Japan Civil Suit Procedures to Go Fully Digital May 21

Tokyo, May 10 (Jiji Press)–Japan will fully digitalize the civil litigation procedures May 21, allowing litigants to resolve their disputes online without ever attending court in person. “This is a change that has a great impact and is the centerpiece of the digitalization of civil lawsuits that has been implemented in stages,” the Supreme Court said. In the past, the standard method was to physically submit or mail paper documents containing complaints and allegations to court. The plaintiff and the defendant then attended and exchanged documents on the date of oral arguments held in court. The method involved problems, such as the time and economic burden of going to a court in a distant place. In addition, hearings tended to be prolonged. To help resolve such problems, Japan enacted a revision of the Code of Civil Procedure in 2022. In March 2024, the revision made it possible to participate in oral arguments from lawyers’ offices through web conferences, making it unnecessary to appear in court in person. From May 21 this year, it will become possible to submit complaints and allegations as electronic data such as PDF files. The data will be managed by the Japanese courts’ “mints” system, which allows litigants to view documents and evidence online anytime and receive judgment documents. Upon court approval, it will be possible to attend witness-questioning sessions through web conferences. When a third party wants to view a case record, the party will be able to check the record even in a remote area from the party’s nearest court using a dedicated terminal. The full digitalization will start with cases filed on or after May 21. Lawyers representing the lawsuits will be obliged to submit documents online. According to the Supreme Court and the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, about 30,000 lawyers are believed to have registered to use the mints system. In cases in which the plaintiff is not represented, it will remain possible to submit paper documents as before. “We’ll continue to consider ways to realize better litigation procedures after the revision (fully) comes into effect,” a Supreme Court official said. Regarding the digitalization of the judicial system, a database will be created to record judgment documents, and a law revision in the criminal field to digitize arrest and search warrants will come into effect by March 2027. Online filings of bankruptcy and domestic affairs cases are also expected to start by June 2028. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]