Civil Code

A person that has intentionally or negligently infringed the rights or legally protected interests of another person is liable to compensate for damage resulting in consequence.

A person liable for compensation for damages pursuant to the provisions of the preceding Article must also compensate for damage other than of property, regardless of whether that person infringed the body, liberty or reputation of another person, or infringed property rights of another person.

A person that has taken the life of another must compensate for damage to the father, mother, spouse, and children of the victim, even if the property rights of the same have not been infringed.

If a minor has inflicted damage on another person but did not have sufficient intellectual capacity to appreciate their own liability for that act, that minor is not liable to compensate for that act.

When a person without capacity to assume responsibility is not liable pursuant to the provisions of the preceding two Articles, the person with the statutory obligation to supervise the person without capacity to assume responsibility is liable to damages that the person without capacity to assume responsibility has inflicted on a third party; provided, however, that this does not apply if the person who has the obligation to supervise has not failed to perform that person's obligation or if the damage could not have been avoided even if that person had not failed to perform that person's obligation.

A person who supervises a person without capacity assumes responsibility on behalf of the person who has the obligation to supervise also has the liability referred to in the preceding paragraph.

A person that employs another person for a business undertaking is liable to compensate for damage inflicted on a third party by that person's employees with respect to the execution of that business; provided, however, that this does not apply if the employer exercised reasonable care in appointing the employee or in supervising the business, or if the damage could not have been avoided even if the employer had exercised reasonable care.

A person that supervises a business on behalf of the employer also has the liability referred to in the preceding paragraph.

The provisions of the preceding two paragraphs do not preclude the employer or supervisor from exercising their right to reimbursement against the employee.

A party ordering work is not liable to compensate for damage a contractor inflicted on a third party with respect to that work; provided, however, that this does not apply if the party ordering work is negligent with regards to the order or instructions.

If a defect in the installation or preservation of a structure on land causes damage to another person, the possessor of that structure is liable to the person incurring damage to compensate for the damage; provided, however, that if the possessor has exercised the necessary care to prevent the damage, the owner must compensate for the damage.

The provisions of the preceding paragraph apply mutatis mutandis if there is a defect in the planting or supporting of bamboo or trees.

In the cases referred to in the preceding two paragraphs, if there is another person that is liable for the cause of the damage, the possessor or owner may exercise their right to reimbursement against that person.

A possessor of an animal is liable to compensate for damage that the animal inflicts on another person; provided, however, that this does not apply if the possessor managed the animal while exercising reasonable care according to the kind and nature of the animal.

A person who manages an animal on behalf of a possessor also assumes the liability referred to in the preceding paragraph.

If more than one person has inflicted damage on another person by a joint tort, each of them is jointly and severally liable to compensate for the damage. The same applies if it cannot be ascertained which of the joint tortfeasors inflicted the damage.

A person who has abetted or aided a perpetrator is deemed to be a joint tortfeasor, and the provisions of the preceding paragraph apply.

A person who is compelled to commit a harmful act to protect their own or third party's rights or legally protected interests in response to another person's tortious act is not liable for damages; provided, however, that this does not preclude a victim from filing a claim for damages against the person that committed the tort.

The provisions of the preceding paragraph apply mutatis mutandis if the person in question damages a thing belonging to another person in order to avert an imminent danger arising from that thing.

An unborn child is deemed to have been already born with respect to the claim for damages.

The provisions of Articles 417 and 417-2 apply mutatis mutandis to compensation for damages caused by tort.

If a victim is negligent, the court may determine the amount of damages by taking that into consideration.

The court may order a person that has defamed another person to take appropriate measures to restore the reputation of the victim in lieu of or in addition to compensation for damages, at the request of the victim.

In the following cases, the claim for damages caused by tort is extinguished by prescription:

the right is not exercised within three years from the time when the victim or their legal representative comes to know the damage and the identity of the perpetrator; or

the right is not exercised within 20 years from the time of the tort.

For the purpose of the application of the provisions of item (i) of the preceding Article with regard to the extinctive prescription of the claim for damages for death or injury to person caused by tort, the term "three years" in the same item is deemed to be replaced with "five years".