# 刑事訴訟法 / Code of Criminal Procedure — 第三十一条 (Article 31) This is the Markdown twin of https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-31. Every law, and how to address a provision: https://japanlaw.org/llms.txt. The same laws as MCP tools (no sign-in): https://japanlaw.org/mcp. - Law: 刑事訴訟法 (Code of Criminal Procedure), 昭和二十三年法律第百三十一号 - English title "Code of Criminal 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: 第三十一条 (Article 31) — address `art-31` - Text in force since: 2026-10-20 - URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-31 - e-Gov law ID: 323AC0000000131 — never renamed. A permanent link, `/l/{lawId}/{address}` on this site, redirects to the page. - Every provision below carries its address and its URL 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. --- ### 第三十一条 art-31 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-31 **第一項** 弁護人は、弁護士の中からこれを選任しなければならない。 art-31/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-31/par-1 A defense counsel must be appointed from among attorneys. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第二項** 簡易裁判所又は地方裁判所においては、裁判所の許可を得たときは、弁護士でない者を弁護人に選任することができる。ただし、地方裁判所においては、他に弁護士の中から選任された弁護人がある場合に限る。 art-31/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-31/par-2 In a summary court or district court, any person who is not an attorney may, with the permission of the court, be appointed to be a defense counsel; provided, however, that in a district court this applies only when there is another defense counsel appointed from among attorneys. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System ## Cited by 8 provisions cite this one. No official source publishes this direction. - 不正競争防止法 附則第四十一条第一項（映像等の送受信による通話に係る取組の推進） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/unfair-competition-prevention-act/suppl-5071-39/art-41/par-1 (e-Gov law ID 405AC0000000047) - 出入国管理及び難民認定法 附則第四十一条第一項（映像等の送受信による通話に係る取組の推進） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/immigration-control-act/suppl-5071-39/art-41/par-1 (e-Gov law ID 326CO0000000319) - 刑事訴訟法 第三十九条第一項 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-criminal-procedure/art-39/par-1 - 刑事訴訟法 附則第四十一条第一項（映像等の送受信による通話に係る取組の推進） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/code-of-criminal-procedure/suppl-5071-39/art-41/par-1 - 刑法 附則第四十一条第一項（映像等の送受信による通話に係る取組の推進） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/penal-code/suppl-5071-39/art-41/par-1 (e-Gov law ID 140AC0000000045) - 少年法 附則第四十一条第一項（映像等の送受信による通話に係る取組の推進） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/juvenile-act/suppl-5071-39/art-41/par-1 (e-Gov law ID 323AC0000000168) - 性的な姿態を撮影する行為等の処罰及び押収物に記録された性的な姿態の影像に係る電磁的記録の消去等に関する法律 附則第四十一条第一項（映像等の送受信による通話に係る取組の推進） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/sexual-image-filming-act/suppl-5071-39/art-41/par-1 (e-Gov law ID 505AC0000000067) - 日本国との平和条約に基づき日本の国籍を離脱した者等の出入国管理に関する特例法 附則第四十一条第一項（映像等の送受信による通話に係る取組の推進） — https://japanlaw.org/ja/special-act-on-immigration-control/suppl-5071-39/art-41/par-1 (e-Gov law ID 403AC0000000071) --- ## Sources - e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 刑事訴訟法 — the text in force from 2026-10-20 (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/323AC0000000131/20261020_508AC0000000067), retrieved 2026-11-06 - Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Code of Criminal Procedure — Ministry of Justice translation (part 1 of 2) (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3739/tb), retrieved 2026-11-06 - This site's parser, version 225 — 刑事訴訟法 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-11-06