Article 81Measures for Illegal Structures and Objects

①The chief of a police station may order a person as referred to in one of the following items to remove, move, or repair the structure or object (hereinafter referred to in this Section as a "structure or object") that is involved in the referenced violation, discontinue the construction or work (hereinafter referred to in this Section as "construction or work") that is involved in the referenced violation, or take other necessary measures in connection with the structure or object or construction or work that is involved in the referenced violation, in order to prevent a road hazard or eliminate a traffic obstruction:

②If unable to ascertain the name and address of the person set forth in item (i), (ii), or (iii) of the preceding paragraph, and if therefore unable to order that person to take the measures under the preceding paragraph, the chief of the police station may personally take the measures. In such a case, if the chief of the police station removes a structure or object, the chief must store it as its custodian.

③Having come to store a structure or object pursuant to the second sentence of the preceding paragraph, the chief of a police station must issue public notice of the information that Cabinet Order prescribes or take other necessary measures that Cabinet Order prescribes to return the structure or object to the person in possession or owner of the structure or object or to any other person holding title to the structure or object (hereinafter referred to in this Article and Article 82 as the "person in possession, owner, or holder of title").

④If a structure or object stored pursuant to paragraph (2) is likely to be lost or damaged, or if such a structure or object remains unreturned three months after the date of public notice as under the preceding paragraph and the cost or effort required to store it is unreasonable compared to its value as appraised pursuant to Cabinet Order, the chief of the police station may sell the structure or object and store the proceeds of the sale as the custodian thereof, pursuant to Cabinet Order.

⑤If there is no purchaser for a structure or object in a sale as under the preceding paragraph and the value of the structure or object as prescribed in that paragraph is very low, the chief of the police station may dispose of it.

⑥The proceeds of a sale undertaken pursuant to paragraph (4) may be allocated to cover the expenses required to conduct that sale.

⑦The expenses required for things such as the removal, moving, repair, retention, sale, and public notice in connection with a structure or object as prescribed in paragraphs (2) through (4) are borne by the person in possession, owner, or holder of title to whom the structure or object should be returned.

⑧The chief of the police station must set the amount, due date, and place for payment of the charges payable by the person in possession, owner, or holder of title pursuant to the preceding paragraph, and must issue a written order to that person to pay them.

⑨If a person ordered to make a payment pursuant to the preceding paragraph fails to do so before the due date, the chief of the police station must issue a written demand that fixes the due date for payment. In such a case, the chief of the police station may collect a fine for delinquency of up to the amount calculated as representing 14.5 percent per annum of the charges payable, and may collect a fee for the necessary costs of issuing the demand.

⑪Charges, fines, and fees paid and collected are the revenue of the prefecture where the police station is located.

⑫If a structure or object stored pursuant to paragraph (2) (or the proceed of its sale pursuant to paragraph (4); the same applies hereinafter in this paragraph) remains unreturned six months after the date of the public notice prescribed in paragraph (3), ownership of the structure or object vests in the prefecture where the police station is located.