Section 1 General Provisions
第一節 総則
Article 939Method of Public Notice of a Company
第九百三十九条（会社の公告方法）
A company may prescribe any one of the following methods as the method of public notice in its articles of incorporation:
publication in Official Gazette;
官報に掲載する方法
publication in a daily newspaper that publishes matters on current affairs; or
時事に関する事項を掲載する日刊新聞紙に掲載する方法
A foreign company may prescribe any one of the methods set forth in the items of the preceding paragraph as the method of public notice.
If a company or a foreign company prescribes to the effect that the method set forth in paragraph (1), item (iii) is to be the method of public notice, it is sufficient to prescribe to the effect that electronic public notice is the method of public notice. In these cases, the method set forth in item (i) or item (ii) of that paragraph may be prescribed as the method of public notice for cases where it is unable to give public notice by way of electronic public notice due to an accident or other unavoidable circumstances.
The method of public notice of a company or a foreign company that does not have the provisions under the provisions of paragraph (1) or paragraph (2) is the method referred to in paragraph (1), item (i).
Article 940Public Notice Period of Electronic Public Notice
第九百四十条（電子公告の公告期間等）
If a stock company or a membership company gives public notice under the provisions of this Act by way of electronic public notice, it must give public notice by way of electronic public notice continuously until the days specified in the following items for the categories of public notice set forth respectively in those items:
public notice if the public notice must be given a certain period prior to a specified date pursuant to the provisions of this Act:the specified date;
この法律の規定により特定の日の一定の期間前に公告しなければならない場合における当該公告 当該特定の日
public notice under the provisions of Article 440, paragraph (1):the day on which five years have elapsed from the day of the conclusion of the annual shareholders meeting referred to in that paragraph;
public notice to the effect that objections may be stated within the period specified in the public notice:the day on which the period has elapsed; and
公告に定める期間内に異議を述べることができる旨の公告 当該期間を経過する日
public notice other than that referred in the preceding three items:the day on which one month has elapsed from the start of relevant public notice.
前三号に掲げる公告以外の公告 当該公告の開始後一箇月を経過する日
If a foreign company gives public notice under the provisions of Article 819, paragraph (1) by way of electronic public notice, it must give public notice by way of electronic public notice continuously until the day on which five years have elapsed from the day of the conclusion of the procedure referred to in that paragraph.
Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs, if an interruption of public notice (meaning that the information, which was made available to the general public, is no longer made available or that the information has been altered after being made available to the general public; hereinafter the same applies in this paragraph) occurs during the period in which public notice was to be given by way of electronic public notice pursuant to these provisions (hereinafter referred to as the "public notice period" in this Chapter), if all of the following conditions are met, that interruption of public notice does not affect the effects of relevant public notice:
the company acts in good faith and without gross negligence without gross negligence or the company has justifiable grounds with regard to the occurrence of the interruption of public notice;
公告の中断が生ずることにつき会社が善意でかつ重大な過失がないこと又は会社に正当な事由があること。
the total time during which the interruption of public notice has occurred does not exceed one-tenth of the public notice period; and
公告の中断が生じた時間の合計が公告期間の十分の一を超えないこと。
promptly after learning about the occurrence of the interruption of public notice, the company has given public notice of that fact, the time when the interruption of public notice occurred and the details of the interruption of public notice by appending the information to the relevant public notice.
会社が公告の中断が生じたことを知った後速やかにその旨、公告の中断が生じた時間及び公告の中断の内容を当該公告に付して公告したこと。
Section 2 Electronic Public Notice Investigation Body
第二節 電子公告調査機関
Article 941Electronic Public Notice Investigation
第九百四十一条（電子公告調査）
A company that intends to give public notice under the provisions of this Act or another Act (excluding the public notice under the provisions of Article 440, paragraph (1); hereinafter the same applies in this Section) by way of electronic public notice must request a person who has been registered by the Minister of Justice (hereinafter referred to as an "investigation body" in this Section) to carry out an investigation as to whether the information contained in relevant public notice is being made available to the general public during the public notice period, pursuant to the provisions of Ministry of Justice Order.
第九百四十二条（登録）
The registration referred to in the preceding Article (hereinafter simply referred to as the "registration" in this Section) is made through an application by a person who intends to conduct the investigation under the provisions of that Article (hereinafter referred to as the "electronic public notice investigation" in this Section).
A person who intends to obtain the registration must pay a fee to the amount specified by Cabinet Order by giving consideration to the actual cost.
登録を受けようとする者は、実費を勘案して政令で定める額の手数料を納付しなければならない。
Article 943Grounds for Disqualification
第九百四十三条（欠格事由）
A person who falls under any one of the following categories of persons may not obtain the registration:
次のいずれかに該当する者は、登録を受けることができない。
a person who has been sentenced to a fine or a severer punishment for the violation of the provisions of this Section or the provisions of Article 955, paragraph (1) as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 97-4, paragraph (5) of the Agricultural Cooperatives Act (Act No. 132 of 1947), Article 50-2, paragraph (10) and Article 66-40, paragraph (6) of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, Article 34-20, paragraph (6) and Article 34-23, paragraph (4) of the Certified Public Accountants Act, Article 26, paragraph (6) of the Consumer Cooperatives Act (Act No. 200 of 1948), Article 126-4, paragraph (5) of the Fisheries Cooperatives Act (Act No. 242 of 1948), Article 33, paragraph (7) of the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Cooperatives Act (Act No. 181 of 1949) (including the cases where it is applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 20 of the Export Fisheries Promotion Act (Act No. 154 of 1954) and Article 5-23, paragraph (3) and Article 47, paragraph (2) of the Act on Organizations of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (Act No. 185 of 1957)), Article 30-28, paragraph (6) of the Attorneys Act (Act No. 205 of 1949) (including the cases where it is applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 43, paragraph (3) of that Act and Article 67, paragraph (2), Article 80, paragraph (1), and Article 82, paragraph (3) of the Act on the Handling of Legal Services by Foreign Lawyers (Act No. 66 of 1986) ), Article 55, paragraph (3) of the Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Union Act (Act No. 177 of 1950), Article 45-2, paragraph (6) of the Judicial Scrivener Act (Act No. 197 of 1950), Article 40-2, paragraph (6) of the Land and House Investigator Act (Act No. 228 of 1950), Article 11, paragraph (9) of the Commodity Futures Act (Act No. 239 of 1950), Article 13-20-2, paragraph (6) of the Administrative Scrivener Act (Act No. 4 of 1951), Article 25, paragraph (2) of the Act on Securities Investment Trust and Securities Investment Corporations (Act No. 198 of 1951) (including the cases where it is applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 59 of that Act) and Article 186-2, paragraph (4) of that Act, Article 48-19-2, paragraph (6) of the Certified Public Tax Accountant Act (including the cases where it is applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 49-12, paragraph (3) of that Act), Article 87-4, paragraph (4) of the Shinkin Bank Act (Act No. 238 of 1951), Article 15, paragraph (6) of the Export and Import Transaction Act (Act No. 299 of 1952) (including the cases where it is applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 19-6 of that Act), Article 55, paragraph (5) of the Loan Security Act for Small and Medium Sized Fishery Industry (Act No. 346 of 1952), Article 91-4, paragraph (4) of the Labor Bank Act (Act No. 227 of 1953), Article 16, paragraph (8) of the Research and Development Partnerships Act (Act No. 81 of 1961), Article 48-3, paragraph (5) of the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Insurance Act (Act No. 204 of 1961) (including the cases where it is applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 48-9, paragraph (7) of that Act), Article 25-23-2, paragraph (6) of the Act on Public Consultants on Social and Labor Insurance (Act No. 89 of 1968), Article 8-2, paragraph (5) of the Forestry Partnership Act (Act No. 36 of 1978), Article 49-2, paragraph (2) and Article 52-60-36, paragraph (7) of the Banking Act (including the cases where it is applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 6-5, paragraph (1) of the Act on Financial Businesses by Cooperatives (Act No. 183 of 1949) and Article 89, paragraph (7) of the Shinkin Bank Act), Article 67-2 and Article 217, paragraph (3) of the Insurance Business Act (Act No. 105 of 1995), Article 194, paragraph (4) of the Act on Securitization of Assets (Act No. 105 of 1998), Article 53-2, paragraph (6) of the Patent Attorney Act (Act No. 49 of 2000), Article 96-2, paragraph (4) of the Norinchukin Bank Act (Act No. 93 of 2001), Article 57, paragraph (6) of the Trust Business Act, Article 333 of the Act on General Incorporated Association and General Incorporated Foundation, Article 20, paragraph (4), Article 61, paragraph (7), Article 62-25, paragraph (7), and Article 63-20, paragraph (7) of the Payment Services Act (Act No. 59 of 2009), and Article 29, paragraph (6) of the Workers' Cooperatives Act (Act No. 78 of 2020) (including the cases where it is applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 111, paragraph (2) of that Act) (hereinafter collectively referred to as the "electronic public notice related provisions" in this Section) or the violation of an order based on the provisions of this Section and where two years have yet to elapse from the day on which the execution of the sentence has been completed or the sentence has become no longer applicable;
この節の規定若しくは農業協同組合法（昭和二十二年法律第百三十二号）第九十七条の四第五項、金融商品取引法第五十条の二第十項及び第六十六条の四十第六項、公認会計士法第三十四条の二十第六項及び第三十四条の二十三第四項、消費生活協同組合法（昭和二十三年法律第二百号）第二十六条第六項、水産業協同組合法（昭和二十三年法律第二百四十二号）第百二十六条の四第五項、中小企業等協同組合法（昭和二十四年法律第百八十一号）第三十三条第七項（輸出水産業の振興に関する法律（昭和二十九年法律第百五十四号）第二十条並びに中小企業団体の組織に関する法律（昭和三十二年法律第百八十五号）第五条の二十三第三項及び第四十七条第二項において準用する場合を含む。）、弁護士法（昭和二十四年法律第二百五号）第三十条の二十八第六項（同法第四十三条第三項並びに外国弁護士による法律事務の取扱い等に関する法律（昭和六十一年法律第六十六号）第六十七条第二項、第八十条第一項及び第八十二条第三項において準用する場合を含む。）、船主相互保険組合法（昭和二十五年法律第百七十七号）第五十五条第三項、司法書士法（昭和二十五年法律第百九十七号）第四十五条の二第六項、土地家屋調査士法（昭和二十五年法律第二百二十八号）第四十条の二第六項、商品先物取引法（昭和二十五年法律第二百三十九号）第十一条第九項、行政書士法（昭和二十六年法律第四号）第十三条の二十の二第六項、投資信託及び投資法人に関する法律（昭和二十六年法律第百九十八号）第二十五条第二項（同法第五十九条において準用する場合を含む。）及び第百八十六条の二第四項、税理士法第四十八条の十九の二第六項（同法第四十九条の十二第三項において準用する場合を含む。）、信用金庫法（昭和二十六年法律第二百三十八号）第八十七条の四第四項、輸出入取引法（昭和二十七年法律第二百九十九号）第十五条第六項（同法第十九条の六において準用する場合を含む。）、中小漁業融資保証法（昭和二十七年法律第三百四十六号）第五十五条第五項、労働金庫法（昭和二十八年法律第二百二十七号）第九十一条の四第四項、技術研究組合法（昭和三十六年法律第八十一号）第十六条第八項、農業信用保証保険法（昭和三十六年法律第二百四号）第四十八条の三第五項（同法第四十八条の九第七項において準用する場合を含む。）、社会保険労務士法（昭和四十三年法律第八十九号）第二十五条の二十三の二第六項、森林組合法（昭和五十三年法律第三十六号）第八条の二第五項、銀行法第四十九条の二第二項及び第五十二条の六十の三十六第七項（協同組合による金融事業に関する法律（昭和二十四年法律第百八十三号）第六条の五第一項及び信用金庫法第八十九条第七項において準用する場合を含む。）、保険業法（平成七年法律第百五号）第六十七条の二及び第二百十七条第三項、資産の流動化に関する法律（平成十年法律第百五号）第百九十四条第四項、弁理士法（平成十二年法律第四十九号）第五十三条の二第六項、農林中央金庫法（平成十三年法律第九十三号）第九十六条の二第四項、信託業法第五十七条第六項、一般社団法人及び一般財団法人に関する法律第三百三十三条、資金決済に関する法律（平成二十一年法律第五十九号）第二十条第四項、第六十一条第七項、第六十二条の二十五第七項及び第六十三条の二十第七項並びに労働者協同組合法（令和二年法律第七十八号）第二十九条第六項（同法第百十一条第二項において準用する場合を含む。）（以下この節において「電子公告関係規定」と総称する。）において準用する第九百五十五条第一項の規定又はこの節の規定に基づく命令に違反し、罰金以上の刑に処せられ、その執行を終わり、又は執行を受けることがなくなった日から二年を経過しない者
a person whose registration has been rescinded pursuant to the provisions of Article 954 and where two years have yet to elapse from the day of the rescission; or
a corporation where the directors, etc. engaged in the business thereof (meaning directors, executive officers, members executing business, inspectors, company auditors or persons equivalent thereto; the same applies in Article 947) include a person who falls under any one of the preceding two items.
Article 944Registration Standards
第九百四十四条（登録基準）
When a person who has filed an application for a registration pursuant to the provisions of Article 942, paragraph (1) satisfies all of the following requirements, the Minister of Justice must complete the registration of that person. In these cases, the necessary procedures concerning a registration are prescribed by Ministry of Justice Order:
法務大臣は、第九百四十二条第一項の規定により登録を申請した者が、次に掲げる要件のすべてに適合しているときは、その登録をしなければならない。この場合において、登録に関して必要な手続は、法務省令で定める。
the person carries out the electronic public notice investigation by using the computers (including input-output devices; hereinafter the same applies in this item) and programs (meaning instructions given to a computer, combined so as to obtain a certain result; hereinafter the same applies in this item) necessary for the electronic public notice investigation, which satisfy all of the following requirements:
電子公告調査に必要な電子計算機（入出力装置を含む。以下この号において同じ。）及びプログラム（電子計算機に対する指令であって、一の結果を得ることができるように組み合わされたものをいう。以下この号において同じ。）であって次に掲げる要件のすべてに適合するものを用いて電子公告調査を行うものであること。
relevant computers and programs allow users to inspect, through the internet, the information that is publicly notified by way of electronic public notice;
necessary measures are taken for preventing persons from making relevant computers fail to operate in accordance with the purpose of use or making them operate against the purpose of use by damaging relevant computers or an electronic or magnetic record to be used by the computers, giving false information or wrongful instructions to the computers or any other method;
当該電子計算機若しくはその用に供する電磁的記録を損壊し、若しくは当該電子計算機に虚偽の情報若しくは不正な指令を与え、又はその他の方法により、当該電子計算機に使用目的に沿うべき動作をさせず、又は使用目的に反する動作をさせることを防ぐために必要な措置が講じられていること。
relevant computers and programs have the function of preserving the information and instructions that have been input into relevant computers and the information received through the internet throughout the period of carrying out the electronic public notice investigation; and
the necessary implementation method for carrying out the electronic public notice investigation appropriately has been prescribed.
電子公告調査を適正に行うために必要な実施方法が定められていること。
The registration is to be completed by stating or recording the following matters in the investigation body register:
登録は、調査機関登録簿に次に掲げる事項を記載し、又は記録してするものとする。
the date of the registration and the registration number;
登録年月日及び登録番号
the name and address of the person who obtained the registration, and in the case of a corporation, the name of the representative thereof; and
登録を受けた者の氏名又は名称及び住所並びに法人にあっては、その代表者の氏名
the location of the place of business where the person who obtained the registration will carry out the electronic public notice investigation.