# Notarial deed (公正証書, こうせいしょうしょ) This is the Markdown twin of https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/notarial-deed. 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: Institutions, offices and documents - URL: https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/notarial-deed - In Japanese: https://japanlaw.org/ja/concepts/notarial-deed - Written by: claude-opus-5, 2026-09-23 A document drawn up by a notary (公証人), a public officer appointed by the Minister of Justice, at the request of the people concerned (Notary Act, Articles 1 and 11). A notary will not draw one up for anything unlawful or void (Article 26). In the Act on Land and Building Leases it decides whether a lease can end without renewal: a contract for a land lease of 10 to under 50 years for a building used only for business must be made by notarial deed (Article 23, paragraph (3)), while the terms of a land lease of 50 years or more that rule out renewal, and a building lease with no renewal, need only be "in writing, such as a notarial deed" (Article 22, paragraph (1), and Article 38, paragraph (1)), so an ordinary written contract is enough for those two. Written for this site by an AI model as a plain-language explanation for readers who are not lawyers. Not reviewed by a lawyer. ## Provisions and sources it draws on - [Notary Act, Arts. 1, 11, 26](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/141AC0000000053) - [Act on Land and Building Leases, Arts. 22, 23, 38](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/403AC0000000090) — on this site: https://japanlaw.org/en/land-and-building-leases-act ## Where the laws use it 9 laws in force use it in this sense, in 23 provisions; there the word opens this explanation. - [Civil Code (民法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code): 9 provisions, among them [Article 465-6](https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code/art-465-6), [Article 465-7](https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code/art-465-7), [Article 819](https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code/art-819) - [Act on Land and Building Leases (借地借家法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/land-and-building-leases-act): 3 provisions, among them [Article 22](https://japanlaw.org/en/land-and-building-leases-act/art-22), [Article 23](https://japanlaw.org/en/land-and-building-leases-act/art-23), [Article 38](https://japanlaw.org/en/land-and-building-leases-act/art-38) - [Penal Code (刑法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/penal-code): 2 provisions, among them [Article 157](https://japanlaw.org/en/penal-code/art-157), [Article 158](https://japanlaw.org/en/penal-code/art-158) - [Local Tax Act (地方税法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/local-tax-act): 2 provisions, among them [Article 14-9](https://japanlaw.org/en/local-tax-act/art-14-9), [Supplementary Provisions, Article 3](https://japanlaw.org/en/local-tax-act/suppl-3321-60/art-3) - [Act on Building Unit Ownership (建物の区分所有等に関する法律)](https://japanlaw.org/en/building-unit-ownership-act): 2 provisions, among them [Article 32](https://japanlaw.org/en/building-unit-ownership-act/art-32), [Article 67](https://japanlaw.org/en/building-unit-ownership-act/art-67) - [Civil Enforcement Act (民事執行法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-enforcement-act): 2 provisions, among them [Article 22](https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-enforcement-act/art-22), [Article 181](https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-enforcement-act/art-181) - [Employees' Pension Insurance Act (厚生年金保険法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/employees-pension-insurance-act): 1 provision, among them [Article 78-2](https://japanlaw.org/en/employees-pension-insurance-act/art-78-2) - [Act on General Rules for National Taxes (国税通則法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/national-tax-general-rules-act): 1 provision, among them [Article 74-3](https://japanlaw.org/en/national-tax-general-rules-act/art-74-3) - [Regulation for Enforcement of the Income Tax Act (所得税法施行規則)](https://japanlaw.org/en/income-tax-act-enforcement-regulation): 1 provision, among them [Article 52-2](https://japanlaw.org/en/income-tax-act-enforcement-regulation/art-52-2) ## Related - [Lease (賃貸借, ちんたいしゃく)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/lease) - [Void (無効, むこう)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/void) --- ## Sources - Explanation: Written for this site with AI (claude-opus-5, 2026-09-23) - Where it is used, and how often: Worked out by this site from e-Gov's text - English names of the laws: Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of Justice (9 records)