# 中小企業倒産防止共済法 / Act on Mutual Relief System for the Prevention of Bankruptcies of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises — 第三条 (Article 3) This is the Markdown twin of https://japanlaw.org/en/sme-bankruptcy-prevention-act/art-3. 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. - Law: 中小企業倒産防止共済法 (Act on Mutual Relief System for the Prevention of Bankruptcies of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises), 昭和五十二年法律第八十四号 - English title "Act on Mutual Relief System for the Prevention of Bankruptcies of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises": Ministry of Justice translation database, which lists the title - Kind: Act — the distinction between 法律 (Act), 政令 (Cabinet Order), 省令 (Ministerial Order) and 条例 (local ordinance) decides who may issue it and what it may say. - Provision: 第三条 (Article 3)（契約の締結） — address `art-3` - Text in force since: 2020-04-01 - URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/en/sme-bankruptcy-prevention-act/art-3 - e-Gov law ID: 352AC0000000084 — never renamed. A permanent link, `/l/{lawId}/{address}` on this site, redirects to the page. - Every provision below carries its address and its URL on the line under it. - Japanese text: e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁). English: as marked on each line below. Only the Japanese as published by the government has legal effect; the text below is a copy of it. Every English rendering below is a translation and says which kind: the Ministry of Justice's translation, or this site's machine translation, whose model and date the Sources list names. They are never merged and never substituted for one another. --- ### 第三条（契約の締結） — Conclusion of Contracts caption: machine translation, not official art-3 · https://japanlaw.org/en/sme-bankruptcy-prevention-act/art-3 **第一項** 引き続き一年以上事業を行つている中小企業者でなければ、共済契約を締結することができない。 art-3/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/sme-bankruptcy-prevention-act/art-3/par-1 A mutual aid contract may not be concluded by anyone other than a small and medium-sized enterprise that has continuously carried on business for one year or more. machine translation, not official **第二項** 現に共済契約者である中小企業者は、新たな共済契約を締結することができない。 art-3/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/en/sme-bankruptcy-prevention-act/art-3/par-2 A small and medium-sized enterprise that is currently a mutual aid policyholder may not conclude a new mutual aid contract. machine translation, not official **第三項** 機構は、次に掲げる場合を除いては、共済契約の締結を拒んではならない。 art-3/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/en/sme-bankruptcy-prevention-act/art-3/par-3 The Organization must not refuse to conclude a mutual aid contract except in the following cases: machine translation, not official **一** 共済契約の申込者が第七条第二項の規定により共済契約を解除され、その解除の日から一年を経過しない者であるとき。 art-3/par-3/item-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/sme-bankruptcy-prevention-act/art-3/par-3/item-1 Where the applicant for the mutual aid contract is a person whose mutual aid contract was cancelled pursuant to Article 7, paragraph (2) and for whom one year has not elapsed from the date of the cancellation; machine translation, not official **二** 共済契約の申込者が偽りその他不正の行為によつて共済金若しくは一時貸付金の貸付け又は早期償還手当金、解約手当金若しくは完済手当金の支給を受け、又は受けようとした日から一年を経過しない者であるとき。 art-3/par-3/item-2 · https://japanlaw.org/en/sme-bankruptcy-prevention-act/art-3/par-3/item-2 Where the applicant for the mutual aid contract is a person for whom one year has not elapsed from the date on which the person received, or attempted to receive, a loan of mutual aid benefits or a temporary loan, or payment of an early repayment allowance, cancellation refund or full repayment allowance, by deception or other wrongful act; machine translation, not official **三** 前二号に掲げるもののほか、当該共済契約の締結によつて中小企業倒産防止共済事業の適正円滑な運営を阻害することとなるおそれがある事由として経済産業省令で定める事由があるとき。 art-3/par-3/item-3 · https://japanlaw.org/en/sme-bankruptcy-prevention-act/art-3/par-3/item-3 Where, in addition to what is set out in the preceding two items, there is a cause specified by Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as a cause likely to impede, through the conclusion of that mutual aid contract, the proper and smooth operation of the small and medium-sized enterprise bankruptcy prevention mutual aid business. machine translation, not official --- ## Cites - art-3/par-3/item-1: 第七条第二項 → 中小企業倒産防止共済法 第七条第二項 (Article 7, paragraph (2)), art-7/par-2 — https://japanlaw.org/en/sme-bankruptcy-prevention-act/art-7/par-2 - art-3/par-3/item-3: 前二号 → 中小企業倒産防止共済法 第三条第三項第一号 (Article 3, paragraph (3), item (i)), art-3/par-3/item-1 — https://japanlaw.org/en/sme-bankruptcy-prevention-act/art-3/par-3/item-1 - art-3/par-3/item-3: 前二号 → 中小企業倒産防止共済法 第三条第三項第二号 (Article 3, paragraph (3), item (ii)), art-3/par-3/item-2 — https://japanlaw.org/en/sme-bankruptcy-prevention-act/art-3/par-3/item-2 ## Cited by 2 provisions cite this one. No official source publishes this direction. - 中小企業倒産防止共済法 第三条第三項第三号（契約の締結） — https://japanlaw.org/en/sme-bankruptcy-prevention-act/art-3/par-3/item-3 - 中小企業倒産防止共済法 第十二条第二項第三号（承継） — https://japanlaw.org/en/sme-bankruptcy-prevention-act/art-12/par-2/item-3 --- ## Sources - e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 中小企業倒産防止共済法 — the text in force from 2020-04-01 (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/352AC0000000084/20200401_429AC0000000045), retrieved 2026-11-06 - Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — 中小企業倒産防止共済法 — its English title as the Ministry of Justice's translation database lists it (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/1056), retrieved 2026-10-07 - claude-sonnet-5-5 — Machine translation, batch sme-bankruptcy-prevention-act-20261106T173426-001, translated 2026-11-07 - This site's parser, version 225 — 中小企業倒産防止共済法 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-11-06