# 会社法 / Companies Act — 第三百十八条 (Article 318) This is the Markdown twin of https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318. 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: 会社法 (Companies Act), 平成十七年法律第八十六号 - English title "Companies Act": 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: 第三百十八条 (Article 318)（議事録） — address `art-318` - Text in force since: 2026-08-12 - URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318 - e-Gov law ID: 417AC0000000086 — 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. --- ### 第三百十八条（議事録） — (Minutes) caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System art-318 · https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318 **第一項** 株主総会の議事については、法務省令で定めるところにより、議事録を作成しなければならない。 art-318/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-1 Minutes must be prepared with respect to the business of a shareholders meeting pursuant to the provisions of Ministry of Justice Order. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第二項** 株式会社は、株主総会の日から十年間、前項の議事録をその本店に備え置かなければならない。 art-318/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-2 The stock company must keep the minutes referred to in the preceding paragraph at its head office for the period of ten years from the day of the shareholders meeting. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第三項** 株式会社は、株主総会の日から五年間、第一項の議事録の写しをその支店に備え置かなければならない。ただし、当該議事録が電磁的記録をもって作成されている場合であって、支店における次項第二号に掲げる請求に応じることを可能とするための措置として法務省令で定めるものをとっているときは、この限りでない。 art-318/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-3 The stock company must keep copies of the minutes referred to in paragraph (1) at its branch offices for the period of five years from the day of the shareholders meeting; provided, however, that this does not apply to the cases where relevant minutes have been prepared by an electronic or magnetic record and the stock company adopts the measures prescribed by Ministry of Justice Order as measures enabling its branch offices to respond to the request set forth in item (ii) of the following paragraph. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第四項** 株主及び債権者は、株式会社の営業時間内は、いつでも、次に掲げる請求をすることができる。 art-318/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-4 The shareholders and creditors may submit the following requests at any time during the business hours of the stock company: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **一** 第一項の議事録が書面をもって作成されているときは、当該書面又は当該書面の写しの閲覧又は謄写の請求 art-318/par-4/item-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-4/item-1 if the minutes under paragraph (1) are prepared in writing, requests for inspection or copying of relevant documents or copies of relevant documents; and Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **二** 第一項の議事録が電磁的記録をもって作成されているときは、当該電磁的記録に記録された事項を法務省令で定める方法により表示したものの閲覧又は謄写の請求 art-318/par-4/item-2 · https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-4/item-2 if the minutes under paragraph (1) have been prepared as an electronic or magnetic record, a request to inspect or copy anything that is used in a manner prescribed by Ministry of Justice Order to display the information recorded in that electronic or magnetic record. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第五項** 株式会社の親会社社員は、その権利を行使するため必要があるときは、裁判所の許可を得て、第一項の議事録について前項各号に掲げる請求をすることができる。 art-318/par-5 · https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-5 If it is necessary for the purpose of exercising the rights of a member of the parent company of a stock company, the relevant member of the parent company may, with the permission of the court, make the requests set forth in each item of the preceding paragraph with respect to the minutes referred to in paragraph (1). Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System --- ## Cites - art-318/par-2: 前項 → 会社法 第三百十八条第一項 (Article 318, paragraph (1)), art-318/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-1 - art-318/par-3: 第一項 → 会社法 第三百十八条第一項 (Article 318, paragraph (1)), art-318/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-1 - art-318/par-3: 次項第二号 → 会社法 第三百十八条第四項第二号 (Article 318, paragraph (4), item (ii)), art-318/par-4/item-2 — https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-4/item-2 - art-318/par-4/item-1: 第一項 → 会社法 第三百十八条第一項 (Article 318, paragraph (1)), art-318/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-1 - art-318/par-4/item-2: 第一項 → 会社法 第三百十八条第一項 (Article 318, paragraph (1)), art-318/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-1 - art-318/par-5: 第一項 → 会社法 第三百十八条第一項 (Article 318, paragraph (1)), art-318/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-1 - art-318/par-5: 前項 → 会社法 第三百十八条第四項 (Article 318, paragraph (4)), art-318/par-4 — https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-4 ## Cited by 7 provisions cite this one. No official source publishes this direction. - 会社法 第三百十八条第二項（議事録） — https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-2 - 会社法 第三百十八条第三項（議事録） — https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-3 - 会社法 第三百十八条第四項第一号（議事録） — https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-4/item-1 - 会社法 第三百十八条第四項第二号（議事録） — https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-4/item-2 - 会社法 第三百十八条第五項（議事録） — https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-318/par-5 - 会社法 第三百二十五条第一項（株主総会に関する規定の準用） — https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-325/par-1 - 会社法 第九百七十六条第一項第八号（過料に処すべき行為） — https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-976/par-1/item-8 --- ## Sources - e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 会社法 — the text in force from 2026-08-12 (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/417AC0000000086/20260812_508AC0000000064), retrieved 2026-09-17 - Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Companies Act — Ministry of Justice translation (part 1 of 2) (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/4481/tb), retrieved 2026-09-17 - This site's parser, version 229 — 会社法 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-09-17