# Coming into force (施行, しこう)

This is the Markdown twin of https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/enforcement. 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.

- Group: Laws and how to read them
- URL: https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/enforcement
- In Japanese: https://japanlaw.org/ja/concepts/enforcement
- Written by: claude-opus-5-5, 2026-10-30

The day a law or an amendment starts to apply. It is often months or years after promulgation, so that people have time to prepare. The Ministry of Justice's English usually says a law "comes into force" or "comes into effect", and sometimes calls the day its "enforcement date". Its "enforcement" more often means the word's other sense, carrying a law out, as in an Order for Enforcement (施行令), the Cabinet Order (政令) that sets out the details for carrying out an Act.

Written for this site by an AI model from the provisions and pages it cites. Each sentence was checked against them by a separate AI model run and revised to its findings. Not reviewed by a lawyer.

## Provisions and sources it draws on

- [Upper House Legislative Bureau: 法律の施行期日](https://houseikyoku.sangiin.go.jp/column/column022.htm)
- [Wikipedia: 施行](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%96%BD%E8%A1%8C)
- [Japanese Law Translation: Road Traffic Act](https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/2962)

## Related

- [Promulgation (公布, こうふ)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/promulgation)
- [Constitution (憲法, けんぽう)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/constitution)
- [Ministerial Order (省令, しょうれい)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/ministerial-ordinance)
- [Not yet in force (未施行, みしこう)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/unenforced)
- [Labor standards inspector (労働基準監督官, ろうどうきじゅんかんとくかん)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/labor-standards-inspector)
- [Director of a prefectural labor bureau (都道府県労働局長, とどうふけんろうどうきょくちょう)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/prefectural-labor-bureau-director)
- [Personal Information Protection Commission (個人情報保護委員会, こじんじょうほうほごいいんかい)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/personal-information-protection-commission)
- [Prefectural or Municipal Ordinance (条例, じょうれい)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/local-ordinance)

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## Sources

- Explanation: Written for this site with AI (claude-opus-5-5, 2026-10-30)