Law of JapanModule 3
Courts and the legal professions: judicial independence, the Supreme Court, the lower courts, the Intellectual Property High Court, judges, prosecutors, attorneys, scriveners, notaries and access to justice
Understanding **who decides** and **who may act for you** is half of understanding a legal system. Japan has a **single, unified judiciary** (no separate administrative or labour courts), headed by the **Supreme Court**, with **High Courts, District Courts, Family Courts and Summary Courts** below it. Its judges, prosecutors and attorneys are trained **together** in a national system, and a number of **other legal specialists**, such as scriveners and notaries, handle particular tasks that attorneys handle elsewhere. A foreigner who needs help must know which professional is **allowed** to do what. This module explains the courts, the professions and the routes to **legal aid and conciliation**.
This course explains the law of Japan, not US law. Rules that look the same elsewhere may be different.
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See what is included in the Courses & AI Lab Pass →General education on the law of Japan, using invented people and businesses. It states laws and procedures in simplified form and is not legal advice. The law and its practice change, and every case turns on its facts and on the authority concerned. It does not offer legal representation or a legal opinion on any case. Consult a Japanese-qualified attorney (bengoshi) for any real matter.
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