# 刑事訴訟法 / Code of Criminal Procedure — 第百五十七条の五 (Article 157-5) This is the Markdown twin of https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-157-5. Every law, and how to address a provision: https://japanlaw.org/llms.txt. The same laws as MCP tools (no sign-in): https://japanlaw.org/mcp. - Law: 刑事訴訟法 (Code of Criminal Procedure), 昭和二十三年法律第百三十一号 - English title "Code of Criminal 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: 第百五十七条の五 (Article 157-5) — address `art-157-5` - Text in force since: 2026-10-20 - URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-157-5 - e-Gov law ID: 323AC0000000131 — never renamed. A permanent link, `/l/{lawId}/{address}` on this site, redirects to the page. - Every provision below carries its address and its URL 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. --- ### 第百五十七条の五 art-157-5 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-157-5 **第一項** 裁判所は、証人を尋問する場合において、犯罪の性質、証人の年齢、心身の状態、被告人との関係その他の事情により、証人が被告人の面前（次条第一項及び第二項に規定する方法による場合を含む。）において供述するときは圧迫を受け精神の平穏を著しく害されるおそれがあると認める場合であつて、相当と認めるときは、検察官及び被告人又は弁護人の意見を聴き、被告人とその証人との間で、一方から又は相互に相手の状態を認識することができないようにするための措置を採ることができる。ただし、被告人から証人の状態を認識することができないようにするための措置については、弁護人が出頭している場合に限り、採ることができる。 art-157-5/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-157-5/par-1 In the examination of a witness, when it is found that the witness is likely to feel pressure and the witness's mental peace of mind is likely to be seriously harmed while testifying in the presence of the defendant (including cases using the means provided in paragraphs (1) and (2) of the following Article) due to the nature of the crime, the witness's age, mental or physical condition or relationship with the defendant, or other circumstances, and a court finds it appropriate, the court may take measures so that it is impossible for the defendant and the witness to be aware of each other's presence either from one side or from both sides, after hearing the opinions of the public prosecutor and the defendant or the defense counsel; provided, however, that measures to make it impossible for the defendant to be aware of the presence of the witness may only be taken when the defense counsel is present. Ministry of Justice translation with a slip corrected by this site — not the Ministry's text; the Ministry printed: "In the examination of a witness, when it is found that the witness is likely to feel pressure and the witness's mental peace of mind is likely to be seriously harmed while testifying in the presence of the accused (including cases using the means provided in paragraphs (1) and (2) of the following Article) due to the nature of the crime, the witness's age, mental or physical condition or relationship with the accused, or other circumstances, and a court finds it appropriate, the court may take measures so that it is impossible for the accused and the witness to be aware of each other's presence either from one side or from both sides, after hearing the opinions of the public prosecutor and the accused or the defense counsel; provided, however, that measures to make it impossible for the accused to be aware of the presence of the witness may only be taken when the defense counsel is present." — https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3739/tb **第二項** 裁判所は、証人を尋問する場合において、犯罪の性質、証人の年齢、心身の状態、名誉に対する影響その他の事情を考慮し、相当と認めるときは、検察官及び被告人又は弁護人の意見を聴き、傍聴人とその証人との間で、相互に相手の状態を認識することができないようにするための措置を採ることができる。 art-157-5/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-157-5/par-2 In the examination of a witness, when a court finds it appropriate taking into account the nature of the crime, the witness's age or mental or physical condition, the effect on the witness's reputation, or other circumstances, the court may take measures so that it is impossible for court observers and the witness to be aware of each other's presence, after hearing the opinions of the public prosecutor and the defendant or the defense counsel. Ministry of Justice translation with a slip corrected by this site — not the Ministry's text; the Ministry printed: "In the examination of a witness, when a court finds it appropriate taking into account the nature of the crime, the witness's age or mental or physical condition, the effect on the witness's reputation, or other circumstances, the court may take measures so that it is impossible for court observers and the witness to be aware of each other's presence, after hearing the opinions of the public prosecutor and the accused or the defense counsel." — https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3739/tb --- ## Cites - art-157-5/par-1: 次条第一項 → 刑事訴訟法 第百五十七条の六第一項 (Article 157-6, paragraph (1)), art-157-6/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-157-6/par-1 - art-157-5/par-1: 第二項 → 刑事訴訟法 第百五十七条の六第二項 (Article 157-6, paragraph (2)), art-157-6/par-2 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-157-6/par-2 ## Cited by 4 provisions cite this one. No official source publishes this direction. - 刑事訴訟法 第二百八十一条の二第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-281-2/par-1 - 刑事訴訟法 第二百九十二条の二第六項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-292-2/par-6 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百四条の二第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-304-2/par-1 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百五条第六項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-305/par-6 --- ## Sources - claude-opus-5-5 — Corrections to the Ministry of Justice's English of the Code of Criminal Procedure, written 2026-11-06 - e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 刑事訴訟法 — the text in force from 2026-10-20 (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/323AC0000000131/20261020_508AC0000000067), retrieved 2026-11-06 - Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法), Article 157-5, paragraph (1) — the Ministry of Justice's English as printed (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3739/tb), retrieved 2026-11-06 - Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法), Article 157-5, paragraph (2) — the Ministry of Justice's English as printed (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3739/tb), retrieved 2026-11-06 - Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Code of Criminal Procedure — Ministry of Justice translation (part 1 of 2) (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3739/tb), retrieved 2026-11-06 - This site's parser, version 225 — 刑事訴訟法 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-11-06