# 民事訴訟法 / Code of Civil Procedure — 第二百六十一条 (Article 261) - 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: 第二百六十一条 (Article 261)（訴えの取下げ） — address `art-261` - Text in force since: 2026-06-24 - URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-261 - Permanent URL (e-Gov law ID, never renamed): https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-261 - 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. --- ### 第二百六十一条（訴えの取下げ） — (Withdrawal of an Action) caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System art-261 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-261 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-261 **第一項** 訴えは、判決が確定するまで、その全部又は一部を取り下げることができる。 art-261/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-261/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-261/par-1 An action may be withdrawn in whole or in part before a judgment becomes final and binding. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第二項** 訴えの取下げは、相手方が本案について準備書面を提出し、弁論準備手続において申述をし、又は口頭弁論をした後にあっては、相手方の同意を得なければ、その効力を生じない。ただし、本訴の取下げがあった場合における反訴の取下げについては、この限りでない。 art-261/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-261/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-261/par-2 The withdrawal of an action after the adverse party has submitted a brief, entered a statement in preparatory proceedings, or conducted oral arguments on the merits, is invalid without the consent of the adverse party; provided, however, that this does not apply to the withdrawal of a counterclaim if the principal action is withdrawn. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第三項** 訴えの取下げは、書面でしなければならない。 art-261/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-261/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-261/par-3 The withdrawal of an action must be effected by means of a paper document. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第四項** 前項の規定にかかわらず、口頭弁論、弁論準備手続又は和解の期日（以下この章において「口頭弁論等の期日」という。）において訴えの取下げをするときは、口頭ですることを妨げない。この場合において、裁判所書記官は、その期日の電子調書に訴えの取下げがされた旨を記録しなければならない。 art-261/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-261/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-261/par-4 Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph, if a party withdraws an action on a date for oral arguments, preparatory proceedings, or settlement (referred to below as a "proceeding date" in this Chapter), they are not precluded from doing this orally. In such a case, the court clerk must record in the electronic record for that court date that the action has been withdrawn. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第五項** 第二項本文の場合において、訴えの取下げが書面でされたときはその書面を、訴えの取下げが口頭弁論等の期日において口頭でされたとき（相手方がその期日に出頭したときを除く。）は前項の規定により訴えの取下げがされた旨が記録された電子調書を相手方に送達しなければならない。 art-261/par-5 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-261/par-5 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-261/par-5 In a case as referred to in the main clause of paragraph (2), if an action is withdrawn in writing, the written withdrawal must be served on the adverse party, and if it is withdrawn orally on a proceeding date (unless the adverse party has appeared on that date), an electronic record indicating that action has been withdrawn pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph must be served on the adverse party. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第六項** 訴えの取下げの書面の送達を受けた日から二週間以内に相手方が異議を述べないときは、訴えの取下げに同意したものとみなす。訴えの取下げが口頭弁論等の期日において口頭でされた場合において、相手方がその期日に出頭したときは訴えの取下げがあった日から、相手方がその期日に出頭しなかったときは前項の規定による送達があった日から二週間以内に相手方が異議を述べないときも、同様とする。 art-261/par-6 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-261/par-6 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-261/par-6 If the adverse party does not state an objection within two weeks from the day on which that party is served with the written withdrawal of an action, the adverse party is deemed to have consented to the withdrawal of the action. The same applies if an action is withdrawn orally on a proceeding date and the adverse party does not state an objection within two weeks from the day on which the action is withdrawn, if the adverse party appears on that date; or within two weeks from the day on which the service under the provisions of the preceding paragraph is made, if the adverse party does not appear on that date. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System --- ## Cites - art-261/par-4: 前項 → 民事訴訟法 第二百六十一条第三項 (Article 261, paragraph (3)), art-261/par-3 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-261/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-261/par-3 - art-261/par-5: 第二項 → 民事訴訟法 第二百六十一条第二項 (Article 261, paragraph (2)), art-261/par-2 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-261/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-261/par-2 - art-261/par-5: 前項 → 民事訴訟法 第二百六十一条第四項 (Article 261, paragraph (4)), art-261/par-4 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-261/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-261/par-4 - art-261/par-6: 前項 → 民事訴訟法 第二百六十一条第五項 (Article 261, paragraph (5)), art-261/par-5 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-261/par-5 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-261/par-5 ## Cited by 11 provisions cite this one. No official source publishes this direction. - 民事執行法 別表第一 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-enforcement-act/appdx-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/354AC0000000004/appdx-1 - 民事執行法 別表第二 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/civil-enforcement-act/appdx-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/354AC0000000004/appdx-2 - 民事訴訟法 第二百五十五条第一項（電子判決書等の送達） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-255/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-255/par-1 - 民事訴訟法 第二百六十一条第四項（訴えの取下げ） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-261/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-261/par-4 - 民事訴訟法 第二百六十一条第五項（訴えの取下げ） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-261/par-5 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-261/par-5 - 民事訴訟法 第二百六十一条第六項（訴えの取下げ） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-261/par-6 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-261/par-6 - 民事訴訟法 第二百九十二条第二項（控訴の取下げ） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-292/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-292/par-2 - 民事訴訟法 第三百六十条第三項（異議の取下げ） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-360/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-360/par-3 - 民事訴訟法 附則第十八条第一項（訴え又は控訴の取下げが口頭でされたときに関する経過措置） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/suppl-5041-48/art-18/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/suppl-5041-48/art-18/par-1 - 破産法 別表第一 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/bankruptcy-act/appdx-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/416AC0000000075/appdx-1 - 配偶者からの暴力の防止及び被害者の保護等に関する法律 第二十一条第一項（民事訴訟法の準用） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/spousal-violence-act/art-21/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/413AC0100000031/art-21/par-1 --- ## 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