# 民法 / Civil Code — 第二百七十八条 (Article 278)

- 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: 第二百七十八条 (Article 278)（永小作権の存続期間） — address `art-278`
- Text in force since: 2026-06-24
- URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/art-278
- Permanent URL (e-Gov law ID, never renamed): https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-278
- Every provision below carries its address and both URLs 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.

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### 第二百七十八条（永小作権の存続期間） — (Duration of Farming Rights)
<sup>caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>
<sup>art-278 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/art-278 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-278</sup>

  **第一項**  永小作権の存続期間は、二十年以上五十年以下とする。設定行為で五十年より長い期間を定めたときであっても、その期間は、五十年とする。
  <sup>art-278/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/art-278/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-278/par-1</sup>
  The duration of a farming right is 20 years or more and 50 years or less. Even if an act of establishment provides for a period longer than 50 years, the duration is 50 years.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

  **第二項**  永小作権の設定は、更新することができる。ただし、その存続期間は、更新の時から五十年を超えることができない。
  <sup>art-278/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/art-278/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-278/par-2</sup>
  The establishment of farming right may be renewed; provided, however, that the duration of that right may not exceed 50 years from the time of renewal.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

  **第三項**  設定行為で永小作権の存続期間を定めなかったときは、その期間は、別段の慣習がある場合を除き、三十年とする。
  <sup>art-278/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/art-278/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-278/par-3</sup>
  If an act of establishment does not provide for the duration of the farming right, the duration of that right is 30 years unless there are other customs to the contrary.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

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## Sources

- e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 民法 — the text in force from 2026-06-24 (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/129AC0000000089/20260624_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 190 — 民法 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-10-11