# 民事訴訟法 / Code of Civil Procedure — 第百六十三条 (Article 163)

- Law: 民事訴訟法 (Code of Civil Procedure), 平成八年法律第百九号
- English title "Code of Civil Procedure": 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: 第百六十三条 (Article 163)（当事者照会） — address `art-163`
- Text in force since: 2026-06-24
- URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-163
- Permanent URL (e-Gov law ID, never renamed): https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-163
- 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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### 第百六十三条（当事者照会） — (Inquiry by a Party)
<sup>caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>
<sup>art-163 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-163 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-163</sup>

    **第一項**  当事者は、訴訟の係属中、相手方に対し、主張又は立証を準備するために必要な事項について、相当の期間を定めて、書面により、又は相手方の選択により書面若しくは電磁的方法のいずれかにより回答するよう、書面により照会をすることができる。ただし、その照会が次の各号のいずれかに該当するときは、この限りでない。
    <sup>art-163/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-163/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-163/par-1</sup>
    While litigation is pending, a party may specify a reasonable time frame for response and direct a written inquiry to the adverse party, so as to elicit from that party a response in writing, or at the option of the adverse party, either in writing or by electronic or magnetic means, with regard to particulars that are necessary for preparing allegations or proof; provided, however, that this does not apply if the inquiry falls under any of the following items:
    <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

      **一**  具体的又は個別的でない照会
      <sup>art-163/par-1/item-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-163/par-1/item-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-163/par-1/item-1</sup>
      an inquiry that is non-concrete or non-specific;
      <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

      **二**  相手方を侮辱し、又は困惑させる照会
      <sup>art-163/par-1/item-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-163/par-1/item-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-163/par-1/item-2</sup>
      an inquiry that insults the adverse party or that inhibits a free choice of response;
      <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

      **三**  既にした照会と重複する照会
      <sup>art-163/par-1/item-3 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-163/par-1/item-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-163/par-1/item-3</sup>
      an inquiry that constitutes a repetition of any previous inquiry;
      <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

      **四**  意見を求める照会
      <sup>art-163/par-1/item-4 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-163/par-1/item-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-163/par-1/item-4</sup>
      an inquiry asking for an opinion;
      <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

      **五**  相手方が回答するために不相当な費用又は時間を要する照会
      <sup>art-163/par-1/item-5 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-163/par-1/item-5 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-163/par-1/item-5</sup>
      an inquiry that would require unreasonable expense or time for the adverse party to respond to;
      <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

      **六**  第百九十六条又は第百九十七条の規定により証言を拒絶することができる事項と同様の事項についての照会
      <sup>art-163/par-1/item-6 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-163/par-1/item-6 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-163/par-1/item-6</sup>
      an inquiry about the same kind of particulars as those regarding which a person may refuse to testify pursuant to the provisions of Article 196 or Article 197.
      <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

    **第二項**  当事者は、前項の規定による書面による照会に代えて、相手方の承諾を得て、電磁的方法により照会をすることができる。
    <sup>art-163/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-163/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-163/par-2</sup>
    A party may make an inquiry by electronic or magnetic means in lieu of an inquiry in writing under the preceding paragraph, with consent from the adverse party.
    <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

    **第三項**  相手方（第一項の規定により書面又は電磁的方法のいずれかにより回答するよう照会を受けたものを除く。）は、同項の規定による書面による回答に代えて、当事者の承諾を得て、電磁的方法により回答をすることができる。
    <sup>art-163/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-163/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-163/par-3</sup>
    An adverse party (excluding a party that received an inquiry requiring a response either in writing or by electronic or magnetic means pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1)) may provide a response by electronic or magnetic means in lieu of a written response under the provisions of that paragraph, with consent from the party.
    <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

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## Cites
- art-163/par-1/item-6: 第百九十六条 → 民事訴訟法 第百九十六条 (Article 196), art-196 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-196 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-196
- art-163/par-1/item-6: 第百九十七条 → 民事訴訟法 第百九十七条 (Article 197), art-197 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-197 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-197
- art-163/par-2: 前項 → 民事訴訟法 第百六十三条第一項 (Article 163, paragraph (1)), art-163/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-163/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-163/par-1
- art-163/par-3: 第一項 → 民事訴訟法 第百六十三条第一項 (Article 163, paragraph (1)), art-163/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-163/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-163/par-1

## Cited by

4 provisions cite this one. No official source publishes this direction.

- 個人情報の保護に関する法律 第百五十条第一項（権限の委任） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/personal-information-protection-act/art-150/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/415AC0000000057/art-150/par-1
- 民事訴訟法 第百三十二条の二第一項第一号（訴えの提起前における照会） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-132-2/par-1/item-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-132-2/par-1/item-1
- 民事訴訟法 第百六十三条第二項（当事者照会） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-163/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-163/par-2
- 民事訴訟法 第百六十三条第三項（当事者照会） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-163/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-163/par-3

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## Sources

- e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 民事訴訟法 — the text in force from 2026-06-24 (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/408AC0000000109/20260624_508AC0000000046), retrieved 2026-10-17
- Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Code of Civil Procedure — Ministry of Justice translation (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/4797/tb), retrieved 2026-10-17
- This site's parser, version 209 — 民事訴訟法 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-10-17