# 刑事訴訟法 / Code of Criminal Procedure — 第三百二十一条 (Article 321) This is the Markdown twin of https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321. 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: 第三百二十一条 (Article 321) — address `art-321` - Text in force since: 2026-10-20 - URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321 - 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. --- ### 第三百二十一条 art-321 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321 **第一項** 被告人以外の者が作成した供述書又はその者の供述を録取した書面で供述者の署名若しくは押印のあるものは、次に掲げる場合に限り、これを証拠とすることができる。 art-321/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-1 A written statement made by a person other than the defendant, or the person's statement recorded and taken down in writing with the person's signature or seal may be used as evidence only in the following cases: Ministry of Justice translation with a slip corrected by this site — not the Ministry's text; the Ministry printed: "A written statement made by a person other than the accused, or the person's statement recorded and taken down in writing with the person's signature or seal may be used as evidence only in the following cases:" — https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3739/tb **一** 裁判官の面前（映像と音声の送受信により相手の状態を相互に認識しながら通話をすることができる方法による場合を含む。次号において同じ。）における供述を録取した書面については、その供述者が死亡、精神若しくは身体の故障、所在不明若しくは国外にいるため公判準備若しくは公判期日において供述することができないとき、又は供述者が公判準備若しくは公判期日において前の供述と異なつた供述をしたとき。 art-321/par-1/item-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-1/item-1 with regard to a document in which a statement made before a judge (including those made by means that allow communication while mutually recognizing each other's presence through the transmission of images and sound; the same applies in the following item) is recorded, when the person who has made the statement is unable to do so in the trial preparation or on the trial date due to death, a mental or physical disorder, or being non est or out of the country, or when that person makes a statement inconsistent with the previous statement in the trial preparation or on the trial date; machine translation, not official **二** 検察官の面前における供述を録取した書面については、その供述者が死亡、精神若しくは身体の故障、所在不明若しくは国外にいるため公判準備若しくは公判期日において供述することができないとき、又は公判準備若しくは公判期日において前の供述と相反するか若しくは実質的に異なつた供述をしたとき。ただし、公判準備又は公判期日における供述よりも前の供述を信用すべき特別の情況の存するときに限る。 art-321/par-1/item-2 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-1/item-2 with regard to a document in which a statement made before a public prosecutor is recorded, when the person who has made the statement is unable to do so in the trial preparation or on the trial date due to death, a mental or physical disorder, or being non est or out of the country, or when that person makes a statement in the trial preparation or on the trial date, which conflicts with or substantially differs from the previous statement; provided, however, that this is limited to the case when there are special circumstances that afford the previous statement more credible than the statement made in the trial preparation or on the trial date; and Ministry of Justice translation with a slip corrected by this site — not the Ministry's text; the Ministry printed: "with regard to a document in which a statement made before a public prosecutor, when the person who has made the statement is unable to do so in the trial preparation or on the trial date due to death, a mental or physical disorder, or being non est or out of the country, or when that person makes a statement in the trial preparation or on the trial date, which conflicts with or substantially differs from the previous statement; provided, however, that this is limited to the case when there are special circumstances that afford the previous statement more credible than the statement made in the trial preparation or on the trial date; and" — https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3739/tb **三** 前二号に掲げる書面以外の書面については、供述者が死亡、精神若しくは身体の故障、所在不明又は国外にいるため公判準備又は公判期日において供述することができず、かつ、その供述が犯罪事実の存否の証明に欠くことができないものであるとき。ただし、その供述が特に信用すべき情況の下にされたものであるときに限る。 art-321/par-1/item-3 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-1/item-3 with regard to a document other than the documents set forth in the preceding two items, when the person who has made the statement is unable to do so in the trial preparation or on the trial date due to death, a mental or physical disorder, or being non est or out of the country, and that statement is essential to prove or disprove the facts of the crime; provided, however, that this is limited to the case when the previous statement is made under special circumstances that afford the previous statement credible. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第二項** 被告人以外の者の公判準備若しくは公判期日における供述を録取した書面又は裁判所若しくは裁判官の検証の結果を記載した書面は、前項の規定にかかわらず、これを証拠とすることができる。 art-321/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-2 A document which contains statements given by a person other than the defendant on the trial date or in the trial preparation, or which contains the results of an inspection by a court or a judge may be used as evidence, notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph. Ministry of Justice translation with a slip corrected by this site — not the Ministry's text; the Ministry printed: "A document which contains statements given by a person other than the accused on the trial date or in the trial preparation, or which contains the results of an inspection by a court or a judge may be used as evidence, notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph." — https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3739/tb **第三項** 検察官、検察事務官又は司法警察職員の検証の結果を記載した書面は、その供述者が公判期日において証人として尋問を受け、その真正に作成されたものであることを供述したときは、第一項の規定にかかわらず、これを証拠とすることができる。 art-321/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-3 A document which contains the results of an inspection by a public prosecutor, a public prosecutor's assistant officer or a judicial police official may be used as evidence notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1), if the inspector attends the trial as a witness on the trial date and verifies upon examination the authenticity of the document that was prepared. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第四項** 鑑定の経過及び結果を記載した書面で鑑定人の作成したものについても、前項と同様である。 art-321/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-4 The provisions of the preceding paragraph are applied to a document made by an expert which describes the process and conclusion of the expert examination. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System --- ## Cites - art-321/par-1/item-1: 次号 → 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十一条第一項第二号 (Article 321, paragraph (1), item (ii)), art-321/par-1/item-2 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-1/item-2 - art-321/par-1/item-3: 前二号 → 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十一条第一項第一号 (Article 321, paragraph (1), item (i)), art-321/par-1/item-1 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-1/item-1 - art-321/par-1/item-3: 前二号 → 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十一条第一項第二号 (Article 321, paragraph (1), item (ii)), art-321/par-1/item-2 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-1/item-2 - art-321/par-2: 前項 → 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十一条第一項 (Article 321, paragraph (1)), art-321/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-1 - art-321/par-3: 第一項 → 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十一条第一項 (Article 321, paragraph (1)), art-321/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-1 - art-321/par-4: 前項 → 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十一条第三項 (Article 321, paragraph (3)), art-321/par-3 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-3 ## Cited by 19 provisions cite this one. No official source publishes this direction. - 刑事訴訟法 第三百条第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-300/par-1 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百二条第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-302/par-1 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百十六条の十五第一項第二号 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-316-15/par-1/item-2 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百十六条の十五第一項第三号 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-316-15/par-1/item-3 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百十六条の十五第一項第四号 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-316-15/par-1/item-4 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十条第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-320/par-1 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十一条第一項第一号 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-1/item-1 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十一条第一項第三号 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-1/item-3 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十一条第二項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-2 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十一条第三項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-3 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十一条第四項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321/par-4 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十一条の二第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321-2/par-1 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十一条の二第三項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321-2/par-3 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十一条の三第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-321-3/par-1 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十三条第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-323/par-1 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十四条第二項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-324/par-2 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十五条第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-325/par-1 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十六条第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-326/par-1 - 刑事訴訟法 第三百二十八条第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-328/par-1 --- ## 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 321, 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 321, paragraph (1), item (ii) — 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 321, 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 - claude-sonnet-5-5 — Machine translation, batch code-of-criminal-procedure-20261106T054114-012, translated 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