# Service (送達, そうたつ) This is the Markdown twin of https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/service-of-documents. 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/service-of-documents - In Japanese: https://japanlaw.org/ja/concepts/service-of-documents - Written by: claude-opus-5-5, 2026-10-18 The delivery of a document in a court proceeding, such as a lawsuit, to the person it is for, by a procedure the law lays down: unless a provision says otherwise, the court carries it out of its own motion, the court clerk handles the work (Code of Civil Procedure, Article 98), and the person who effects it reports on it to the court in writing (Article 100, paragraph (1)); the complaint must be served on the defendant (Article 138, paragraph (1)), and the judgment on the parties (Article 255, paragraph (1)). A document is served by post or by a court enforcement officer (執行官) (Article 101, paragraph (1)), as a rule by handing it to the person (Article 102-2), at their address, residence, place of business or office, or at their workplace where those are unknown or service there meets an obstacle (Article 103); each party, legal representative and litigation representative (訴訟代理人) must tell the court a place in Japan where they are to be served (Article 104, paragraph (1)), and service abroad is made at the presiding judge's request to that country's authorities or to a Japanese ambassador, minister or consul there (Article 108). If the person is not found at a place other than their workplace, the document may be handed to an employee or a person living with them who can be trusted to receive it, and if it is refused without a legitimate reason it may be left there (Article 106, paragraphs (1) and (3)); where it cannot be served in those ways, the court clerk may send it by registered mail, and it counts as served when it is sent (Article 107, paragraphs (1) and (3)). An electronic record can also be served through the courts' electronic system on a person who has registered for it, by making it available to them and sending them a notice, and that service takes effect when they view it or save it to their computer, or one week after the notice was sent, whichever comes first (Articles 109-2, paragraph (1), and 109-3, paragraph (1)); a person who must make filings online, such as a litigation representative (訴訟代理人) entrusted with the case, can be served this way even without registering, and without a notice, the week then running from when the record was made available (Articles 109-4 and 132-11, paragraph (1)). Where a party's address or other place for service is unknown, among other cases, the court clerk may serve by publication (公示送達), on petition or where the court orders it, and serves the same party by publication again of the clerk's own motion, as a rule (Article 110, paragraphs (1) to (3)): that the clerk holds the document and will hand it over at any time is made available for anyone to view, by a method the Supreme Court's rules (最高裁判所規則) set, and posted on the court's notice board or shown on a screen at the court (Article 111), and service takes effect two weeks after that begins, or six weeks for service to be made abroad, though one made again of the clerk's own motion takes effect the day after it begins (Article 112, paragraphs (1) and (2)). Some time limits run from service: an appeal to the court of second instance (控訴), for one, must be filed within two weeks of the day the judgment is served (Article 285). 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 - [Code of Civil Procedure, Arts. 98, 100 to 104, 106 to 112, 132-11, 138, 255, 285](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/408AC0000000109) — on this site: https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure ## Where the laws use it 11 laws in force use it in this sense, in 189 provisions; there the word opens this explanation. - [Code of Civil Procedure (民事訴訟法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure): 63 provisions, among them [Article 47](https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-47), [Article 94](https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-94), [Article 98](https://japanlaw.org/en/code-of-civil-procedure/art-98) - [Civil Enforcement Act (民事執行法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-enforcement-act): 37 provisions, among them [Article 15-2](https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-enforcement-act/art-15-2), [Article 16](https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-enforcement-act/art-16), [Article 19-2](https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-enforcement-act/art-19-2) - [Bankruptcy Act (破産法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/bankruptcy-act): 34 provisions, among them [Article 8-2](https://japanlaw.org/en/bankruptcy-act/art-8-2), [Article 8-3](https://japanlaw.org/en/bankruptcy-act/art-8-3), [Article 8-4](https://japanlaw.org/en/bankruptcy-act/art-8-4) - [Local Tax Act (地方税法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/local-tax-act): 25 provisions, among them [Article 9-2](https://japanlaw.org/en/local-tax-act/art-9-2), [Article 17-4](https://japanlaw.org/en/local-tax-act/art-17-4), [Article 20](https://japanlaw.org/en/local-tax-act/art-20) - [Companies Act (会社法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act): 11 provisions, among them [Article 399-7](https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-399-7), [Article 408](https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-408), [Article 858](https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-858) - [Act on the Prevention of Spousal Violence and the Protection of Victims (配偶者からの暴力の防止及び被害者の保護等に関する法律)](https://japanlaw.org/en/spousal-violence-act): 6 provisions, among them [Article 14-2](https://japanlaw.org/en/spousal-violence-act/art-14-2), [Article 14-3](https://japanlaw.org/en/spousal-violence-act/art-14-3), [Article 14-4](https://japanlaw.org/en/spousal-violence-act/art-14-4) - [Unfair Competition Prevention Act (不正競争防止法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/unfair-competition-prevention-act): 3 provisions, among them [Article 10](https://japanlaw.org/en/unfair-competition-prevention-act/art-10), [Article 11](https://japanlaw.org/en/unfair-competition-prevention-act/art-11), [Supplementary Provisions, Article 77](https://japanlaw.org/en/unfair-competition-prevention-act/suppl-5041-48/art-77) - [Labor Tribunal Act (労働審判法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/labor-tribunal-act): 3 provisions, among them [Article 20](https://japanlaw.org/en/labor-tribunal-act/art-20), [Article 21](https://japanlaw.org/en/labor-tribunal-act/art-21), [Article 23](https://japanlaw.org/en/labor-tribunal-act/art-23) - [Copyright Act (著作権法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/copyright-act): 3 provisions, among them [Article 114-6](https://japanlaw.org/en/copyright-act/art-114-6), [Article 114-7](https://japanlaw.org/en/copyright-act/art-114-7), [Supplementary Provisions, Article 62](https://japanlaw.org/en/copyright-act/suppl-5041-48/art-62) - [Act on Land and Building Leases (借地借家法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/land-and-building-leases-act): 2 provisions, among them [Article 50](https://japanlaw.org/en/land-and-building-leases-act/art-50), [Article 55](https://japanlaw.org/en/land-and-building-leases-act/art-55) - [Administrative Case Litigation Act (行政事件訴訟法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/administrative-case-litigation-act): 2 provisions, among them [Article 15](https://japanlaw.org/en/administrative-case-litigation-act/art-15), [Supplementary Provisions, Article 59](https://japanlaw.org/en/administrative-case-litigation-act/suppl-5041-48/art-59) ## Related - [Act (法律, ほうりつ)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/act) - [Supreme Court (最高裁判所, さいこうさいばんしょ)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/supreme-court) - [Appeal to the court of second instance (控訴, こうそ)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/second-instance-appeal) - [Litigation representative (訴訟代理人, そしょうだいりにん)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/litigation-representative) - [Oral argument (口頭弁論, こうとうべんろん)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/oral-argument) - [Final appeal (上告, じょうこく)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/final-appeal) - [Small claims action (少額訴訟, しょうがくそしょう)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/small-claims-action) - [Request for review (審査請求, しんさせいきゅう)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/request-for-review) --- ## Sources - Explanation: Written for this site with AI (claude-opus-5-5, 2026-10-18) - 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 (11 records)