# 商法 / Commercial Code — 第一章 (Part 1, Chapter 1)

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- Law: 商法 (Commercial Code), 明治三十二年法律第四十八号
- English title "Commercial 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: 第一章 (Part 1, Chapter 1) — address `pt-1/ch-1`
- Text: the text as amended with effect from 2028-12-23 (The date on which the Act Partially Amending the Civil Code, etc. (Act No. 45 of 2026) comes into force. The exact day is not fixed yet.) — NOT yet in force (revision 20281223_508AC0000000046)
- URL (this text's page, at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/ja/commercial-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000046/text/pt-1/ch-1
- The same address in the text in force (its wording there may differ): https://japanlaw.org/ja/commercial-code/pt-1/ch-1
- Every provision below carries its address and its place on this text's page 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.
The Ministry's English is given only where this text's Japanese is a wording
the Ministry translated — the same as the text in force, or for a text not yet
in force, a wording it translated ahead; every other paragraph's English is
machine translation.

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## 第一章　通則 — Chapter I General Rules
<sup>heading: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>
<sup>pt-1/ch-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/commercial-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000046/text/pt-1/ch-1</sup>

### 第一条（趣旨等） — (Purpose)
<sup>caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>
<sup>art-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/commercial-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000046/text/pt-1/ch-1#art-1</sup>

  **第一項**  商人の営業、商行為その他商事については、他の法律に特別の定めがあるものを除くほか、この法律の定めるところによる。
  <sup>art-1/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/commercial-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000046/text/pt-1/ch-1#art-1/par-1</sup>
  The business of merchants, commercial transactions, and other commercial matters are governed by the provisions of this Code, except as otherwise provided by other laws.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

  **第二項**  商事に関し、この法律に定めがない事項については商慣習に従い、商慣習がないときは、民法（明治二十九年法律第八十九号）の定めるところによる。
  <sup>art-1/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/commercial-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000046/text/pt-1/ch-1#art-1/par-2</sup>
  A commercial matter not provided for in this Code is governed by commercial custom, and if there is no commercial custom, it is governed by the provisions of the Civil Code (Act No. 89 of 1896).
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

### 第二条（公法人の商行為） — (Commercial Transactions by Public Corporations)
<sup>caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>
<sup>art-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/commercial-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000046/text/pt-1/ch-1#art-2</sup>

  **第一項**  公法人が行う商行為については、法令に別段の定めがある場合を除き、この法律の定めるところによる。
  <sup>art-2/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/commercial-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000046/text/pt-1/ch-1#art-2/par-1</sup>
  Commercial transactions conducted by public corporations are governed by the provisions of this Code, except as otherwise provided for by laws and regulations.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

### 第三条（一方的商行為） — (Transactions Constituting Commercial Transactions for One Party)
<sup>caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>
<sup>art-3 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/commercial-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000046/text/pt-1/ch-1#art-3</sup>

  **第一項**  当事者の一方のために商行為となる行為については、この法律をその双方に適用する。
  <sup>art-3/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/commercial-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000046/text/pt-1/ch-1#art-3/par-1</sup>
  If an act constitutes a commercial transaction for one of the parties, this Code applies to both parties.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

  **第二項**  当事者の一方が二人以上ある場合において、その一人のために商行為となる行為については、この法律をその全員に適用する。
  <sup>art-3/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/commercial-code/amendments/20281223_508AC0000000046/text/pt-1/ch-1#art-3/par-2</sup>
  If two or more persons form one of the parties and an act constitutes a commercial transaction for any one of them, this Code applies to all of them.
  <sup>Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System</sup>

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## Sources

- e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 商法 — the text as 令和八年法律第四十六号 leaves it, from a date not yet fixed (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/132AC0000000048/20281223_508AC0000000046), retrieved 2026-11-05
- Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Commercial Code — Ministry of Justice translation (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/4293/tb), retrieved 2026-11-05
- This site's parser, version 224 — 商法 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-11-05