Article 22-6Request for Preservation of Electronic or Magnetic Records of Communication History
第二十二条の六（通信履歴の電磁的記録の保全要請）
Changes on (Act No. 2 of 2026)
If necessary for conducting a seizure or a seizure with a recording order, the competent tax collection official may request in writing a person who operates a business of providing telecommunications facilities for the communications of others, or a person who has installed telecommunications facilities capable of mediating the communications of unspecified or many persons for the person's own business, to specify the necessary part of the electronic or magnetic records of communication history, such as the sender, the recipient and the date and time of telecommunications, that the person records in the course of that business, and not to erase them, specifying a period not exceeding 30 days. In this case, if the official has come to find that there is no need to conduct a seizure or a seizure with a recording order concerning those electronic or magnetic records, the official must withdraw the request.
The competent tax collection official may, if especially necessary, extend the period for which a request not to erase has been made under the provisions of the preceding paragraph, within a range not exceeding 30 days; provided, however, that the period for which a request not to erase is made may not exceed 60 days in total.
When making a request under the provisions of paragraph (1), the competent tax collection official may, if necessary, request that matters relating to the request not be disclosed without good reason.
Read this with the articles around it
electronic or magnetic recordmachine translation
「電磁的記録」
A record made in electronic, magnetic or any other form people cannot perceive directly, for use in computer processing.
Defined inArticle 15-2, paragraph (9), item (ii)· applies only in this chapter
the competent tax collection officialmachine translation
「当該徴税吏員」
In Section 16 of Chapter 1, on investigating and dealing with tax offence cases (犯則事件), a tax collection official (徴税吏員) whom the head of the local government (地方団体の長) designates, setting the official's duties.
Defined inArticle 22-3, paragraph (1)· applies only in this section
seizure with a recording ordermachine translation
「記録命令付差押え」
A seizure in which a tax official (徴税吏員) investigating a tax offence (犯則事件) has a person who keeps electronic or magnetic records (電磁的記録), or anyone else with authority to use them, record the records needed onto a recording medium or print them out, and then seizes that medium.
Defined inArticle 22-4, paragraph (1)· applies only in this section