Court Preparation Tool

Procedure guides

Filing a Complaint in a Japanese Summary Court: Format Checklist

What a Japanese Summary Court expects on the page of a self-filed complaint, how the fee is paid in revenue stamps, and the corrections the court most often orders.

Japan (national: Summary Courts)

How it works

  1. Choose the Summary Court that will receive the complaint, and pick the small claims track for money claims of up to 600,000 yen, or the ordinary track for claims of up to 1,400,000 yen.
  2. Prepare the party list with the plaintiff's and defendant's names, addresses and contact details exactly as entered.
  3. Write the relief sought as the concrete outcome you want, and the grounds of claim as numbered paragraphs in date order.
  4. Number the documentary evidence from 1 and attach an index of attachments.
  5. Affix the revenue stamps for the claim value, attach prepaid postage stamps, sign the complaint and keep the stamped copy.

Next

How much can a Japanese Summary Court deal with?

The ordinary subject-matter jurisdiction covers claims of up to 1,400,000 yen, and the small claims track within it covers money claims of up to 600,000 yen.

Must the complaint be written in Japanese?

Yes. Under article 74 of the Court Act the courts use Japanese, so the complaint is prepared in Japanese and any document in another language is filed with a Japanese translation.

How is the filing fee paid?

The fee is paid in revenue stamps (収入印紙) affixed to the complaint under the Civil Procedure Costs Act, and prepaid postage stamps (予納郵便切手) are attached for the court's mail.

Format requirements for this court

The small claims track covers money claims of 600,000 yen or less. 民事訴訟法 (Civil Procedure Act), articles 133, 368 and 375
A Summary Court has subject-matter jurisdiction over claims of up to 1,400,000 yen. 裁判所法 (Court Act), articles 33 and 74 (language used in court)
Under article 74 of the Court Act the courts use Japanese, and a document in another language is filed with a Japanese translation. 裁判所法 (Court Act), articles 33 and 74 (language used in court)
The filing fee is paid in revenue stamps and prepaid postage stamps are attached (Civil Procedure Costs Act). 民事訴訟費用法 (Civil Procedure Costs Act): revenue stamps and prepaid postage stamps
The document is set on A4 paper with 2.5 cm margins, 12 point type, 1.5 line spacing and paragraphs numbered from 1. 裁判所 (courts.go.jp): 訴状の書き方 and court form guidance

Every format rule is listed with its source so you can check it yourself.

Every format rule is listed with its source so you can check it yourself.