., the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is to prepare a plan establishing matters concerning the implementation of the Program for Promoting the Protection of Injured Parties, etc. (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan for Promoting the Protection of Injured Parties, etc.").

②The matters to be specified in the Plan for Promoting the Protection of Injured Parties, etc. are as follows:

③When preparing the Plan for Promoting the Protection of Injured Parties, etc., the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism must, in advance, take the measures necessary to reflect the opinions of injured parties and other persons concerned, and consult with the Minister of Finance.

④When the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has prepared the Plan for Promoting the Protection of Injured Parties, etc., the Minister must publish it without delay.

⑤The provisions of the preceding two paragraphs apply mutatis mutandis to changes to the Plan for Promoting the Protection of Injured Parties, etc.

Based on the Plan for Promoting the Protection of Injured Parties, etc., the government is to provide the grant under Article 46, paragraph (1) of the Act on General Rules for Incorporated Administrative Agencies (Act No. 103 of 1999) to the National Agency for Automotive Safety & Victims' Aid, the capital contribution under Article 5, paragraph (3) of the Act on the National Agency for Automotive Safety & Victims' Aid, Independent Administrative Agency and the loan under Article 18, paragraph (1) of that Act, and subsidies to the National Agency for Automotive Safety & Victims' Aid and other persons that implement the programs prescribed in the Plan for Promoting the Protection of Injured Parties, etc.

Insurers, cooperatives, and persons that put automobiles as provided in Article 10 which Cabinet Order prescribes into operation must, in order to cover the costs necessary for the Program for Automobile Accident Countermeasures prescribed in Article 71, pay the amount that Cabinet Order prescribes to the government as shared charges under the Program for Automobile Accident Countermeasures pursuant to Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

Having indemnified for damage under Article 72, paragraph (1), item (ii), the government may collect the amount that Cabinet Order prescribes as a monetary penalty from the person that is liable for damages.

①If a person does not pay the shared charges under the Program for Automobile Accident Countermeasures referred to in Article 78 or a monetary penalty as referred to in the preceding Article, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism issues a demand for the person to pay this by a fixed due date.

②When demanding that a person pay as under the preceding paragraph, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism issues a written demand to the person with the obligation to pay. In such a case, the due date that the minister is to fix in the written demand must be a date that falls after at least 10 days' time has passed counting from the date of issuance of the written demand.

③A demand for payment under paragraph (1) has the effect of renewing the period of prescription.

④If a person subject to a demand for payment under paragraph (1) does not pay the shared charges under the Program for Automobile Accident Countermeasures or the monetary penalty by the due date referred to in that paragraph, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism handles this based on the rules governing measures to collect national tax arrears.

Statutory liens involving shared charges under the Program for Automobile Accident Countermeasures referred to in Article 78 and monetary penalties as referred to in Article 79 follow national taxes and local taxes in order of priority.

①Every fiscal year, as prescribed in the budget, the government is to transfer an amount equivalent to the shared charges under the Program for Automobile Accident Countermeasures referred to in Article 78 for automobiles as prescribed in Article 10 (other than those as referred to in Article 78 which Cabinet Order prescribes and other than those that are put into operation only in places other than roads) into the special automobile safety account from other national accounts.

②Every fiscal year, as prescribed in the budget, the government is to transfer part of the required costs for providing services under the Program Guaranteeing Compensation for Automobile Accidents provided for in this Act into the special automobile safety account from the general account.

①The Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, pursuant to Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, may have an insurer or cooperative report on its operative or financial status, and may have the relevant officials enter the place of business, offices, and other facilities of an insurer or cooperative to inspect the state of its operations or its books and documents and other items or to ask questions of the relevant persons, within the limits of what is necessary to implement Article 78.

②Article 23-2, paragraphs (2) and (3) applies mutatis mutandis to on-site inspections and questioning under the preceding paragraph.