Residential Basic Book Act

The mayor of the municipality may, if there is a request stating that inspecting the partial copy of the Basic Resident Register is necessary in order to carry out an activity listed below, and the mayor finds the request to be reasonable, have the partial copy of the Basic Resident Register inspected, to the extent necessary for that activity, by the person making the request (hereinafter referred to in this Article and Article 50 as the "person making the request") or a person designated by that person, if the person making the request is an individual, or by an officer, employee, or member of the juridical person (including, in the case of a joint request made together with another juridical person, an officer, employee, or member of that other juridical person) who is designated by the juridical person, if the person making the request is a juridical person (including an association or foundation without juridical personality that has a designated representative or administrator; the same applies in this Article and Article 12-3, paragraph (4)).

The conduct of a statistical survey, public opinion poll, academic research, or other research or study that is found, in light of criteria specified by the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, to have a high degree of public interest

The conduct of an activity, conducted by a public organization, that contributes to the improvement of the welfare of local residents and is found to have a high degree of public interest

The conduct of a confirmation of residential relationship carried out for a purpose other than profit-making, that the mayor of the municipality specifies as a confirmation of residential relationship due to the filing of a lawsuit or other special circumstances

A request under the preceding paragraph must be made in a manner that makes clear the following matters, as specified by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The name and address of the person making the request (in the case where the person making the request is a juridical person, its name, the name of its representative or administrator, and the location of its principal office)

The purpose of use of the information learned through inspection of the partial copy of the Basic Resident Register (hereinafter referred to as "inspected information" in this Article and Article 50)

The name and address of the person who inspects the partial copy of the Basic Resident Register (hereinafter referred to as "inspector" in this Article and Article 50)

The method of managing the inspected information

In the case where the person making the request is a juridical person, the scope of the officers, employees or members of that juridical person who handle the inspected information

In the case of a request pertaining to the activity listed in item (i) of the preceding paragraph, the handling of the results of the research or study

In addition to the matters listed in the preceding items, matters specified by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

Where a person making the request who is an individual finds it necessary, in order to achieve the purpose of use listed in item (ii) of the preceding paragraph (hereinafter referred to as "purpose of use" in this Article and Article 50), to have a person other than that person making the request and the inspector handle the inspected information, that person making the request may, when making the request under paragraph (1), notify the mayor of the municipality of that fact and of the name and address of the person designated by that person making the request as a person to handle the inspected information.

The mayor of the municipality who has received a notification under the provision of the preceding paragraph may, when he or she finds that there are reasonable grounds for the notification, approve the notification. In this case, the person making the request who has received the approval may have the person designated by that person making the request (limited to a person who has received the approval; hereinafter referred to as "person designated by an individual applicant to handle inspected information" in this Article and Article 50) handle the inspected information.

A person making the request who is a juridical person must not have a person other than the inspector and a person designated by that person making the request from among those falling within the scope listed in item (v) of paragraph (2) (hereinafter referred to as "person designated by a corporate applicant to handle inspected information" in this Article and Article 50) handle the inspected information.

The person making the request must take the measures necessary for the prevention of leakage of the inspected information by the inspector, the person designated by an individual applicant to handle inspected information or the person designated by a corporate applicant to handle inspected information, and for other appropriate management of the inspected information.

The person making the request, the inspector, the person designated by an individual applicant to handle inspected information, or the person designated by a corporate applicant to handle inspected information must not, without obtaining the prior consent of the person concerned, use the inspected information for a purpose other than the purpose of use, or provide it to a person, other than the person making the request, the inspector, the person designated by an individual applicant to handle inspected information, and the person designated by a corporate applicant to handle inspected information, who pertains to that inspected information.

The mayor of the municipality may, in the case where the inspector or the person making the request has inspected, or caused another person to inspect, the partial copy of the Basic Resident Register under paragraph (1) by deception or other wrongful means, or in the case where the person making the request, the inspector, the person designated by an individual applicant to handle inspected information, or the person designated by a corporate applicant to handle inspected information has violated the provision of the preceding paragraph, when he or she finds it necessary to protect the rights and interests of an individual, recommend to the person making the request pertaining to that inspected information, the person who inspected or caused another person to inspect it, or the person who committed that violation, that the person take measures to prevent the inspected information from being used for a purpose other than the purpose of use, or from being provided to a person, other than the person making the request, the inspector, the person designated by an individual applicant to handle inspected information, and the person designated by a corporate applicant to handle inspected information, who pertains to that inspected information.

The mayor of the municipality may, in the case where a person who has received a recommendation under the provision of the preceding paragraph has not taken the measures pertaining to that recommendation without justifiable grounds, when he or she finds that there is a risk of the rights and interests of an individual being unduly infringed, order that person to take the measures pertaining to that recommendation.

Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs, the mayor of the municipality may, in the case where the inspector or the person making the request has inspected, or caused another person to inspect, the partial copy of the Basic Resident Register under paragraph (1) by deception or other wrongful means, or in the case where the person making the request, the inspector, the person designated by an individual applicant to handle inspected information, or the person designated by a corporate applicant to handle inspected information has violated the provision of paragraph (7), when he or she finds it particularly necessary to take measures to prevent the rights and interests of an individual from being unduly infringed, order the person making the request pertaining to that inspected information, the person who inspected or caused another person to inspect it, or the person who committed that violation, to take measures to prevent the inspected information from being used for a purpose other than the purpose of use, or from being provided to a person, other than the person making the request, the inspector, the person designated by an individual applicant to handle inspected information, and the person designated by a corporate applicant to handle inspected information, who pertains to that inspected information.

The mayor of the municipality may, to the extent necessary for the enforcement of the provisions of this Article, have the person making the request make a necessary report.

The mayor of the municipality is to publish, at least once each year, the name of the person making the request (in the case where the person making the request is a juridical person, its name and the name of its representative or administrator), an outline of the purpose of use, and other matters specified by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, concerning the status of the inspection of the partial copy of the Basic Resident Register (excluding that pertaining to the activity listed in item (iii) of that paragraph) pertaining to the request under paragraph (1).

A person recorded in the basic resident register kept by a municipality (including, in the case where the mayor of that municipality has prepared a certificate of residence on a household basis for the household to which that person belonged, a person excluded from that certificate of residence (excluding a person for whom all entries pertaining to that person were made due to an error of the mayor of the municipality, and that entry has been deleted); the same applies in paragraph (1) of the following Article) may request the mayor of that municipality to issue a copy of the certificate of residence pertaining to that person or to a person belonging to the same household as that person (in the case of a municipality that prepares its certificate of residence using a magnetic disk under the provision of Article 6, paragraph (3), a document stating the matters recorded in that certificate of residence; the same applies hereinafter), or a certificate concerning the matters entered in the certificate of residence (hereinafter referred to as "certificate of items stated in resident register").

A request under the provision of the preceding paragraph must be made in a manner that makes clear the following matters, as specified by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The name and address of the person making that request

Where the person actually undertaking the request is the agent of the person making the request, or is otherwise a person different from the person making the request, the name and address of the person actually undertaking the request

The name of the person who is the subject of that request

In addition to the matters listed in the preceding three items, matters specified by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

When making a request under the provision of paragraph (1), the person actually undertaking the request must make clear to the mayor of the municipality, by the method of presenting an Individual Number Card (meaning the Individual Number Card prescribed in Article 2, paragraph (7) of the Act on the Use of Numbers to Identify a Specific Individual in Administrative Procedures; the same applies hereinafter) or by another method specified by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, that the person actually undertaking the request is the person himself or herself.

In the case referred to in the preceding paragraph, where the person actually undertaking the request is the agent of the person making the request, or is otherwise a person different from the person making the request, the person actually undertaking the request must present or submit to the mayor of the municipality, by the method specified by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, a document making clear that that person is undertaking the request at the request of the person making the request or under the provisions of laws and regulations.

The mayor of the municipality may, unless there is a special request, when a request has been made for the issuance of a copy of the certificate of residence prescribed in paragraph (1), issue the copy of the certificate of residence prescribed in that paragraph with all or part of the entries concerning the matters listed in Article 7, items (iv), (v), and (viii)-2 through (xiv) omitted.

The mayor of the municipality may refuse a request under the provision of paragraph (1) when it is clear that the request is for an improper purpose.

A person who intends to make a request under the provision of paragraph (1) may request the sending of a copy of the certificate of residence or a certificate of items stated in resident register prescribed in that paragraph, by mail or another method specified by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.