①Parental authority must be exercised in the interests of a child who has not attained the age of majority.

②While the parents are married to each other, both of them are the persons with parental authority.

③If the child is an adopted child, the following persons are the persons with parental authority:

①If parents divorce by agreement, they determine in that agreement that both of them or one of them is to be the person with parental authority.

②In the case of a judicial divorce, the court determines that both of the parents or one of the parents is to be the person with parental authority.

③If parents divorce before the birth of the child, the mother exercises the parental authority; provided, however, that the parties may agree for both parents or the father to be the person with parental authority after the child is born.

④Parental authority over a child whose paternity has been acknowledged by the father is exercised by the mother; provided, however, that the parents may agree for both parents or the father to be the person with parental authority.

⑤If an agreement as referred to in paragraph (1), paragraph (3), or the preceding paragraph is not reached or discussions toward such an agreement cannot be held, the family court may issue a ruling to stand in place of such an agreement, at the request of the father or the mother.

⑥At the request of the child or the child's relative, the family court may change the person with parental authority, if it finds it to be necessary to do so in the interests of the child.

⑦In a judicial decision under paragraph (2) or the preceding two paragraphs, when deciding whether to determine both parents or one parent to be the person with parental authority, the court must consider, in the interests of the child, the relationship between the parents and the child, the relationship between the father and the mother, and all other circumstances. In this case, when any of the following applies, or when it is otherwise found that determining both parents to be the person with parental authority would harm the interests of the child, the court must determine one parent to be the person with parental authority:

⑧In the case referred to in paragraph (6), in determining whether it is necessary for the interests of the child to change the person with parental authority determined by an agreement between the parents, the family court is to take into consideration the course of that agreement, subsequent changes in circumstances, and other circumstances. In this case, in considering the course of that agreement, the family court is also to take into account whether there has been violence, etc. from one parent to the other, whether there has been conciliation under the Domestic Relations Case Procedure Act or use of alternative dispute resolution procedures (meaning the alternative dispute resolution procedures prescribed in Article 1 of the Act on Promotion of Use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (Act No. 151 of 2004)), whether a notarial instrument was prepared concerning the result of the agreement, and other circumstances.

A person exercising parental authority has the right, and bears the duty, to care for and educate the child in the child's interests.

A person exercising parental authority must, in providing care and education under the preceding Article, respect the child's personality and give consideration to the child's age and degree of development, and must not engage in corporal punishment or other words or conduct that have a harmful effect on the sound development of the child's mind and body.

A child must fix his or her residence at the place determined by the person exercising parental authority.

①A child may not work without the permission of the person exercising parental authority.

②The person exercising parental authority may revoke or limit the permission referred to in the preceding paragraph in a case as referred to in Article 6, paragraph (2).

The person exercising parental authority manages the child's property and represents the child in juridical acts involving that property; provided, however, that the person must obtain the consent of the child if a juridical act would give rise to the obligation of the child to act.

①Parental authority is exercised by the parents jointly; provided, however, that in the following cases, it is exercised by one of them:

②Even if both parents are persons with parental authority, notwithstanding the main clause of the preceding paragraph, each parent may exercise parental authority alone with regard to routine acts concerning care and education.

③If the parents fail to reach an agreement on the exercise of parental authority regarding a specific matter (excluding a matter that one parent may handle alone under the proviso to paragraph (1) or the preceding paragraph), and the family court finds it necessary in the interests of the child, the family court may, at the request of the father or the mother, determine that one parent may exercise parental authority regarding that matter alone.

①The person to have custody of the child as determined pursuant to Article 766 (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Articles 749, 771, and 788) has the same rights and duties as a person exercising parental authority with respect to the matters prescribed in Articles 820 through 823. In this case, the person to have custody of the child may, alone, provide care and education for the child, determine and change the child's residence, and give permission for the child to carry on a business, revoke that permission, and limit it.

②In the case referred to in the preceding paragraph, a person exercising parental authority (excluding the person to have custody of the child) must not prevent the person to have custody of the child from performing an act under the second sentence of that paragraph.

In a case in which parents exercise parental authority jointly, when one parent, in the name of both parents, performs a juridical act on behalf of the child or gives consent for the child to perform a juridical act, even if that act or that consent is contrary to the intention of the other parent, this does not impair its validity; provided, however, that this does not apply if the other party to the juridical act has knowledge of the other parent's contrary intention.

①If an action involves a conflict of interest between the father or mother exercising parental authority and the child, the person exercising parental authority must request the family court to appoint a special agent for the child in respect of that action.

②If a person exercising parental authority exercises such authority over more than one child, the person exercising parental authority must request the family court to appoint a special agent for one of the children with respect to an action that involves a conflict of interest between one child and the other child or children.

A person exercising parental authority must exercise the right to manage the property under that person's authority with the same care the person would exercise for the person's own benefit.

Once a child attains the age of majority, the person exercising parental authority must account for the management of the child's property without delay; provided, however, that expenses incurred to raise the child and to manage the property are deemed to have been set-off against profit from the child's property.

If a third party who gives property to a child without receiving compensation manifests a contrary intention, the provisions of the proviso to the preceding Article do not apply to that property.

①If a third party who gives property to a child without receiving compensation manifests the intention that the father or mother exercising parental authority not be permitted to manage that property, the management of that property does not come under the purview of the father or mother.

②If neither parent has the right to manage the property referred to in the preceding paragraph and the third party does not designate a manager, the family court may appoint a manager at the request of the child, a relative thereof, or the public prosecutor.

③Even if the third party designates a manager, the preceding paragraph still applies if the authority of the manager is extinguished or if it becomes necessary to replace the manager, in the event that the third party does not designate another manager.

④The provisions of Article 27 through Article 29 apply mutatis mutandis to a case as referred to in one of the preceding two paragraphs.

The provisions of Article 654 and Article 655 apply mutatis mutandis when a person exercising parental authority manages the property of a child and to a case as referred to in the preceding Article.

①A claim arising in respect of the management of the child's property between a person who exercised parental authority and the child is extinguished by prescription if not exercised within five years from the time the right to manage the child's property lapses.

②If the right to manage a child's property lapses before the child attains the age of majority and the child has no legal representative, the period referred to in the preceding paragraph is calculated beginning from the time the child attains the age of majority or a new statutory agent is appointed.

If a father or mother is a child who has not attained the age of majority, the person exercising parental authority over that child exercises parental authority in place of that child.

If the father or mother abuses or willfully abandons the child, or if significant difficulty or impropriety in the father's or mother's exercise of parental authority otherwise greatly harms the interests of the child, the family court may issue a ruling affirming the father's or mother's loss of parental authority, at the request of the child, a relative thereof, the guardian, the guardian supervisor, or the public prosecutor; provided, however, that this does not apply if cause for such a ruling is expected to cease to exist within two years.

①If difficulty or impropriety in the father's or mother's exercise of parental authority harms the interests of the child, the family court may rule to suspend the parental authority of the father or mother, at the request of the child, a relative thereof, the guardian, the guardian supervisor, or the public prosecutor.

②If the family court rules to suspend parental authority, it must fix the term of no greater than two years during which parental authority is suspended in consideration of the time expected to be required for cause for such a ruling to cease to exist, the physical and mental condition of the child, circumstances in the child's daily life, and all other circumstances.

If difficulty or impropriety in the father's or mother's exercise of the right to manage the child's property harms the interests of the child, the family court may issue a ruling affirming the father's or mother's loss of the right to manage the child's property, at the request of the child, a relative thereof, the guardian, the guardian supervisor, or the public prosecutor.

If the cause provided for in the main clause of Article 834, Article 834-2, paragraph (1); or the preceding Article ceases to exist, the family court may rescind a ruling affirming the loss of parental authority, suspending parental authority, or affirming the loss of the right to manage the child's property, at the request of the person concerned or a relative thereof.

①If there are compelling circumstances, a father or mother who exercises parental authority may surrender parental authority or the right to manage the child's property, with the permission of the family court.

②If the circumstances referred to in the preceding paragraph cease to exist, the father or mother may resume parental authority or the right to manage the child's property, with the permission of the family court.