# 民事訴訟法 / Code of Civil Procedure — 第三百七十三条 (Article 373) - 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: 第三百七十三条 (Article 373)（通常の手続への移行） — address `art-373` - Text in force since: 2026-06-24 - URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-373 - Permanent URL (e-Gov law ID, never renamed): https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-373 - 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. --- ### 第三百七十三条（通常の手続への移行） — (Transfer to Ordinary Proceedings) caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System art-373 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-373 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-373 **第一項** 被告は、訴訟を通常の手続に移行させる旨の申述をすることができる。ただし、被告が最初にすべき口頭弁論の期日において弁論をし、又はその期日が終了した後は、この限りでない。 art-373/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-373/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-373/par-1 The defendant may enter a statement requesting that litigation be transferred to ordinary proceedings; provided, however, that this does not apply after the defendant has presented oral arguments on the first date for oral arguments or if that court date has been completed. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第二項** 訴訟は、前項の申述があった時に、通常の手続に移行する。 art-373/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-373/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-373/par-2 Litigation is transferred to ordinary proceedings upon the entry of a statement as referred to in the preceding paragraph. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第三項** 次に掲げる場合には、裁判所は、訴訟を通常の手続により審理及び裁判をする旨の決定をしなければならない。 art-373/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-373/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-373/par-3 In the following cases, the court must rule to conduct a trial and reach a judicial decision in litigation through ordinary proceedings: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **一** 第三百六十八条第一項の規定に違反して少額訴訟による審理及び裁判を求めたとき。 art-373/par-3/item-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-373/par-3/item-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-373/par-3/item-1 the plaintiff has sought a trial and judicial decision through a small claims action in violation of the provisions of Article 368, paragraph (1); Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **二** 第三百六十八条第三項の規定によってすべき届出を相当の期間を定めて命じた場合において、その届出がないとき。 art-373/par-3/item-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-373/par-3/item-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-373/par-3/item-2 the court has specified a reasonable time frame and ordered a report in accordance with the provisions of Article 368, paragraph (3), but that report is not given; Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **三** 公示送達によらなければ被告に対する最初にすべき口頭弁論の期日の呼出しをすることができないとき。 art-373/par-3/item-3 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-373/par-3/item-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-373/par-3/item-3 it is impossible to summon the defendant to the first date for oral arguments by any means other than service by publication; Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **四** 少額訴訟により審理及び裁判をするのを相当でないと認めるとき。 art-373/par-3/item-4 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-373/par-3/item-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-373/par-3/item-4 the court finds it inappropriate to conduct a trial and reach a judicial decision through a small claims action. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第四項** 前項の決定に対しては、不服を申し立てることができない。 art-373/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-373/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-373/par-4 It is not permissible to enter a protest against the ruling referred to in the preceding paragraph. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第五項** 訴訟が通常の手続に移行したときは、少額訴訟のため既に指定した期日は、通常の手続のために指定したものとみなす。 art-373/par-5 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-373/par-5 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-373/par-5 If litigation is transferred to ordinary proceedings, any date already designated for the small claims action is deemed to have been designated for ordinary proceedings. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System --- ## Cites - art-373/par-2: 前項 → 民事訴訟法 第三百七十三条第一項 (Article 373, paragraph (1)), art-373/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-373/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-373/par-1 - art-373/par-3/item-1: 第三百六十八条第一項 → 民事訴訟法 第三百六十八条第一項 (Article 368, paragraph (1)), art-368/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-368/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-368/par-1 - art-373/par-3/item-2: 第三百六十八条第三項 → 民事訴訟法 第三百六十八条第三項 (Article 368, paragraph (3)), art-368/par-3 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-368/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-368/par-3 - art-373/par-4: 前項 → 民事訴訟法 第三百七十三条第三項 (Article 373, paragraph (3)), art-373/par-3 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-373/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-373/par-3 ## Cited by 2 provisions cite this one. No official source publishes this direction. - 民事訴訟法 第三百七十三条第二項（通常の手続への移行） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-373/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-373/par-2 - 民事訴訟法 第三百七十三条第四項（通常の手続への移行） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-civil-procedure/art-373/par-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/408AC0000000109/art-373/par-4 --- ## 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