# Public policy (公の秩序又は善良の風俗, おおやけのちつじょまたはぜんりょうのふうぞく) This is the Markdown twin of https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/public-policy. 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: Rights, roles and legal effects - URL: https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/public-policy - In Japanese: https://japanlaw.org/ja/concepts/public-policy - Written by: claude-opus-5-5, 2026-10-04 Public order and good morals, called 公序 (public policy) for short in the heading of Article 42 of the Act on General Rules for Application of Laws. The law refuses effect to what goes against them: a juridical act (法律行為), such as a contract, that goes against them is void (Civil Code, Article 90); a custom that does not go against them has the same effect as a law only where laws and regulations authorise it or it concerns a matter they do not provide for (Act on General Rules for Application of Laws, Article 3); and where that Act makes a foreign law govern, a provision of that law is not applied if applying it would go against them (Article 42). 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 - [Civil Code, Art. 90](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/129AC0000000089) — on this site: https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code - [Act on General Rules for Application of Laws, Arts. 3, 42](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/418AC0000000078) — on this site: https://japanlaw.org/en/application-of-laws-act ## Where the laws use it 2 laws in force use it in this sense, in 4 provisions; there the word opens this explanation. - [Medical Care Act (医療法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/medical-care-act): 2 provisions, among them [Article 6-5](https://japanlaw.org/en/medical-care-act/art-6-5), [Article 6-7](https://japanlaw.org/en/medical-care-act/art-6-7) - [Act on General Rules for Application of Laws (法の適用に関する通則法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/application-of-laws-act): 2 provisions, among them [Article 3](https://japanlaw.org/en/application-of-laws-act/art-3), [Article 42](https://japanlaw.org/en/application-of-laws-act/art-42) ## Related - [Act (法律, ほうりつ)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/act) - [Void (無効, むこう)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/void) - [Juridical act (法律行為, ほうりつこうい)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/juridical-act) --- ## Sources - Explanation: Written for this site with AI (claude-opus-5-5, 2026-10-04) - 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 (2 records)