# 民法 / Civil Code — 第一章 (Part 5, Chapter 1)

- Law: 民法 (Civil Code), 明治二十九年法律第八十九号
- English title "Civil Code": Ministry of Justice translation
- Kind: Act — the distinction between 法律 (Act), 政令 (Cabinet Order), 省令 (Ministerial Order) and 条例 (local ordinance) decides who may issue it and what it may say.
- Provision: 第一章 (Part 5, Chapter 1) — address `pt-5/ch-1`
- Text in force since: 2026-06-24
- URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code/pt-5/ch-1
- Permanent URL (e-Gov law ID, never renamed): https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/pt-5/ch-1
- Every provision below carries its address and both URLs on the line under it.
- Japanese text: e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁). English: as marked on each line below.

Only the Japanese as published by the government has legal effect; the text
below is a copy of it. Every English rendering below is a translation and
says which kind: the Ministry of Justice's translation, or this
site's machine translation, whose model and date the Sources list names.
They are never merged and never substituted for one another.

---

## 第一章　総則 — Chapter I General Provisions
<sup>heading: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>
<sup>pt-5/ch-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code/pt-5/ch-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/pt-5/ch-1</sup>

### 第八百八十二条（相続開始の原因） — (Cause for the Opening of the Succession)
<sup>caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>
<sup>art-882 · https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code/art-882 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-882</sup>

  **第一項**  相続は、死亡によって開始する。
  <sup>art-882/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code/art-882/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-882/par-1</sup>
  Succession opens at the death of the person.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

### 第八百八十三条（相続開始の場所） — (Place for the Opening of Succession)
<sup>caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>
<sup>art-883 · https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code/art-883 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-883</sup>

  **第一項**  相続は、被相続人の住所において開始する。
  <sup>art-883/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code/art-883/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-883/par-1</sup>
  Succession opens in the domicile of the decedent.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

### 第八百八十四条（相続回復請求権） — (Right to File for the Recovery of a Succession)
<sup>caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>
<sup>art-884 · https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code/art-884 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-884</sup>

  **第一項**  相続回復の請求権は、相続人又はその法定代理人が相続権を侵害された事実を知った時から五年間行使しないときは、時効によって消滅する。相続開始の時から二十年を経過したときも、同様とする。
  <sup>art-884/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code/art-884/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-884/par-1</sup>
  The right to file for the recovery of a succession is extinguished by the operation of the prescription if it is not exercised within five years of the time when the heir or the legal representative thereof learns of the fact that the right of inheritance has been infringed. The same applies when twenty years have elapsed from the time the succession opened.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

### 第八百八十五条（相続財産に関する費用） — (Expenses Relating to an Estate)
<sup>caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>
<sup>art-885 · https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code/art-885 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-885</sup>

  **第一項**  相続財産に関する費用は、その財産の中から支弁する。ただし、相続人の過失によるものは、この限りでない。
  <sup>art-885/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code/art-885/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-885/par-1</sup>
  The expenses of an estate are paid out of that estate; provided, however, that this does not apply to expenses resulting from the negligence of the heir.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

---

## Sources

- e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 民法 — the text in force from 2026-06-24 (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/129AC0000000089/20260624_508AC0000000045), retrieved 2026-10-11
- Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Civil Code — Ministry of Justice translation (part 2 of 2) (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/4275/tb), retrieved 2026-10-11
- Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Civil Code — Ministry of Justice translation (part 1 of 2) (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/4848/tb), retrieved 2026-10-11
- This site's parser, version 190 — 民法 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-10-11