# 刑事訴訟法 / Code of Criminal Procedure — 第二百三条 (Article 203) This is the Markdown twin of https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-203. 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: 第二百三条 (Article 203) — address `art-203` - Text in force since: 2026-10-20 - URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-203 - 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. --- ### 第二百三条 art-203 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-203 **第一項** 司法警察員は、逮捕状により被疑者を逮捕したとき、又は逮捕状により逮捕された被疑者を受け取つたときは、直ちに犯罪事実の要旨及び弁護人を選任することができる旨を告げた上、弁解の機会を与え、留置の必要がないと思料するときは直ちにこれを釈放し、留置の必要があると思料するときは被疑者が身体を拘束された時から四十八時間以内に書類及び証拠物とともにこれを検察官に送致する手続をしなければならない。 art-203/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-203/par-1 When a judicial police officer has arrested a suspect through an arrest warrant or has received a suspect who was arrested through an arrest warrant, said officer must immediately inform the suspect of the outline of the suspected crime and the fact that the suspect may appoint a defense counsel and then, giving the suspect an opportunity for explanation, said officer must immediately release the suspect when believing that it is not necessary to detain the suspect, or must carry out the procedure of referring the suspect together with the documents and articles of evidence to a public prosecutor within 48 hours of the suspect being placed under physical restraint when believing that it is necessary to detain the suspect. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第二項** 前項の場合において、被疑者に弁護人の有無を尋ね、弁護人があるときは、弁護人を選任することができる旨は、これを告げることを要しない。 art-203/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-203/par-2 In the case of the preceding paragraph, if the judicial police officer asks the suspect whether or not the suspect has defense counsel, and if the suspect has defense counsel, said officer is not required to inform the suspect of the fact that the suspect may appoint a defense counsel. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第三項** 司法警察員は、第一項の規定により弁護人を選任することができる旨を告げるに当たつては、被疑者に対し、弁護士、弁護士法人又は弁護士会を指定して弁護人の選任を申し出ることができる旨及びその申出先を教示しなければならない。 art-203/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-203/par-3 When informing a suspect that the suspect is entitled to appoint a defense counsel pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1), the judicial police officer must inform the suspect that a suspect may make a request for appointment of a defense counsel specifying an attorney, a legal professional corporation or a bar association, and of the person to which the request must be made. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第四項** 司法警察員は、第一項の規定により弁護人を選任することができる旨を告げるに当たつては、被疑者に対し、引き続き勾留を請求された場合において貧困その他の事由により自ら弁護人を選任することができないときは裁判官に対して弁護人の選任を請求することができる旨並びに裁判官に対して弁護人の選任を請求するには資力申告書を提出しなければならない旨及びその資力が基準額以上であるときは、あらかじめ、弁護士会（第三十七条の三第二項の規定により第三十一条の二第一項の申出をすべき弁護士会をいう。）に弁護人の選任の申出をしていなければならない旨を教示しなければならない。 art-203/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-203/par-4 When informing a suspect that the suspect is entitled to appoint a defense counsel pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1), the judicial police officer must inform the suspect that, if a request for further detention of the suspect is made and the suspect is unable to personally appoint a defense counsel due to indigence or any other grounds, the suspect may request a judge to appoint a defense counsel; that when requesting the judge to appoint the defense counsel, the suspect must submit a report on personal financial resources; and that when the suspect's financial resources are equal to or above the base amount, the suspect must have first requested a bar association (meaning the bar association to which the request under Article 31-2, paragraph (1) is to be made pursuant to the provisions of Article 37-3, paragraph (2)) to appoint the defense counsel. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第五項** 第一項の時間の制限内に送致の手続をしないときは、直ちに被疑者を釈放しなければならない。 art-203/par-5 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-203/par-5 When a suspect is not referred within the time limit under paragraph (1), the suspect must be immediately released. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System --- ## Cites - art-203/par-2: 前項 → 刑事訴訟法 第二百三条第一項 (Article 203, paragraph (1)), art-203/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-203/par-1 - art-203/par-3: 第一項 → 刑事訴訟法 第二百三条第一項 (Article 203, paragraph (1)), art-203/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-203/par-1 - art-203/par-4: 第一項 → 刑事訴訟法 第二百三条第一項 (Article 203, paragraph (1)), art-203/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-203/par-1 - art-203/par-4: 第三十七条の三第二項 → 刑事訴訟法 第三十七条の三第二項 (Article 37-3, paragraph (2)), art-37-3/par-2 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-37-3/par-2 - art-203/par-4: 第三十一条の二第一項 → 刑事訴訟法 第三十一条の二第一項 (Article 31-2, paragraph (1)), art-31-2/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-31-2/par-1 - art-203/par-5: 第一項 → 刑事訴訟法 第二百三条第一項 (Article 203, paragraph (1)), art-203/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-203/par-1 ## Cited by 15 provisions cite this one. No official source publishes this direction. - 出入国管理及び難民認定法 第六十五条第一項（刑事訴訟法の特例） — https://japanlaw.org/en/immigration-control-act/art-65/par-1 (e-Gov law ID 326CO0000000319) - 刑事訴訟法 第二百三条第二項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-203/par-2 - 刑事訴訟法 第二百三条第三項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-203/par-3 - 刑事訴訟法 第二百三条第四項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-203/par-4 - 刑事訴訟法 第二百三条第五項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-203/par-5 - 刑事訴訟法 第二百四条第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-204/par-1 - 刑事訴訟法 第二百四条第五項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-204/par-5 - 刑事訴訟法 第二百五条第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-205/par-1 - 刑事訴訟法 第二百六条第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-206/par-1 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百一条の二第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-301-2/par-1 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百一条の二第三項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-301-2/par-3 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百一条の二第四項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-301-2/par-4 - 刑事訴訟法 附則第三条第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/suppl-4161-62/art-3/par-1 - 刑事訴訟法 附則第四条第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/suppl-4281-54/art-4/par-1 - 刑事訴訟法 附則第七条第一項（第二条の規定による刑事訴訟法の一部改正に伴う経過措置） — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/suppl-4281-54/art-7/par-1 --- ## Sources - 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 — 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