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Courts of Japan

A single national system with a Supreme Court at the top, and separate family courts. There is no separate constitutional court.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Courts

Supreme CourtAlso decides constitutional questions
High CourtsEight, plus the Intellectual Property High Court
District Courts
Summary CourtsSmall civil claims and minor crimes

Family courts

Family CourtsAlongside the District Courts
Appeals travel up the arrows. Boxes with a heavier border are the top court of each track.

Worth knowing

  • Courts can review whether laws follow the Constitution, but rarely strike them down.

Compare Japan with another country →
Read the Japan profile in the Legal Families Atlas →

Sources

Other systems

African Court on Human and Peoples' RightsArgentinaAustraliaAustriaBangladeshBelgiumBrazilCanadaChileChinaColombiaCzechiaDenmarkEgyptEngland and WalesEuropean Court of Human RightsEuropean UnionFinlandFranceGermanyGhanaGreeceHong KongIndiaIndonesiaInter-American Court of Human RightsInternational Court of JusticeInternational Criminal CourtIranIrelandIsraelItalyKenyaMalaysiaMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNigeriaNorwayPakistanPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSaudi ArabiaScotlandSingaporeSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSwedenSwitzerlandTaiwanThailandTurkeyUnited Arab EmiratesUnited StatesVietnam

TheLawToKnow Tools’s court-structure diagrams are simplified on purpose and are not legal advice. Report a mistake.