①When a court deems it necessary to conduct productive proceedings of a trial consecutively, systematically and speedily, the court may, upon request from a public prosecutor, the defendant or the defense counsel or ex officio, render a ruling to order that the case be subject to a pretrial arrangement proceeding as trial preparation for arrangement of the issues and evidence of the case prior to the first trial date.

②When a court renders a ruling under the preceding paragraph or a ruling to dismiss the request under the same paragraph, the court must hear the opinions of the public prosecutor and the defendant or the defense counsel in advance pursuant to the provisions of the Rules of Court.

③A pretrial arrangement proceeding shall be conducted by having the persons concerned in the case appear and make a statement, or having them submit documents, pursuant to the provisions of this Subsection.

①The court must endeavor to ensure sufficient preparation in the pretrial arrangement proceeding and, insofar as possible, have speedy conclusion of the proceeding in order to conduct productive proceedings of the trial consecutively, systematically and speedily.

②In order to have productive proceedings which are conducted consecutively, systematically and speedily, the persons concerned in the case must, in a pretrial arrangement proceeding, cooperate with one another and also must cooperate with the court willingly in the conduct of the proceeding.

①A pretrial arrangement proceeding may not be conducted when there is no defense counsel for the defendant.

②If there is no defense counsel for the defendant in a pretrial arrangement proceeding, the presiding judge must appoint defense counsel ex officio.

In a pretrial arrangement proceeding, the following actions may be taken:

①The presiding judge must set the date of the pretrial arrangement proceeding when said judge is to have persons concerned in the case appear.

②The date of the pretrial arrangement proceeding must be notified to the public prosecutor, the defendant and the defense counsel.

③The presiding judge may change the date of the pretrial arrangement proceeding upon the request of the public prosecutor, the defendant or the defense counsel or ex officio. In this case, the presiding judge must hear the opinions of the public prosecutor and the defendant or the defense counsel in advance pursuant to the Rules of Court.

When the public prosecutor or the defense counsel does not appear on the date of the pretrial arrangement proceeding, the proceedings on that date may not be conducted.

①When the defense counsel does not appear on the date of the pretrial arrangement proceeding or when said defense counsel leaves the proceeding, the presiding judge must appoint defense counsel ex officio.

②When there is a risk that the defense counsel will not appear on the date of the pretrial arrangement proceeding, the court may appoint defense counsel ex officio.

①The defendant may appear on the date of the pretrial arrangement proceeding.

②When the court deems it to be necessary, it may ask the defendant to appear on the date of the pretrial arrangement proceeding.

③When the defendant is to appear at the pretrial arrangement proceeding, the presiding judge must, on the first date that the defendant is to appear, begin by giving notification to the defendant that said person may remain silent at all times or may refuse to answer particular questions.

When the court deems it necessary to confirm the intention of the defendant for a statement given by the defense counsel or a document to be submitted by the defense counsel, the court may, on the date of the pretrial arrangement proceeding, ask the defendant questions and have the defense counsel submit a document which is signed jointly by the defendant.

The court may (excluding the rulings under Article 316-5, items (ii), (iii), (viii), and (x) through (xii)) order a member of a panel to put the case into a pretrial arrangement proceeding. In this case, the authorized judge has the same authority as the court or the presiding judge.

①A court clerk must attend on the date of the pretrial arrangement proceeding.

②The court proceedings on the dates of the pretrial arrangement proceeding must be recorded in the records of the pretrial arrangement proceeding pursuant to the Rules of Court.

①When a case is put into a pretrial arrangement proceeding, the public prosecutor must submit documents in which facts planned to be proven are described ("facts planned to be proven" means the facts which are planned to be proven by evidence on the trial date; the same applies hereinafter) to the court and must also send them to the defendant or the defense counsel. In this case, the public prosecutor may not describe in the documents any item from which prejudice or a preconception of the case is likely to arise based on materials which are not qualified for evidence or which are not intended to be requested for examination in court.

②The public prosecutor must request the examination of evidence which is to be used to prove facts planned to be proven prescribed in the preceding paragraph.

③Article 299, paragraph (1) does not apply to the request for the examination of evidence prescribed in the preceding paragraph.

④The court is to, upon hearing the opinions of the public prosecutor and the defendant or the defense counsel, set a deadline for the submission and delivery of the documents prescribed in paragraph (1) and the request prescribed in paragraph (2).

①A public prosecutor must promptly disclose the evidence the prosecutor has requested to examine pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (2) of the preceding Article (hereinafter referred to as "evidence for examination requested by the public prosecutor") to the defendant or the defense counsel by the means provided in the following items according to each category set forth in each item:

②Upon request from the defendant or the defense counsel after the disclosure of evidence pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, a public prosecutor must promptly deliver to the defendant or the defense counsel a list of the evidence held by the public prosecutor.

③The list referred to in the preceding paragraph must include matters provided in the following items by evidence according to each category set forth in each item:

④Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph, a public prosecutor may not be required to include any matter otherwise to be included in the list referred to in paragraph (2) pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, which is found to be likely to cause any of the following risks if it is included in the list:

⑤When a public prosecutor comes to hold new evidence after the delivery of the list pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (2), the public prosecutor must promptly deliver to the defendant or the defense counsel a list of the new evidence the public prosecutor comes to hold. In this case, the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs apply mutatis mutandis.