The Portal To —
Law of JapanJapan
A civil-law country that borrowed from France and Germany, adopted an American-drafted Constitution and built its own distinctive courts, legal professions and legal culture. How its legal system works, how to live, work and do business there, and where the risks lie. Free articles, organized by subject, growing every week.
New portal — the first articles are on their way.
Who This Page Is For
This portal collects material on Japanese law, a civil-law system with its own codes, its own legal professions and its own culture of conciliation, written for readers who visit, live, work, study or do business in Japan or who want to understand its legal system. It explains laws, institutions and procedures and does not give legal advice or opinions on individual cases. Everywhere else on this site, content reflects US law unless a page says otherwise.
Course · 8 modules and a capstone · $15 · Module 1 free
Japanese Law
A first course in Japanese law: the civil-law system with German, French and American influences, the Diet and the Cabinet, the courts and the bengoshi, scriveners and notaries, constitutional rights and administrative remedies, statuses of residence, the Civil Code, companies, employment and tax, criminal procedure and the lay-judge system.
Start the course →The first Japan articles are coming soon.
This portal fills in automatically, subject by subject, as new articles on Japanese law are published — check back shortly.
Legal documents
31 legal documents in 日本語 (Japanese)
Leases, loan and sale agreements, powers of attorney, family documents, letters and more, ready to fill in and sign, in 日本語 (Japanese), with the English translation alongside for the other party. PDF and Word. 6 € for a document in the language, 9 € with the English translation. Included in the individual All-Access plan, in the language you choose.
- • 住宅賃貸借契約書
- • 業務委託契約書（フリーランス）
- • 金銭消費貸借契約書
- • 秘密保持契約書（NDA）
- • 動産売買契約書（中古車両を含む）
- • 子どもの海外渡航に関する親の同意書
See the documents in 日本語 (Japanese)
These are general templates for use in any country, each with a ‘check in your country’ list. They are not drafted under Japan law, and they are not legal advice.
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Law by Country
Compare the legal systems on this site: the common law, the civil law and the mixed systems, with the countries that belong to each.
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