The court may issue a ruling to conduct an examination concerning a particular matter in camera if a party to personal status litigation or their legal representative (collectively referred to below as a "party or representative" in this paragraph and the following paragraph) or a witness is to be examined regarding a matter that is the basis for the familial relationship status change or declaratory judgment as to whether a familial relationship exists that is the subject matter of the action being litigated, and that concerns a deep personal secret from the private life of the person subject to examination, if the court finds unanimously that the party, representative, or witness would be unable to enter a sufficient statement regarding the subject matter in open court because it is clear that doing so would substantially interfere with their life in the community, and that the court cannot make an appropriate judicial decision on the status change or declaratory judgment in question in the absence of the statement, based solely on the other evidence.
人事訴訟における当事者本人若しくは法定代理人（以下この項及び次項において「当事者等」という。）又は証人が当該人事訴訟の目的である身分関係の形成又は存否の確認の基礎となる事項であって自己の私生活上の重大な秘密に係るものについて尋問を受ける場合においては、裁判所は、裁判官の全員一致により、その当事者等又は証人が公開の法廷で当該事項について陳述をすることにより社会生活を営むのに著しい支障を生ずることが明らかであることから当該事項について十分な陳述をすることができず、かつ、当該陳述を欠くことにより他の証拠のみによっては当該身分関係の形成又は存否の確認のための適正な裁判をすることができないと認めるときは、決定で、当該事項の尋問を公開しないで行うことができる。
Before issuing the ruling referred to in the preceding paragraph, the court must listen to the opinions of each party or representative, and witness.
If a court conducts an examination concerning a particular matter in camera pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1), it must make an announcement to that effect along with the reasons for doing so before having the public leave the courtroom. Once the examination concerning the matter in question has ended, the court must allow the public to re-enter the courtroom.
裁判所は、第一項の規定により当該事項の尋問を公開しないで行うときは、公衆を退廷させる前に、その旨を理由とともに言い渡さなければならない。当該事項の尋問が終了したときは、再び公衆を入廷させなければならない。
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personal status litigation
「人事訴訟」
Litigation on a personal status action (人事に関する訴え): an action through which a person seeks to form a personal status relationship (身分関係) or a declaration whether one exists, such as an action to nullify or rescind a marriage, an action for divorce, an action to rebut the presumption of legitimacy, an action for filiation, an action to nullify or rescind an adoption, or an action to confirm whether a marital, parent-child or adoptive relationship exists.
Defined inArticle 2, paragraph (1)· applies throughout the law
party or representative
「当事者等」
In Article 22, paragraphs (1) and (2), a party to personal status litigation (人事訴訟) in person, or the party's legal representative (法定代理人).
Short name set inArticle 22, paragraph (1)· applies only in this paragraph and in Article 22, paragraph (2)