# 民事訴訟法 / Code of Civil Procedure — 第四条 (Article 4) - Law: 民事訴訟法 (Code of Civil Procedure), 平成八年法律第百九号 - English title "Code of Civil Procedure": 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: 第四条 (Article 4)（普通裁判籍による管轄） — address `art-4` - Text in force since: 2026-06-24 - URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-4 - Permanent URL (e-Gov law ID, never renamed): https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-4 - 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. --- ### 第四条（普通裁判籍による管轄） — (Jurisdiction by General Venue) caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System art-4 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-4 **第一項** 訴えは、被告の普通裁判籍の所在地を管轄する裁判所の管轄に属する。 art-4/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-4/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-4/par-1 An action is subject to the jurisdiction of the court of jurisdiction in the locality that constitutes the general venue for an action against the defendant. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第二項** 人の普通裁判籍は、住所により、日本国内に住所がないとき又は住所が知れないときは居所により、日本国内に居所がないとき又は居所が知れないときは最後の住所により定まる。 art-4/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-4/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-4/par-2 The general venue for an action against a natural person is determined by the person's domicile; by the person's residence, if the person is not domiciled in Japan or is of domicile unknown; or by the person's last domicile in Japan, if the person does not have a residence in Japan or is of residence unknown. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第三項** 大使、公使その他外国に在ってその国の裁判権からの免除を享有する日本人が前項の規定により普通裁判籍を有しないときは、その者の普通裁判籍は、最高裁判所規則で定める地にあるものとする。 art-4/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-4/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-4/par-3 If there is no general venue pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph for an action against an ambassador, minister, or any other Japanese national in a foreign country who enjoys immunity from the jurisdiction of that country, the general venue for an action against that person is deemed to be the general venue in the locality specified by the Rules of the Supreme Court. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第四項** 法人その他の社団又は財団の普通裁判籍は、その主たる事務所又は営業所により、事務所又は営業所がないときは代表者その他の主たる業務担当者の住所により定まる。 art-4/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-4/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-4/par-4 The general venue for an action against a corporation or any other association or foundation is determined by the location of its principal office or business office; or by the domicile of its representative or any other principal person in charge of its business, if it has no business office or other office. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第五項** 外国の社団又は財団の普通裁判籍は、前項の規定にかかわらず、日本における主たる事務所又は営業所により、日本国内に事務所又は営業所がないときは日本における代表者その他の主たる業務担当者の住所により定まる。 art-4/par-5 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-4/par-5 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-4/par-5 Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the general venue for an action against a foreign association or foundation is determined by the location of its principal office or business office in Japan; or by the domicile of its representative or any other principal person in charge of its business in Japan, if it has no business office or other office in Japan. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第六項** 国の普通裁判籍は、訴訟について国を代表する官庁の所在地により定まる。 art-4/par-6 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-4/par-6 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-4/par-6 The general venue for an action against the State is determined by the location of the government agency that represents the State in the litigation. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System --- ## Cites - art-4/par-3: 前項 → 民事訴訟法 第四条第二項 (Article 4, paragraph (2)), art-4/par-2 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-4/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-4/par-2 - art-4/par-5: 前項 → 民事訴訟法 第四条第四項 (Article 4, paragraph (4)), art-4/par-4 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-4/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-4/par-4 ## Cited by 8 provisions cite this one. No official source publishes this direction. - 民事訴訟法 第四条第三項（普通裁判籍による管轄） — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-4/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-4/par-3 - 民事訴訟法 第四条第五項（普通裁判籍による管轄） — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-4/par-5 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-4/par-5 - 民事訴訟法 第六条第一項（特許権等に関する訴え等の管轄） — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-6/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-6/par-1 - 民事訴訟法 第六条第二項（特許権等に関する訴え等の管轄） — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-6/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-6/par-2 - 民事訴訟法 第六条の二第一項（意匠権等に関する訴えの管轄） — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-6-2/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-6-2/par-1 - 民事訴訟法 第七条第一項（併合請求における管轄） — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-7/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-7/par-1 - 民事訴訟法 第十三条第一項（専属管轄の場合の適用除外等） — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-13/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-13/par-1 - 民事訴訟法 第二十条の二第一項（特許権等に関する訴え等に係る訴訟の移送） — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-20-2/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-20-2/par-1 --- ## Sources - e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 民事訴訟法 — the text in force from 2026-06-24 (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/408AC0000000109/20260624_508AC0000000046), retrieved 2026-10-17 - Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Code of Civil Procedure — Ministry of Justice translation (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/4797/tb), retrieved 2026-10-17 - This site's parser, version 209 — 民事訴訟法 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-10-17