Japanese Law, Cases, Governments: Basic Information

Ministry of Justice

• Minister's Secretariat
• Civil Affairs Bureau
• Criminal Affairs Bureau
• Correction Bureau
• Rehabilitation Bureau
• Human Rights Bureau
• Immigration Bureau
• Public Prosecutors Office
• Major External Organs of the Ministry

The Ministry of Justice strives to translate the principal Japanese laws and regulations into foreign languages, starting with English. Efforts are made to provide the translated Japanese laws and regulations with the international community. The project has a two-fold: translated Japanese laws and a standard bilingual legal dictionary.  Approximately two hundred laws have been translated as of April 2010. The standard bilingual dictionary is downloadable to the Notepad, PDF, and Word Processor files and includes established legal terms with English translations and examples.  The Website can be viewed in either Japanese or English. 

The logo mark is symbolizing a "bridge" in the hopes to promote the understanding of Japanese laws and regulations for international business and to gain trust from the international community by disseminating information about Japanese legal system and expertise.

All of the data contained in the "Japanese Law Translation Database System" may be cited, reproduced or reprinted as needed.　These are unofficial translations. Only the original Japanese texts of the laws and regulations have legal effect, and the translations are to be used solely as reference material to aid in the understanding of Japanese laws and regulations.　The Government of Japan shall not be responsible for the accuracy, reliability or currency of the legislative material provided in this website, or for any consequence resulting from use of the information in this website. For all purposes of interpreting and applying law to any legal issue or dispute, users should consult the original Japanese texts published in the Official Gazette.