Code of Civil Procedure

If a person filing a motion or statement or that person's legal representative makes a prima facie showing that disclosure of the whole or part of the information about the person's or legal representative's domicile, residence, or other place at which they are ordinarily present (referred to below as the person's or representative's "address" in this paragraph and the following paragraph) to a party would be likely to substantially interfere with their public life, the court may, upon application, reach a judicial decision in the form of a ruling to anonymize the whole or part of the person's or representative's address. The same applies with regard to the name of a person filing a motion or statement or that person's legal representative or any other information sufficient to identify that person or representative (referred to below as "identifying information" in the following paragraph).

When a person files the petition referred to in the preceding paragraph, they must file a notification with the court, in writing or by any other means specified by the Rules of the Supreme Court, indicating the address or identifying information of the person filing the motion or statement referred to in that paragraph or of that person's legal representative (referred to below as the "person seeking anonymity" in this Chapter; the address and identifying information of a person seeking anonymity are referred to as the "personal information of a person seeking anonymity" in paragraph (2) of the following Article) and indicating other information specified by the Rules of the Supreme Court.

Once a petition as referred to in paragraph (1) has been filed, no person other than the person seeking anonymity whom the petition concerns may request access to the part of a case record or filing records (meaning a case record or the records of a case in which there has been a petition for a disposition as referred to in Article 132-4, paragraph (1); the same applies in this Chapter) that contain information indicated in the notification under the provisions of the preceding paragraph (referred to as the "part of a record containing information indicated in an anonymity notification" in the following Article) (access to a case record or filing records means access to a case record, access to a hard-copy record of a disposition on the collection of evidence, or access to an electronic or magnetic record of a disposition on the collection of evidence; the same applies in this Chapter) until the judicial decision on that petition becomes final and binding.

An immediate appeal may be filed against a judicial decision denying the petition referred to in paragraph (1).

When the court issues a ruling as referred to in paragraph (1) with regard to the domicile or name of a person seeking anonymity (referred to below as an "anonymity ruling" in this Chapter), it must specify, in that ruling, information that will be used in place of the domicile or name of the person seeking anonymity. To apply the provisions of this Code or of other laws and regulations in such a case if information used in place of a domicile or name has been entered or recorded in proceedings in the case in question or in a counterclaim, intervention, judicial enforcement, provisional seizure, or provisional disposition related to that case, the domicile or name of the person seeking anonymity is deemed to have been entered or recorded.

When an anonymity ruling has been made, it limits the persons who may request access to a part of a case records or filing records containing information indicated in an anonymity notification to the person seeking anonymity who is covered by that ruling.

In the case referred to in the preceding paragraph, the court, upon petition, may issue a ruling limiting persons who may request access to a part of the case records or filing records that does not contain information indicated in an anonymity notification but that does contain the personal information of a person seeking anonymity or information which can be used to infer the personal information of a person seeking anonymity (referred to below as a "part of a record containing the personal information of a person seeking anonymity" in this Article), to the person seeking anonymity who is covered by the anonymity ruling.

Once a petition as referred to in the preceding paragraph has been filed, a person other than the person seeking anonymity who has petitioned for the anonymity ruling may not request access to a part of a record containing the personal information of the person seeking anonymity until a judicial decision on the petition becomes final and binding.

An immediate appeal may be filed against a judicial decision denying the petition referred to in paragraph (2).

If a petition under paragraph (2) is filed, and if the court finds it to be necessary, it may output the content of the parts of the electronic or magnetic case records or filing records (meaning the electronic or magnetic case records or a part of the information from the court's computer files that appears in the records of a case in which there has been a petition for a disposition as referred to in Article 132-4, paragraph (1); the same applies in this paragraph and the following paragraph) containing the personal information of a person seeking anonymity into paper format or record them onto another recording medium, as well as taking measures to delete them from the electronic or magnetic case records or filing records or any other measures specified by the Rules of the Supreme Court as necessary and appropriate to securely manage the part of the records containing the personal information of a person seeking anonymity.

If the measures to delete content from electronic or magnetic case records or filing records under the provisions of the preceding paragraph have been taken but a subsequent judicial decision denying the petition under paragraph (2) becomes final and binding or a subsequent judicial decision setting aside the decision on the petition becomes final and binding, the court clerk must record those parts of the records containing the personal information of the person seeking anonymity into the court's computer files.

If, in order to serve a party or their legal representative, the court commissions an investigation into a party's or legal representative's domicile or residence or into any other place where they are to be served, and the court finds there to be a clear likelihood that allowing the inspection of a paper document or electronic or magnetic record containing a report of the results of the commissioned investigation would substantially interfere with that party's or legal representative's public life, it may issue a ruling limiting the persons permitted to request access to that document or record, to paper documents or electronic or magnetic records under Article 100 concerning service effected based on the report, and to any other case records or filing records connected with similar paper documents or electronic or magnetic records, to the party or legal representative in question. This also applies if the court commissions an investigation into the name of a party or their legal representative and other information sufficient to identify them, for the purpose of identifying the party or their legal representative.

The provisions of paragraphs (5) and (6) of the preceding Article apply mutatis mutandis if a ruling under the provisions of the preceding paragraph is issued.

A person other than one subject to an anonymity ruling, a ruling under Article 133-2, paragraph (2), or a ruling under paragraph (1) of the preceding Article (referred to as "anonymity ruling or similar measures" in the following paragraph and paragraph (7)) may file a petition with the court where the case records or filing records are kept seeking to set aside that ruling, on the grounds that any prescribed requirement has not been met or is no longer being met.

With permission from the court where the case records or filing records are kept, even if an anonymity ruling or similar measures are in place, a party other than the person covered by the ruling or measures may request access to a part of the case records or filing records that is restricted pursuant to the provisions of Article 133-2, paragraph (1) or (2) or Article 133-3, paragraph (1) if it is likely to substantially interfere with the party's own allegations or defense.

If a petition for permission under the provisions of the preceding paragraph is filed and a prima facie showing is made of the fact on which the petition is based, the court shamust permit the request.

Before the court reaches a judicial decision to set aside an anonymity ruling or similar measures as referred to in paragraph (1) or to grant the permission referred to in paragraph (2), it must hear opinions of the persons specified in the following items, in accordance with the categories stated in those items:

a judicial decision on an anonymity ruling or a ruling under Article 133-2, paragraph (2):the person seeking anonymity covered by the ruling;

a judicial decision on a ruling under the preceding Article:the party or legal representative covered by the ruling.

An immediate appeal may be filed against a judicial decision concerning the petition to set aside an anonymity ruling or similar measures as referred to in paragraph (1) or a judicial decision concerning the petition for permission referred to in paragraph (2).

A judicial decision setting aside an anonymity ruling or similar measures as referred to in paragraph (1) or granting the permission referred to in paragraph (2) does not take effect until it becomes final and binding.

If a judicial decision granting the permission referred to in paragraph (2) is reached, the party petitioning for permission or their legal representative, litigation representative, or assistant in court must not, without a legitimate reason, use information obtained based on that permission for any other purpose than conducting the proceedings or disclose that information to a person other than the person covered by the anonymity ruling or similar measures.