①The presiding judge must set the trial dates.

②The defendant must be summoned to the trial dates.

③The public prosecutor, defense counsel and assistant in court must be notified of the trial dates.

When the trial dates are notified to a defendant who is within the courthouse grounds, this notification has the same effect as a summons having been served.

A grace period specified in the Rules of Court must be allowed between the first trial date and service of the writ of summons on the defendant.

①The court may change the trial dates, upon the request of the public prosecutor, the defendant or the defense counsel, or ex officio.

②The court must in advance, hear the opinion of the public prosecutor, and the defendant or the defense counsel pursuant to the Rules of Court in order to change the trial dates; provided however, that this does not apply in a case requiring urgency.

③In the case prescribed in the proviso of the preceding paragraph, the court must give the public prosecutor, and the defendant or the defense counsel an opportunity to raise an objection on the changed trial date.

If a court has changed a trial date in abuse of its powers, the persons concerned in the case may request the taking of judicial administrative measures pursuant to the Rules or the Instructions of the Supreme Court.

If a person who has been summoned on a trial date cannot appear on the trial date because of illness or other reasons, said person must submit to the court a medical certificate or other materials pursuant to the Rules of Court.

A defendant who has been released on bail or whose execution of detention has been suspended, and who, having received a summons, fails to appear on a trial date without justifiable grounds, is punished by imprisonment for not more than two years.

①The court may, when it deems it necessary, have the public prosecutor or defense counsel appear for the trial preparation or trial date and order said person to be present during these proceedings or to be present in court.

②The presiding judge may, in a case requiring urgency, give the order set forth in the provisions of the preceding paragraph or may delegate the order to a judge who is a member of a panel.

③If the public prosecutor or defense counsel, who is subject to an order pursuant to the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs, disobeys the order without a justifiable reason, the court may punish said person by making a ruling for a non-criminal fine of not more than 100,000 yen and order said person to compensate for the expenses incurred due to disobeying said order.

④An immediate appeal against the ruling prescribed in the preceding paragraph may be filed.

⑤If the court has rendered the ruling set forth in paragraph (3), it must notify the person with the authority to direct and supervise the public prosecutor with regard to such prosecutor and the bar association to which the attorney belongs or the Japan Federation of Bar Associations with regard to the attorney who is acting as defense counsel, and must request that appropriate measures be taken.

⑥The person who has received the request pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph must notify the court of the measures that were taken.

The court may, upon the request of the public prosecutor, the defendant or the defense counsel, or ex officio, ask public offices or public or private organizations for reports on particulars necessary for the trial.

①From the institution of prosecution to the first trial date, a judge takes charge of the disposition concerning detention.

②If a suspect who has been arrested pursuant to Article 199 or 210, or has been arrested as an offender caught in the act and has not yet been detained is prosecuted during the time limitations prescribed in Article 204 or 205, the judge must promptly notify the defendant of the facts charged, hear the defendant's statement and, unless issuing a detention warrant, must order release of the defendant immediately.

③The judge prescribed in the preceding two paragraphs has the same authority as the court or the presiding judge regarding the proceedings thereof.

Only if the court deems it necessary after considering the particulars prescribed in Article 158 and hearing the opinions of the public prosecutor and the defendant or the defense counsel, the court may examine the witness on a day other than the trial date.

When the defendant is present at the examination of a witness on a day other than the trial date and the court finds that the witness feels pressure and is unable to give sufficient testimony in the presence of the defendant (including cases when the measures provided in Article 157-5, paragraph (1) are taken or the means provided in Article 157-6, paragraph (1) or (2) is used), the court may have the defendant leave the courtroom during the testimony of the witness, after hearing the opinions of the public prosecutor and the defense counsel, only when the defense counsel is present. In this case, after the witness has testified, the court must notify the defendant of an outline of the testimony and give the defendant an opportunity to examine the witness.

The defense counsel must appropriately keep safe custody of the copies of evidence (copies and materials which accurately record all or part of the evidence), which the public prosecutor has given the opportunity to inspect or copy for the preparation of the trial, and may not entrust custody to others without reason.

①The defendant or the defense counsel (including the defense counsel provided for in Article 440) or those who were formerly in such position must not deliver, present or send by telecommunication lines to others copies and other materials of the evidence which the public prosecutor has given the opportunity to inspect or copy for the preparation of the proceedings of a case charged to the court, unless for the intention of use in the following procedures or for the preparation thereof:

②When taking measures for violation of the provisions in the preceding paragraph, the court is to consider the contents of the copies and other materials, the intent and mode of the violation, whether or not the reputation of the related persons has been damaged, if the privacy or the affairs of the related persons have been violated, whether or not the evidence relating to the copies and other materials has been examined on the trial date, the method of examination and any other related particulars taking into account the right to defense of the defendant.

①A defendant or a person who was formerly a defendant, who delivers, presents or sends by telecommunication lines to others copies of evidence pertaining to evidence which the public prosecutor has given the opportunity to inspect or copy for the preparation of the trial of the case charged, for a purpose other than for use in the procedures prescribed in the items of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article or the preparation thereof, is punished by imprisonment for not more than a year or a fine of not more than 500,000 yen.

②The same applies when a defense counsel (including the defense counsel provided for in Article 440, hereinafter the same applies in this paragraph) or a person who was formerly a defense counsel delivers, presents or sends by telecommunication lines to others for the purpose of obtaining property profits or other profits as consideration, copies and other materials of the evidence which the public prosecutor has given the opportunity to inspect or copy.

①The court must, insofar as possible, hold a trial on successive days in cases which require two or more days for the proceedings.

②Persons concerned in the case must observe the trial dates strictly and must not interfere with the proceedings.

①Examinations on a trial date are to be conducted in open court.

②The open court is to be convened in the assembled presence of judges, court clerks and public prosecutors.

When the defendant is a corporation, it may have a representative appear at the trial.

The defendant is not required to appear on the trial date in cases which are punishable with a fine of no more than 500,000 yen (50,000 yen for the time being in cases other than violation of the Penal Code, the Act on Punishment of Physical Violence and Others and the Act on Penal Provisions related to Economic Activities) or with a petty fine; provided however, that the defendant may have a representative appear on the trial date.

①The defendant in a case in which penal detention is applicable must appear on the trial date when judgment is to be pronounced. In other cases, the court may permit the defendant not to appear on the trial date when the court deems that the attendance of the defendant is not important for the protection of the rights of the defendant.

②The defendant in a case punishable by imprisonment whose maximum term is three years or less, or a fine exceeding 500,000 yen (50,000 yen for the time being for crimes other than those under the Penal Code, the Act on Punishment of Physical Violence and Others and the Act on Penal Provisions related to Economic Activities), must appear on the trial date when the proceedings prescribed in Article 291 are conducted and when judgment is pronounced. In other cases, the second sentence of the preceding paragraph is followed.

A trial may not, except in the cases prescribed in the preceding three Articles, be convened when the defendant does not appear on the trial date.

When the court cannot be convened without the appearance of the defendant, and the defendant, who is under detention has been summoned for the trial date but refuses to appear without a justifiable reason, and it is extremely difficult for the officials of the penal institution to bring the defendant to the court, the court may conduct the proceedings of the trial on that date without the appearance of the defendant.

①The defendant must not be restrained during the trial; provided however, that this does not apply when the defendant employs violence or attempts to escape.

②Even when the defendant is not restrained, guards may be assigned to guard the defendant.