Any person may make a request to the head of an administrative organ (for the organs specified by Cabinet Order referred to in paragraph (1), items (iv) and (v) of the preceding Article, the person specified by Cabinet Order for each of those organs; the same applies below) for disclosure of administrative documents held by the administrative organ.

①A request for disclosure under the provisions of the preceding Article (referred to as "request for disclosure") must be made by submitting a document stating the following matters (referred to as "written request for disclosure" below) to the head of an administrative organ:

②If the head of an administrative organ finds that there is a formal deficiency in the written request for disclosure, they may specify a reasonable period of time and ask the person making the request (referred to as "disclosure requester" below) to correct the request. In such a case, the head of the administrative organ must endeavor to provide the disclosure requester with information that will serve as reference in making the correction.

If a request for disclosure has been made, unless any of the information stated in each of the following items (referred to as "non-disclosure information" below) is recorded in the administrative documents related to the request for disclosure, the head of an administrative organ must disclose the administrative documents to the disclosure requester.

①If non-disclosure information is recorded in a part of an administrative document related to a request for disclosure, and it is possible to easily divide and remove the part that has the non-disclosure information recorded, the head of an administrative organ must disclose the part after removing that part to the disclosure requester; provided, however, that this does not apply if it is found that significant information is not recorded in the part after removing that part.

②If the information referred to in item (i) of the preceding Article (limited to information that can identify a specific individual) is recorded in an administrative document related to a request for disclosure, and it is found that removing the descriptions such as name or date of birth which can identify a specific individual does not have the risk of harming the rights and interests of an individual, the provisions of the preceding paragraph is applied by deeming that the part after removing that part as not being included in the information referred to in that item.

Even when non-disclosure information (excluding the information stated in Article 5, item (i)-2) is recorded in an administrative document related to a request for disclosure, if the head of an administrative organ finds that it is particularly necessary for public interest, they may disclose the administrative document to the disclosure requester.

When non-disclosure information is to be disclosed by merely answering whether the administrative document related to a request for disclosure exists or not for a request for disclosure, the head of an administrative organ may refuse the request for disclosure without clarifying whether the administrative document exists or not.

①When disclosure is to be made for all or a part of the administrative documents related to a request for disclosure, the head of an administrative organ must make a decision for the disclosure and notify the disclosure requester in writing of that fact and the matters specified by Cabinet Order concerning the implementation of the disclosure.

②If the head of an administrative organ decides not to disclose all of the administrative documents related to a request for disclosure (including when refusing a request for disclosure pursuant to the provisions of the preceding Article and when administrative documents related to a request for disclosure are not held), they must make a decision on not making a disclosure and notify the disclosure requester in writing of that fact.

①The decisions referred to in the items of the preceding Article (referred to as "decision on disclosure or non-disclosure") must be made within thirty days from the date the request for disclosure has been made; provided, however, that if a correction is requested pursuant to the provisions of Article 4, paragraph (2), the number of days required for the correction is not to be included in that period.

②Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph, when there are reasonable grounds such as difficulties in handling administrative affairs, the head of an administrative organ may extend the period prescribed in that paragraph for up to thirty days. In such a case, the head of an administrative organ must promptly notify the disclosure requester in writing of the extended period and the reasons for the extension.

If there is a risk of causing significant hindrance to the performance of affairs when making decisions on disclosure or non-disclosure for all of the administrative documents related to a request for disclosure within sixty days from the date the request for disclosure has been made because of the large volume of the administrative documents, notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding Article, it is sufficient for the head of an administrative organ to make a decision on disclosure or non-disclosure for a reasonable portion of the administrative documents related to a request for disclosure within that period, and make a decision on disclosure or non-disclosure for the remaining administrative documents within a reasonable period of time. In such a case, the head of an administrative organ must notify the disclosure requester in writing of the following matters within the period prescribed in paragraph (1) of that Article:

①The head of an administrative organ may transfer a case to the head of another administrative organ if the administrative documents related to a request for disclosure has been prepared by another administrative organ, or there are legitimate grounds for the head of another administrative organ to make a decision on disclosure or non-disclosure, after deliberating with the head of that other administrative organ. In such a case, the head of the administrative organ that has transferred the case must notify the disclosure requester in writing of the fact that the case has been transferred.

②When a case has been transferred pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the head of the administrative organ who has received the transfer must make a decision on disclosure or non-disclosure for the request for disclosure. In such a case, the acts conducted before the transfer by the head of the administrative organ who transferred the case are deemed to be the acts conducted by the head of the administrative organ who has received the transfer.

③In the case referred to in the preceding paragraph, when the head of the administrative organ that has received the transfer makes a decision referred to in Article 9, paragraph (1) (referred to as "disclosure decision" below), that head of the administrative organ must implement the disclosure. In such a case, the head of the administrative organ who has transferred the case must provide the necessary cooperation in implementing the disclosure.

①When administrative documents related to a disclosure request has been prepared by incorporated administrative agencies or other corporations, or there are legitimate grounds for incorporated administrative agencies or other corporations to make decisions on disclosure or non-disclosure prescribed in Article 10, paragraph (1) of Incorporated Administrative Agencies' Information Disclosure Act, the head of an administrative organ may transfer the case to that incorporated administrative agency after deliberating with the head of the administrative organ. In such a case, the head of the administrative organ that has transferred the case must notify the disclosure requester in writing of the fact that the case has been transferred.

②When a case has been transferred pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the provisions of the Incorporated Administrative Agencies' Information Disclosure Act is applied by deeming the administrative documents to be the corporate documents as defined in Article 2, paragraph (2) of the Incorporated Administrative Agencies' Information Disclosure Act held by the incorporated administrative agency or other corporation that has received the transfer and deeming the request for disclosure to be the request for disclosure prescribed in Article 4, paragraph (1) of the Incorporated Administrative Agencies' Information Disclosure Act made to the incorporated administrative agency or other corporation that has received the transfer. In such a case, the term "Article 4, paragraph (2)" in Article 10, paragraph (1) of the Incorporated Administrative Agencies' Information Disclosure Act is to be replaced with "Article 4, paragraph (2) of the Act on Access to Information Held by Administrative Organs (Act No. 42 of 1999)"; and the phrases "the person making a disclosure request or the corporate documents," "pays respectively" and "a fee for the disclosure request or a disclosure" in Article 17, paragraph (1) of the Incorporated Administrative Agencies' Information Disclosure Act are to be replaced with "the corporate documents", "pays", and "a disclosure", respectively.

③If a case has been transferred pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) and an incorporated administrative agency or other corporation which has received the transfer is to implement the disclosure, the head of the administrative organ who has transferred the case must provide the necessary cooperation in implementing the disclosure.

①When information concerning a person other than the national government, incorporated administrative agencies or other corporations, local governments, local incorporated administrative agencies and the disclosure requester (referred to as "third party" in this Article, Article 19, paragraph (2), and Article 20, paragraph (1)) is recorded in the administrative documents related to a request for disclosure, the head of an administrative organ may notify the third party related to the information of the indication of the administrative documents related to the disclosure request and other matters specified by Cabinet Order, and provide them with an opportunity to submit a written opinion, when making a decision on disclosure or non-disclosure.

②In the cases that fall under any of the following items, the head of an administrative organ must notify the third party in writing of the indication of the administrative documents related to the request for disclosure and other matters specified by Cabinet Order, and provide them with an opportunity to submit a written opinion, before making a disclosure decision; provided, however, that this does not apply to cases in which the whereabouts of the third party is unknown:

③If the third party who has been given the opportunity to submit a written opinion pursuant to the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs submits a written opinion manifesting the intention of opposition to disclosure of the administrative document, the head of the administrative organ, when making a disclosure decision, must allow at least two weeks between the day of the disclosure decision and the day of implementing the disclosure. In such a case, upon making the disclosure decision, the head of the administrative organ must promptly notify the third party that submitted the written opinion (referred to as a "written opposition opinion" in Article 19) in writing that the disclosure decision has been made, the grounds for its decision, and the date of implementation of the disclosure.

①The disclosure of administrative documents is implemented by inspection or by the delivery of copies for documents or pictures, and by the method specified by Cabinet Order by taking into consideration the type of the record and the progress of development of information technology for electronic or magnetic records; provided, however, that in disclosing administrative documents by the method of inspection, if the head of an administrative organ finds that the inspection is likely to hinder the preservation of the administrative documents or there are other legitimate grounds, the disclosure may be implemented by using a copy of the documents or pictures.

②The person who is to receive the disclosure of administrative documents based on a disclosure decision, must report the method of implementing the disclosure they desire and other matters specified by Cabinet Order to the head of the administrative organ who has made the disclosure decision, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order.

③The report under the provision of the preceding paragraph must be made within thirty days from the date the notice prescribed in Article 9, paragraph (1) has been given; provided, however, that this does not apply if there are legitimate grounds for not being able to make the report within that period.

④The person who has received disclosure of administrative documents based on a disclosure decision may make a proposal to the head of the administrative organ on the intention to receive further disclosure, limited to within 30 days from the day they received the initial disclosure. In such a case, the proviso of the preceding paragraph apply mutatis mutandis.

①If an administrative document related to a request for disclosure is to be disclosed to any person in the same method as the method prescribed in the main clause of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article (if the period for disclosure is specified, limited to within that period), the head of an administrative organ is not to disclose the administrative documents in that same method; provided, however, that this does not apply if there are provisions in other laws and regulations providing that disclosure is not to be implemented in certain cases.

②When the disclosure method prescribed by the provisions of other laws and regulations is public inspection, the preceding paragraph is applied by deeming that the public inspection is the inspection referred to in the main clause of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article.

①A person who makes a request for disclosure or a person that receives disclosure of administrative documents must pay a fee for the request for disclosure in an amount specified by Cabinet Order within the scope of actual costs, or a fee for the implementation of disclosure, respectively.

②When specifying the amount of the fee referred to in the preceding paragraph, consideration must be given to make the amount as user-friendly as possible.

③When the head of an administrative organ finds that there are economic difficulties or other special reasons, they may grant a reduction or an exemption of the fee referred to in paragraph (1), pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order.

The head of an administrative organ may, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order (for organs under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet, and the Board of Audit, orders by those organs), delegate to an employee of the administrative organ the authority or affairs prescribed in this Chapter.