①If two or more contracts for liability insurance or mutual liability insurance have been concluded for the same automobile, the insurer or cooperative is released from the liability to indemnify for damage, pay damages under Article 16, paragraph (1) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 23-3, paragraph (1)), or make a provisional payout under Article 17, paragraph (1) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 23-3, paragraph (1)) (in the following paragraph, referred to as "indemnity for damage or other payment"), under any contract other than the earliest-concluded contract, in connection with an accident arising from the operation of an automobile during a coverage period or period of coverage under mutual insurance that overlaps with the earliest-concluded contract's coverage period or period of coverage under mutual insurance.

②In a case as referred to in the preceding paragraph, if there are multiple contracts that constitute the earliest-concluded contract as referred to in that paragraph, an insurer or the cooperative that has concluded one of those contracts is released from the liability to provide an indemnity for damage or other payment beyond the amount arrived at when the amount payable as an indemnity for damage or other payment under that contract is divided by the number of contracts.

③Unless an insurer, cooperative, or injured party is aware that the contract under which a claim has been made is not an earliest-concluded contract as referred to in paragraph (1), if, on receipt of a claim for damages under Article 16, paragraph (1) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 23-3, paragraph (1)) or for a provisional payout under Article 17, paragraph (1) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 23-3, paragraph (1)) (hereinafter referred to as the "payment of damages or a provisional payout" in this and the following paragraph), the insurer or cooperative makes a payment of damages or a provisional payout as a benefit under a contract other than the earliest-concluded contract as referred to in paragraph (1), it acquires the rights that the injured party holds against the person that is liable to compensate for the damage, and it also loses the right to demand the return of that benefit from the injured party, to the extent of the benefit it has paid.

④The preceding paragraph applies mutatis mutandis if an insurer or cooperative pays, as a payment of damages or a provisional payout, an amount of money that, pursuant to paragraph (2), it is to be released from the liability to pay under an earliest-concluded contract as referred to in paragraph (1). In such a case, the term "that the contract under which a claim has been made is not an earliest-concluded contract as referred to in paragraph (1)" in the preceding paragraph is deemed to be replaced with "that, in addition to the contract under which a claim has been made, there is another contract that constitutes an earliest-concluded contract as referred to in paragraph (1)" and "the benefit it has paid" is deemed to be replaced with "the amount of money that, pursuant to paragraph (2), it is to be released from the liability to pay".

The Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism administers operations for the government's Program for Automobile Accident Countermeasures.

①The Prime Minister delegates the authority under this Act (other than that which Cabinet Order prescribes) to the Commissioner of the Financial Services Agency.

②It is permissible to have the director of a regional transportation bureau implement the things that, pursuant to Article 10-2, the preceding Chapter, and Article 85, are subject to the authority of the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, pursuant to Cabinet Order.

①It is prohibited for any person to forge or alter an insurance sticker, mutual insurance sticker, or insurance/mutual insurance exemption sticker, or to use any such forged or altered item, with the intent to utter it.

②It is prohibited for any person to manufacture an item whose appearance could cause it to be confused with an insurance sticker, mutual insurance sticker, or insurance/mutual insurance exemption sticker, or to use any such item, with the intent to utter it.

③Other than in a case under this Act or if there are otherwise legitimate reasons for doing so, it is prohibited for any person to issue an insurance sticker or mutual insurance sticker to another person.

④Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism prescribes the particulars with which insurers and cooperatives must comply to ensure the proper issuance of insurance stickers and mutual insurance stickers.

①On finding that it is necessary to do so in order to achieve the purpose referred to in Article 1, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism may have the relevant officials require any person driving an automobile to present certificate of automobile liability insurance or certificate of mutual automobile liability insurance, on the road or at any other place where the automobile is located.

②An official as referred to in the preceding paragraph must carry identification and present it at the request of any person concerned.

Beyond what is provided for in this Act, Cabinet Order prescribes the necessary particulars for bringing this Act into force.

In exercising the authority provided for in this Act, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism must endeavor to ensure that there is no lack of protection for injured parties.