When disclosure is to be made for all or a part of the administrative documents related to a request for disclosure, the head of an administrative organ must make a decision for the disclosure and notify the disclosure requester in writing of that fact and the matters specified by Cabinet Order concerning the implementation of the disclosure.
If the head of an administrative organ decides not to disclose all of the administrative documents related to a request for disclosure (including when refusing a request for disclosure pursuant to the provisions of the preceding Article and when administrative documents related to a request for disclosure are not held), they must make a decision on not making a disclosure and notify the disclosure requester in writing of that fact.
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(Information concerning the Existence or Non-Existence of Administrative Documents)
When non-disclosure information is to be disclosed by merely answering whether the administrative document related to a request for disclosure exists or not for a request for disclosure…
開示請求に対し、当該開示請求に係る行政文書が存在しているか否かを答えるだけで、不開示情報を開示することとなるときは、行政機関の長は、当該行政文書の存否を明らかにしないで、当該開示請求を拒否することができる。
Open this provisionadministrative document
「行政文書」
Documents, drawings and electronic or magnetic records (電磁的記録) that employees of an administrative organ (行政機関) have made or obtained in their work and that the organ holds for its employees' organizational use, except publications issued for sale to the general public such as the official gazette (官報), white papers and books; specified historical public records (特定歴史公文書等), the historical records moved to, or donated to or deposited with, the National Archives (国立公文書館) and similar archives under the Public Records and Archives Management Act; and materials under special management as historical, cultural or research materials at research institutes and other facilities a Cabinet Order (政令) names.
Defined inArticle 2, paragraph (2)· applies throughout the law
head of an administrative organmachine translation
「行政機関の長」
The head of an administrative organ (行政機関), to whom anyone may make a request for disclosure of the administrative documents (行政文書) that organ holds; for the organs a Cabinet Order (政令) designates under Article 2, paragraph (1), items (iv) and (v), it is instead the person a Cabinet Order names for each of those organs.
Defined inArticle 3, paragraph (1)
request for disclosure
「開示請求」
A request, which anyone may make under Article 3 by submitting a written request for disclosure (開示請求書) to the head of an administrative organ (行政機関), for disclosure of an administrative document (行政文書) that organ holds.
Short name set inArticle 4, paragraph (1)
disclosure requester
「開示請求者」
A person who has made a request for disclosure (開示請求) of an administrative document (行政文書) under this Act.
Short name set inArticle 4, paragraph (2)