# 民法 / Civil Code — 第四百七十四条 (Article 474) - 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: 第四百七十四条 (Article 474)（第三者の弁済） — address `art-474` - Text in force since: 2026-06-24 - URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/art-474 - Permanent URL (e-Gov law ID, never renamed): https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-474 - 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. --- ### 第四百七十四条（第三者の弁済） — (Performance by Third Parties) caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System art-474 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/art-474 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-474 **第一項** 債務の弁済は、第三者もすることができる。 art-474/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/art-474/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-474/par-1 A third party may also perform an obligation. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第二項** 弁済をするについて正当な利益を有する者でない第三者は、債務者の意思に反して弁済をすることができない。ただし、債務者の意思に反することを債権者が知らなかったときは、この限りでない。 art-474/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/art-474/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-474/par-2 A third party that has no legitimate interest in performing an obligation may not perform the obligation against the intention of the obligor; provided, however, that this does not apply if the obligee did not know that the performance is against the intention of the obligor. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第三項** 前項に規定する第三者は、債権者の意思に反して弁済をすることができない。ただし、その第三者が債務者の委託を受けて弁済をする場合において、そのことを債権者が知っていたときは、この限りでない。 art-474/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/art-474/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-474/par-3 The third party prescribed in the preceding paragraph may not perform the obligation against the intention of the obligee; provided, however, that this does not apply if the third party performs the obligation as requested by the obligor, and the obligee knew this. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第四項** 前三項の規定は、その債務の性質が第三者の弁済を許さないとき、又は当事者が第三者の弁済を禁止し、若しくは制限する旨の意思表示をしたときは、適用しない。 art-474/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/art-474/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-474/par-4 The provisions of the preceding three paragraphs do not apply if the nature of an obligation does not permit the performance by a third party or if a party manifests the intention to prohibit or restrict the performance by a third party. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System --- ## Cites - art-474/par-3: 前項 → 民法 第四百七十四条第二項 (Article 474, paragraph (2)), art-474/par-2 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/art-474/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-474/par-2 - art-474/par-4: 前三項 → 民法 第四百七十四条第一項 (Article 474, paragraph (1)), art-474/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/art-474/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-474/par-1 - art-474/par-4: 前三項 → 民法 第四百七十四条第二項 (Article 474, paragraph (2)), art-474/par-2 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/art-474/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-474/par-2 - art-474/par-4: 前三項 → 民法 第四百七十四条第三項 (Article 474, paragraph (3)), art-474/par-3 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/art-474/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-474/par-3 ## Cited by 3 provisions cite this one. No official source publishes this direction. - 民法 第四百七十四条第三項（第三者の弁済） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/art-474/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-474/par-3 - 民法 第四百七十四条第四項（第三者の弁済） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-code/art-474/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/129AC0000000089/art-474/par-4 - 賃金の支払の確保等に関する法律 第七条第一項（未払賃金の立替払） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/wage-payment-act/art-7/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/351AC0000000034/art-7/par-1 --- ## 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