# 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 / Act on the Prevention of Spousal Violence and the Protection of Victims — 第一章 (Chapter 1) - Law: 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 (Act on the Prevention of Spousal Violence and the Protection of Victims), 平成十三年法律第三十一号 - English title "Act on the Prevention of Spousal Violence and the Protection of Victims": 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 (Chapter 1) — address `ch-1` - Text in force since: 2026-06-24 - URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/ja/spousal-violence-act/ch-1 - Permanent URL (e-Gov law ID, never renamed): https://japanlaw.org/l/413AC0100000031/ch-1 - 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. --- ## 第一章　総則 — Chapter I General Provisions heading: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System ch-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/spousal-violence-act/ch-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/413AC0100000031/ch-1 ### 第一条（定義） — (Definitions) caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System art-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/spousal-violence-act/art-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/413AC0100000031/art-1 **第一項** この法律において「配偶者からの暴力」とは、配偶者からの身体に対する暴力（身体に対する不法な攻撃であって生命又は身体に危害を及ぼすものをいう。以下同じ。）又はこれに準ずる心身に有害な影響を及ぼす言動（以下この項及び第二十八条の二において「身体に対する暴力等」と総称する。）をいい、配偶者からの身体に対する暴力等を受けた後に、その者が離婚をし、又はその婚姻が取り消された場合にあっては、当該配偶者であった者から引き続き受ける身体に対する暴力等を含むものとする。 art-1/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/spousal-violence-act/art-1/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/413AC0100000031/art-1/par-1 The term "spousal violence" as used in this Act means physical violence caused by one spouse (illegal physical attacks that threaten the other spouse's life or person; the same applies hereinafter) or words and deeds by one spouse that cause the same level of psychological or physical harm to the other spouse (hereinafter collectively referred to as "physical violence, etc." in this paragraph and Article 28-2), and includes cases where a spouse has, subsequent to being subjected to physical violence, etc. by the other spouse, obtained a divorce or annulment of marriage but continues to be subjected to physical violence, etc. by the former spouse. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第二項** この法律において「被害者」とは、配偶者からの暴力を受けた者をいう。 art-1/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/spousal-violence-act/art-1/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/413AC0100000031/art-1/par-2 The term "victim" as used in this Act means a person who has been subjected to spousal violence. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第三項** この法律にいう「配偶者」には、婚姻の届出をしていないが事実上婚姻関係と同様の事情にある者を含み、「離婚」には、婚姻の届出をしていないが事実上婚姻関係と同様の事情にあった者が、事実上離婚したと同様の事情に入ることを含むものとする。 art-1/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/spousal-violence-act/art-1/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/413AC0100000031/art-1/par-3 The term "spouse" as used in this Act includes persons who are in a de facto state of marriage that has not been legally registered. The term "divorce" includes the circumstances of persons who were in a de facto state of marriage that was not legally registered, and whose situation has changed to a de facto state of divorce. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System ### 第二条（国及び地方公共団体の責務） — (Responsibilities of the National Government and Local Public Entities) caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System art-2 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/spousal-violence-act/art-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/413AC0100000031/art-2 **第一項** 国及び地方公共団体は、配偶者からの暴力を防止するとともに、被害者の保護（被害者の自立を支援することを含む。以下同じ。）を図る責務を有する。 art-2/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/ja/spousal-violence-act/art-2/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/413AC0100000031/art-2/par-1 The national government and local public entities have the responsibility of preventing spousal violence and protecting victims (including supporting their self-reliance; the same applies hereinafter). Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System --- ## Cites - art-1/par-1: この項 → 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 第一条第一項 (Article 1, paragraph (1)), art-1/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/spousal-violence-act/art-1/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/413AC0100000031/art-1/par-1 - art-1/par-1: 第二十八条の二 → 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 第二十八条の二 (Article 28-2), art-28-2 — https://japanlaw.org/ja/spousal-violence-act/art-28-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/413AC0100000031/art-28-2 --- ## Sources - e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 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 — the text in force from 2026-06-24 (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/413AC0100000031/20260624_508AC0000000046), retrieved 2026-10-10 - Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Act on the Prevention of Spousal Violence and the Protection of Victims — Ministry of Justice translation (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/4476/tb), retrieved 2026-10-10 - This site's parser, version 189 — 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 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-10-10