A municipality is to keep a basic resident register, and record, for its residents, the matters required to be entered under the provisions of Article 7 and Article 30-45.

①The mayor of the municipality must prepare the basic resident register by organizing, by household, certificates of residence for each individual.

②The mayor of the municipality may, when the mayor finds it appropriate, make the household the unit for all or part of the certificates of residence referred to in the preceding paragraph.

③The mayor of the municipality may, as specified by Cabinet Order, prepare the certificates of residence referred to in paragraph (1) by means of a magnetic disk (including any device on which specified matters can be reliably recorded by a method equivalent thereto; the same applies hereinafter).

The following matters are to be stated in a certificate of residence (or, for a certificate of residence prepared by means of a magnetic disk under the provisions of paragraph (3) of the preceding Article, recorded; the same applies hereinafter).

An entry in a certificate of residence, a deletion, or an amendment of an entry (hereinafter referred to as "entry, etc. in a certificate of residence") is to be made, in addition to under the provisions of Article 30-3, paragraphs (1) and (2), Article 30-4, paragraph (3), and Article 30-5, based on a notification under the provisions of Chapter IV or Chapter IV-4, or ex officio, as specified by Cabinet Order.

①When the mayor of a municipality has made an entry in a certificate of residence for a person who has changed his or her address from another municipality to within the area of the municipality, the mayor must, without delay, notify the mayor of that other municipality to that effect.

②If the mayor of a municipality has accepted a notification form, application, or other document concerning the family register, or has made an entry or record in the family register ex officio, for a person other than a resident of that municipality, and an entry, etc. in a certificate of residence should be made at the address of that person, the mayor must, without delay, notify the mayor of the municipality of that address of the matters for which the entry, etc. in a certificate of residence should be made.

③Notification under the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs is to be made, as specified by Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Order (or, for a notification under the provisions of the preceding paragraph, by Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Order and Ministry of Justice Order; the same applies in this paragraph), by transmission from a computer (including an input/output device; the same applies hereinafter) used by the mayor of the municipality, through an electric telecommunications line, to a computer used by the mayor of the other municipality who is the counterparty; provided, however, that this does not apply in a case specified by Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Order.

When the election administration commission of a municipality has made a registration in the pollbook under the provisions of Article 22, paragraph (1) or (3), Article 24, paragraph (2), or Article 26 of the Public Offices Election Act (Act No. 100 of 1950), or has deleted a registration from the pollbook under the provisions of that paragraph or Article 28 of that Act, the commission must, without delay, notify the mayor of the municipality to that effect.

The mayor of the municipality may, when the mayor finds it necessary, re-prepare the certificates of residence.

①The State or an organ of a local public entity may, if it is necessary for the performance of affairs specified by laws and regulations, request the mayor of a municipality to have an employee of the State or the organ of the local public entity who is designated by the State or the organ of the local public entity inspect the copy of the part of the basic resident register kept by that municipality that relates to the matters listed in Article 7, items (i) to (iii) and item (vii) (for the matters listed in that item, the address; the same applies hereinafter in this paragraph) (or, for a municipality that has prepared the basic resident register by preparing certificates of residence by means of a magnetic disk under the provisions of Article 6, paragraph (3), a document stating the matters listed in Article 7, items (i) to (iii) and item (vii) among the matters recorded in that basic resident register; hereinafter referred to in this Article, the following Article, and Article 50 as the "partial copy of the Basic Resident Register").

②A request under the provisions of the preceding paragraph must be made by clarifying the following matters, as specified by Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Order.

③The mayor of the municipality is to publish, at least once each year, regarding the status of inspection of the partial copy of the Basic Resident Register relating to a request under the provisions of paragraph (1) (excluding one relating to a request for a criminal investigation, etc.), the name of the State or the organ of the local public entity that made the request, an outline of the reason for the request, and other matters specified by Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Order.

①The 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)).

②A 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.

③Where 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.

④The 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.

⑤A 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.

⑥The 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.

⑦The 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.

⑧The 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.

⑨The 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.

⑩Notwithstanding 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.

⑪The 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.

⑫The 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).

①A 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").

②A 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.

③When 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.

④In 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.

⑤The 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.

⑥The 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.

⑦A 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.

①An organ of the State or a local public entity may, when it is necessary for the performance of duties specified by laws and regulations, request the mayor of the municipality to issue a copy of the certificate of residence pertaining to a person recorded in the basic resident register kept by that municipality, with the entries of the matters listed in Article 7, item (viii)-2 and item (xiii) omitted, or a certificate of items stated in resident register concerning the matters listed in items (i) through (viii), items (ix) through (xii), and item (xiv) of the same Article.

②A 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.

③When 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 a document showing that the person is an employee of the organ of the State or the local public entity, 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.

④The 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), items (ix) through (xii), and item (xiv) omitted.

⑤An organ of the State or a local public entity that 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.

①The mayor of the municipality may, in addition to what is provided for under the provisions of the preceding two Articles, when there has been a request from a person listed in the following items, with regard to the basic resident register kept by that municipality, to the effect that a copy of the certificate of residence showing only the basic certified matters (meaning the matters listed in Article 7, items (i) through (iii) and items (vi) through (viii); hereinafter the same applies in this paragraph and paragraph (7)) or a certificate of items stated in resident register concerning the basic certified matters is necessary, and finds that request to be reasonable, issue that copy of the certificate of residence or certificate of items stated in resident register to the person making that request.

②The mayor of the municipality may, in addition to what is provided for under the provisions of the preceding two Articles and the preceding paragraph, when there has been a request from a specified mandated professional, with regard to the basic resident register kept by that municipality, to the effect that a copy of the certificate of residence or a certificate of items stated in resident register prescribed in the preceding paragraph is necessary, on the ground that the client of the case or affairs entrusted to the specified mandated professional falls under a person listed in the items of that paragraph, and finds that request to be reasonable, issue that copy of the certificate of residence or certificate of items stated in resident register to that specified mandated professional.

③The "specified mandated professional" prescribed in the preceding paragraph means an attorney (including a legal professional corporation and a joint corporation of attorneys and registered foreign lawyers), a judicial scrivener (including a judicial scrivener corporation), a land and house investigator (including a land and house investigator corporation), a certified public tax accountant (including a certified public tax accountant corporation), a labor and social security attorney (including a labor and social security attorney corporation), a patent attorney (including a patent attorney corporation), a maritime procedure agent, or an administrative scrivener (including an administrative scrivener corporation).

④A request under paragraph (1) or paragraph (2) must be made in a manner that makes clear the following matters, as specified by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

⑤When making a request under paragraph (1) or paragraph (2), the person actually undertaking the request must make clear to the mayor of the municipality, by the method of presenting an Individual Number Card 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.

⑥In 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.

⑦Where a person making the request needs, in order to achieve the purpose of use set out in paragraph (4), item (iv), a copy of the certificate of residence showing all or part of the matters other than the basic certified matters (excluding the matters set out in Article 7, item (viii)-2 and item (xiii); the same applies in the rest of this paragraph), in addition to the basic certified matters, or a certificate of items stated in resident register stating all or part of the matters other than the basic certified matters, in addition to the basic certified matters, that person may, when making the request under paragraph (1) or paragraph (2), notify the mayor of the municipality to that effect.

⑧Where the mayor of the municipality finds the request made under the preceding paragraph reasonable, the mayor may, in lieu of the copy of the certificate of residence or the certificate of items stated in resident register prescribed in paragraph (1), issue the copy of the certificate of residence or the certificate of items stated in resident register prescribed in the preceding paragraph.

⑨A person intending to make the request under paragraph (1) or paragraph (2) may request that the copy of the certificate of residence or the certificate of items stated in resident register prescribed in paragraph (1) be sent by mail or another method specified by Ministerial Order.

①A person recorded in the basic resident register may request the mayor of a municipality other than the mayor of the municipality that maintains the basic resident register in which that person is recorded (hereinafter in this Article referred to as the "mayor of the municipality of domicile") to issue a copy of the certificate of residence relating to that person or a person belonging to the same household as that person, from which the matters set out in Article 7, item (v), item (ix) through item (xii), and item (xiv) are omitted. In this case, the person making the request must, as specified by Ministerial Order, present an Individual Number Card or a document specified by Ministerial Order in making the request.

②The mayor of the municipality that received the request under the preceding paragraph (hereinafter in this Article referred to as the "mayor of the issuing municipality") must notify the matters specified by Cabinet Order to the mayor of the municipality of domicile of the person who made the request under that paragraph.

③The mayor of the municipality of domicile who received the notice under the preceding paragraph must notify the matters specified by Cabinet Order to the mayor of the issuing municipality.

④The mayor of the issuing municipality who received the notice under the preceding paragraph is to, as specified by Cabinet Order, prepare a copy of the certificate of residence relating to the request under paragraph (1) and issue it to the person who made the request under that paragraph. In this case, the mayor of the issuing municipality may, unless a special request is made, issue the copy of the certificate of residence prescribed in that paragraph from which all or part of the matters set out in Article 7, item (iv), item (viii)-2, and item (xiii) are omitted.

⑤The notice under paragraph (2) or paragraph (3) is to be given, as specified by Ministerial Order, by transmitting it via a telecommunications line from a computer used by the mayor of the issuing municipality or the mayor of the municipality of domicile to a computer used by the other party, the mayor of the municipality of domicile or the mayor of the issuing municipality.

⑥Article 12, paragraph (2) (excluding item (ii)) and paragraph (6) apply mutatis mutandis to a request under paragraph (1). In this case, the term "the mayor of the municipality" in paragraph (6) of that Article is deemed to be replaced with "the mayor of the issuing municipality prescribed in Article 12-4, paragraph (2)".

Where the prefectural governor discovers, in managing or executing the governor's affairs, that there is an omission or erroneous entry in the basic resident register of a municipality within the area of the prefecture, or that there is an error or omission in the entries of a certificate of residence, the governor must, without delay, notify the mayor of the municipality that maintains the basic resident register to that effect.

A commission of a municipality (meaning a commission prescribed in Article 138-4, paragraph (1) of the Local Autonomy Act (Act No. 67 of 1947); the same applies in Article 20-3) must, where it finds, in managing or executing its affairs, that there is an omission or erroneous entry in the basic resident register, or that there is an error or omission in the entries of a certificate of residence, notify the mayor of the municipality to that effect without delay.

①Where the mayor of the municipality discovers, through managing and executing the mayor's affairs, or through a notice or notification given under Article 10 or the preceding two Articles, or an investigation under Article 34, paragraph (1) or paragraph (2), that there is an omission or erroneous entry in the basic resident register, or that there is an error or omission in the entries of a certificate of residence, the mayor must take the measures necessary to ensure accurate entries in the basic resident register, including demanding that the person under obligation to give notification do so.

②A person recorded in the basic resident register may, where that person finds that there is an error or omission in the entries of a certificate of residence relating to that person or a person belonging to the same household as that person, notify the mayor of the municipality that maintains the basic resident register in which that person is recorded to that effect.

①Registration in the pollbook is to be made for a person recorded in the basic resident register, or a person who had been recorded in the basic resident register and has the right to vote, as prescribed in Article 21, paragraph (2) of the Public Offices Election Act (Act No. 100 of 1950).

②Where the mayor of the municipality has made an entry, etc. in a certificate of residence under Article 8, the mayor must, without delay, notify the election administration commission of that municipality of the matters relating to registration in the pollbook among the entry, etc. in the certificate of residence.

③The election administration commission of the municipality must endeavor to ensure that the matters notified under the preceding paragraph are not used for a wrongful purpose.

①Where the mayor of the municipality has deleted a certificate of residence (in the case of a certificate of residence prepared by household unit, the entire certificate) or has re-prepared a certificate of residence, the mayor must remove the deleted certificate of residence or the certificate of residence prior to re-preparation (hereinafter collectively referred to as a "removed certificate of residence") from the basic resident register, file it separately, and preserve it as the register of removed certificates of residence.

②In a municipality that prepares certificates of residence using a magnetic disk under Article 6, paragraph (3), the municipality may accumulate removed certificates of residence prepared using a magnetic disk and treat them as the register of removed certificates of residence.

①In a removed certificate of residence, in addition to the matters that had been entered in the certificate of residence relating to that removed certificate of residence, an entry is made (or, for a removed certificate of residence prepared using a magnetic disk under paragraph (2) of the preceding Article, a record is made; the same applies below) of the reason for deleting that certificate of residence (in the case of moving out (meaning moving one's domicile outside the area of a municipality; the same applies below), the fact that it was deleted due to moving out and the address of the destination of the move) and the date on which that reason arose (in the case where the certificate of residence was deleted based on a notification under Article 24, the scheduled date of moving out), or of the fact that it was re-prepared and the date of that re-preparation.

②The mayor of the municipality who has received a notice under Article 9, paragraph (1) makes an entry, in the removed certificate of residence relating to that notice, to the effect that the person has moved out.

①A person entered in a removed certificate of residence preserved by a municipality may request the mayor of the municipality to issue a copy of the removed certificate of residence relating to that person (in a municipality that prepares removed certificates of residence using a magnetic disk under Article 15-2, paragraph (2), a document stating the matters recorded in that removed certificate of residence; the same applies in the following paragraph and paragraph (3), and in Article 46, item (ii)) or a certificate concerning the matters entered in the removed certificate of residence (referred to as a "certificate of items stated in removed certificate of residence" in the following paragraph and paragraph (3), and in that item).

②Where it is necessary for the performance of affairs specified by laws and regulations, the State or an organ of a local public entity may request the mayor of the municipality to issue a copy of a removed certificate of residence preserved by that municipality, from which the matters set out in Article 7, item (viii)-2 and item (xiii) are omitted, or a certificate of items stated in removed certificate of residence relating to the matters set out in Article 7, item (i) through item (viii), item (ix) through item (xii), and item (xiv), and other matters specified by Cabinet Order.

③In addition to the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs, when, with respect to a removed certificate of residence retained by the municipality, the mayor of the municipality receives from a person listed below an application stating that a copy of the removed certificate of residence showing only the basic certified matters of a removed certificate of residence (meaning the matters listed in Article 7, items (i) through (iii) and items (vi) through (viii) and other matters specified by Cabinet Order; hereinafter the same applies in this paragraph), or a certificate of items stated in removed certificate of residence relating to the basic certified matters of a removed certificate of residence, is necessary, and finds the application reasonable, the mayor may issue that copy of the removed certificate of residence or certificate of items stated in removed certificate of residence to the person making the application.

④In addition to the provisions of the preceding three paragraphs, when, with respect to a removed certificate of residence retained by the municipality, the mayor of the municipality receives from a specified mandated professional prescribed in Article 12-3, paragraph (3) an application stating that a copy of the removed certificate of residence or a certificate of items stated in a removed certificate of residence prescribed in the preceding paragraph is necessary, on the ground that the client in the matter or affairs entrusted to the specified mandated professional falls under a person listed in the items of the preceding paragraph, and finds the application reasonable, the mayor may issue that copy of the removed certificate of residence or certificate of items stated in a removed certificate of residence to the specified mandated professional.