Japanese Law Research Guide: Other Online Sources of Law

Japanese Government Online

• Japan's Ministry of Justice:  Search Japanese Laws in Translation.  Or browse Japanese Law Translation.  These are unofficial English translations of many Japanese statutes and regulations and lexicographic notes explaining the translation of difficult terms. 
• Japan Institute of International Affairs - An academically independent institution affiliated with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Provides authoritative interpretations of Japanese foreign policy.

National Diet of Japan (Japan's Legislative Branch)

• House of Representatives
• House of Councillors
• Diet Related Laws 
• The National Diet Library maintains a web site with extensive information services in English
• The Birth of the Constitution in Japan
• Constitution

Executive Branch

• Prime Minister 
• Ministries:
  • Cabinet Office
  • National Public Safety Commission (Japanese Only)
  • Internal Affairs
  • Justice
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Finance
  • Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
  • Health, Labour and Welfare
  • Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries  
  • Economy, Trade and Industry
  • Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism  
  • Environment  
  • Defense

Judicial Branch & Selected Legislation

• Supreme Court
• Basic Laws
• WorldLII Legislation Links

The Cabinet Office

• Cabinet Office online archives
• Cabinet Legislation Bureau - Assists the Cabinet on legislative matters and interpretation of laws. See recent laws and treaties (in Japanese)
• Cabinet Office government statistics
• Cabinet Office policies e.g. Policy for Persons with Disabilities

Selected Government Documents: Many Japanese government agencies issue official white papers summarizing key policies, laws and legislation.  The websites listed below link to some of these documents:

• National Diet Library - English translations of Japanese White Papers
• National Diet Library - Government of Japan Annual Reports
• Ministry of Internal Affairs e-Gov - Japanese White Papers & Annual Reports
• Ministry of Justice White Papers on Crime
• Defense of Japan: Annual White Paper
• Cabinet Office White Papers
• Official Development Assistance White Paper
• Ministry of the Environment White Papers
• Ministry of Economy and Trade White Papers & Reports

Other Resources

• Embassy of Japan in the United States
• Links to Japan Government Links
• The Japan Fair Trade Commission - Trade related regulations and guidelines
• The Japan Fair Trade Commission - Trade Policy and Enforcement

General Sources of Japanese Law:

Supreme Court of Japan maintains:

• Searchable database of cases in English translation.
• Overview of the Judicial System in Japan
• Outline of Civil Procedure in Japan 
• Outline of Criminal Justice in Japan
• ​Hanrei Kensaku Shisutemu - Search system of full-text Japanese court decisions includes recent:
  • Supreme Court Cases
  • High Court
  • Lower Court Precedents
  • District Courts
  • Labor Cases Reporter
  • Administrative Cases Reporter
  • Intellectual Property Courts Reporter

Ministry of Justice maintains:

• Translations of Japanese Laws and Regulations (or click here to search)
• Overview of the Civil Code Reform
• Civil Code (Current English Translation)

Cabinet Legislation Bureau maintains:

• Outline of the Law Making Process (English)
• Recent Laws and Treaties (Japanese)

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology: The Ministry completed a five-year project to provide English translations of select Japanese legal documents.

• Transparency of Law Project [archived 2014]
• Search legislation by keyword or citation [archived 2014]
• Search cases by keyword or citation [archived 2015]
• Explanation of the translation project - English translation available as a PDF.

The Asian Legal Information Institute (AsianLII) maintains databases of selected Japanese Legal Information including:

• Laws of Japan
• Supreme Court of Japan Decisions (1950 - 2011)
• Law Journal Articles concerning Japan
• International Decisions concerning Japan 

Global-Regulation.com - UC Law SF is a subscriber to this regulations database:

• Global-Regulation.com
• Global-Regulation.com: Japan Laws 

Nagoya University's Graduate School of Law provides access to Japanese laws and legislation:

• Japan Legal Information Institute

The Martindale-Hubbell Japan Law Digest [PDF]

• Provides good concise summaries of the laws of Japan. The Digest covers the main legal subjects and cites to the original legislation; it is only current to 2007 and is no longer being updated.

Collections of Laws in Print:  EHS law bulletin series, Japan 

• KNX17.J32 (5th Stacks) (English translations of Japanese laws. Not current.)