# 民法 / Civil Code — 第四章 (Part 1, Chapter 4)

- Law: 民法 (Civil Code), 明治二十九年法律第八十九号
- English title "Civil Code": Ministry of Justice translation
- 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: 第四章 (Part 1, Chapter 4) — address `pt-1/ch-4`
- Text: the text as amended with effect from 2028-12-23 (On a day set by Cabinet Order, no later than 23 December 2028 — the amending law allows up to 30 months from promulgation. The exact day is not fixed yet.), standing until 2029-06-22 as now scheduled, since the next amendment's day is not fixed — NOT yet in force (revision 20281223_508AC0000000045)
- URL (this text's page, at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000045/text/pt-1/ch-4
- The same address in the text in force (its wording there may differ): https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/pt-1/ch-4
- Every provision below carries its address and its place on this text's page 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.
The Ministry's English is given only where this text's Japanese is a wording
the Ministry translated — the same as the text in force, or for a text not yet
in force, a wording it translated ahead; every other paragraph's English is
machine translation.

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## 第四章　物 — Chapter IV Things
<sup>heading: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>
<sup>pt-1/ch-4 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000045/text/pt-1/ch-4</sup>

### 第八十五条（定義） — (Definition)
<sup>caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>
<sup>art-85 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000045/text/pt-1/ch-4#art-85</sup>

  **第一項**  この法律において「物」とは、有体物をいう。
  <sup>art-85/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000045/text/pt-1/ch-4#art-85/par-1</sup>
  The term "things" as used in this Code means tangible objects.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

### 第八十六条（不動産及び動産） — (Immovables and Movables)
<sup>caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>
<sup>art-86 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000045/text/pt-1/ch-4#art-86</sup>

  **第一項**  土地及びその定着物は、不動産とする。
  <sup>art-86/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000045/text/pt-1/ch-4#art-86/par-1</sup>
  Land and any fixtures thereto are immovables.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

  **第二項**  不動産以外の物は、すべて動産とする。
  <sup>art-86/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000045/text/pt-1/ch-4#art-86/par-2</sup>
  Things other than immovables are movables.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

### 第八十七条（主物及び従物） — (Principal Things and Accessory Things)
<sup>caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>
<sup>art-87 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000045/text/pt-1/ch-4#art-87</sup>

  **第一項**  物の所有者が、その物の常用に供するため、自己の所有に属する他の物をこれに附属させたときは、その附属させた物を従物とする。
  <sup>art-87/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000045/text/pt-1/ch-4#art-87/par-1</sup>
  If the owner of a thing attaches a second thing that the owner owns to the thing to serve the ordinary use of the thing, the thing that the owner attaches is an accessory thing.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

  **第二項**  従物は、主物の処分に従う。
  <sup>art-87/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000045/text/pt-1/ch-4#art-87/par-2</sup>
  An accessory thing is disposed of together with the principal thing if the principal thing is disposed of.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

### 第八十八条（天然果実及び法定果実） — (Natural Fruits and Civil Fruits)
<sup>caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>
<sup>art-88 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000045/text/pt-1/ch-4#art-88</sup>

  **第一項**  物の用法に従い収取する産出物を天然果実とする。
  <sup>art-88/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000045/text/pt-1/ch-4#art-88/par-1</sup>
  Products obtained from the intended use of a thing are its natural fruits.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

  **第二項**  物の使用の対価として受けるべき金銭その他の物を法定果実とする。
  <sup>art-88/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000045/text/pt-1/ch-4#art-88/par-2</sup>
  Money and other things that may be obtained in exchange for the use of any thing are civil fruits.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

### 第八十九条（果実の帰属） — (Ownership of Fruits)
<sup>caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>
<sup>art-89 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000045/text/pt-1/ch-4#art-89</sup>

  **第一項**  天然果実は、その元物から分離する時に、これを収取する権利を有する者に帰属する。
  <sup>art-89/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000045/text/pt-1/ch-4#art-89/par-1</sup>
  The ownership of natural fruits is acquired by the person entitled to obtain them when they are separated from the original thing.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

  **第二項**  法定果実は、これを収取する権利の存続期間に応じて、日割計算によりこれを取得する。
  <sup>art-89/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000045/text/pt-1/ch-4#art-89/par-2</sup>
  A person acquires civil fruits in proportion to the duration of the right to obtain them, as calculated on a prorated, daily basis.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

---

## Sources

- e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 民法 — the text as 令和八年法律第四十五号 leaves it, from a date not yet fixed (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/129AC0000000089/20281223_508AC0000000045), retrieved 2026-10-11
- Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Civil Code — Ministry of Justice translation (part 1 of 2) (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/4848/tb), retrieved 2026-10-11
- This site's parser, version 209 — 民法 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-10-11