# Void (無効, むこう) This is the Markdown twin of https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/void. 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/void - In Japanese: https://japanlaw.org/ja/concepts/void - Written by: claude-opus-5-5, 2026-09-23 Having no legal effect from the start. A void act does not take effect even if the parties later confirm it; confirming it knowing it is void counts as making a new act (Civil Code, Article 119). An act against public order or good morals is void (Article 90). Some Acts that protect one side make void a term that takes that protection away: a term of a land lease that is worse for the tenant than the Act on Land and Building Leases' rules on how long the lease lasts and how it is renewed (Article 9), a clause of a consumer contract that frees a business from all liability for damage its failure to perform causes the consumer (Consumer Contract Act, Article 8, paragraph (1), item (i)), or the part of a labor contract that falls short of the Labor Standards Act's standards, which the Act's standard replaces (Labor Standards Act, Article 13). 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, Arts. 90, 119](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/129AC0000000089) — on this site: https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code - [Act on Land and Building Leases, Art. 9](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/403AC0000000090) — on this site: https://japanlaw.org/en/land-and-building-leases-act - [Consumer Contract Act, Art. 8](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/412AC0000000061) — on this site: https://japanlaw.org/en/consumer-contract-act - [Labor Standards Act, Art. 13](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/322AC0000000049) — on this site: https://japanlaw.org/en/labor-standards-act ## Where the laws use it 13 laws in force use it in this sense, in 66 provisions; there the word opens this explanation. - [Civil Code (民法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code): 19 provisions, among them [Article 3-2](https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code/art-3-2), [Article 90](https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code/art-90), [Article 93](https://japanlaw.org/en/civil-code/art-93) - [Act on Specified Commercial Transactions (特定商取引に関する法律)](https://japanlaw.org/en/specified-commercial-transactions-act): 8 provisions, among them [Article 9](https://japanlaw.org/en/specified-commercial-transactions-act/art-9), [Article 24](https://japanlaw.org/en/specified-commercial-transactions-act/art-24), [Article 40](https://japanlaw.org/en/specified-commercial-transactions-act/art-40) - [Consumer Contract Act (消費者契約法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/consumer-contract-act): 7 provisions, among them [Article 1](https://japanlaw.org/en/consumer-contract-act/art-1), [Article 8](https://japanlaw.org/en/consumer-contract-act/art-8), [Article 8-2](https://japanlaw.org/en/consumer-contract-act/art-8-2) - [Act on Land and Building Leases (借地借家法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/land-and-building-leases-act): 6 provisions, among them [Article 9](https://japanlaw.org/en/land-and-building-leases-act/art-9), [Article 16](https://japanlaw.org/en/land-and-building-leases-act/art-16), [Article 21](https://japanlaw.org/en/land-and-building-leases-act/art-21) - [Real Estate Brokerage Act (宅地建物取引業法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/real-estate-brokerage-act): 6 provisions, among them [Article 34-2](https://japanlaw.org/en/real-estate-brokerage-act/art-34-2), [Article 37-2](https://japanlaw.org/en/real-estate-brokerage-act/art-37-2), [Article 38](https://japanlaw.org/en/real-estate-brokerage-act/art-38) - [Labor Contracts Act (労働契約法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/labor-contracts-act): 4 provisions, among them [Article 12](https://japanlaw.org/en/labor-contracts-act/art-12), [Article 14](https://japanlaw.org/en/labor-contracts-act/art-14), [Article 15](https://japanlaw.org/en/labor-contracts-act/art-15) - [Companies Act (会社法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act): 3 provisions, among them [Article 352](https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-352), [Article 535](https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-535), [Article 603](https://japanlaw.org/en/companies-act/art-603) - [Whistleblower Protection Act (公益通報者保護法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/whistleblower-protection-act): 3 provisions, among them [Article 1](https://japanlaw.org/en/whistleblower-protection-act/art-1), [Article 3](https://japanlaw.org/en/whistleblower-protection-act/art-3), [Article 4](https://japanlaw.org/en/whistleblower-protection-act/art-4) - [Act on General Rules for National Taxes (国税通則法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/national-tax-general-rules-act): 2 provisions, among them [Article 58](https://japanlaw.org/en/national-tax-general-rules-act/art-58), [Article 71](https://japanlaw.org/en/national-tax-general-rules-act/art-71) - [Local Tax Act (地方税法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/local-tax-act): 2 provisions, among them [Article 17-4](https://japanlaw.org/en/local-tax-act/art-17-4), [Article 17-6](https://japanlaw.org/en/local-tax-act/art-17-6) - [Income Tax Act (所得税法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/income-tax-act): 2 provisions, among them [Article 159](https://japanlaw.org/en/income-tax-act/art-159), [Article 160](https://japanlaw.org/en/income-tax-act/art-160) - [Bankruptcy Act (破産法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/bankruptcy-act): 2 provisions, among them [Article 78](https://japanlaw.org/en/bankruptcy-act/art-78), [Article 93](https://japanlaw.org/en/bankruptcy-act/art-93) - [Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (金融商品取引法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/financial-instruments-and-exchange-act): 2 provisions, among them [Article 37-6](https://japanlaw.org/en/financial-instruments-and-exchange-act/art-37-6), [Article 171-2](https://japanlaw.org/en/financial-instruments-and-exchange-act/art-171-2) ## Related - [Act (法律, ほうりつ)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/act) - [Juridical act (法律行為, ほうりつこうい)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/juridical-act) - [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)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/public-policy) - [Notarial deed (公正証書, こうせいしょうしょ)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/notarial-deed) - [Rescission (取消し, とりけし)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/rescission) - [Damages (損害賠償, そんがいばいしょう)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/damages) - [Cancellation (解除, かいじょ)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/cancellation) - [Manifestation of intention (意思表示, いしひょうじ)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/manifestation-of-intention) --- ## Sources - Explanation: Written for this site with AI (claude-opus-5-5, 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 (13 records)