Efforts to translate Japanese laws and regulations into foreign languages were initiated as part of the judicial system reform. It was decided that it is important to accurately disseminate Japan's laws and regulations in the globalizing world and that it is necessary to actively promote the translation of Japanese laws and regulations into foreign languages. Therefore, we have decided to develop the infrastructure for the translation.

In January 2005, the Cabinet Secretariat established the "Liaison Conference of the Relevant Ministries and Agencies for Developing a Foundation for Promoting Translation of Japanese Laws and Regulations into Foreign Languages" (hereinafter referred to as the "Liaison Conference".), which decided to create and revise the "Standard Legal Terms Japanese-English Dictionary" (hereinafter referred to as the "Standard Legal Terms Dictionary".) to serve as a guide for translation, formulate a "Translation Development Plan" for important laws and regulations with high translation needs, and establish and maintain a functional website. (Follow this link for details.)

In response to the above decision by the Liaison Conference, the Ministry of Justice established the "Japanese Law Translation Database System" in April 2009 to disseminate information on laws and regulations translated by the relevant ministries and agencies, as well as the Standard Legal Terms Dictionary. The first edition of the Standard Bilingual Dictionary was prepared based on the discussions of the "Working Group of the Study Council for Promoting Translation of Japanese Laws and Regulations into Foreign Languages" (composed of scholars and lawyers) under the Liaison Conference, which was followed by revisions by the "Law Translation Expert Council" and, since April 2009, by the "Japanese Law Translation Council" (an expert committee established by the Ministry of Justice to conduct expert studies on the development of infrastructure for the promotion of the translation of Japanese laws and regulations into foreign languages). The first edition of the Standard Bilingual Dictionary was prepared based on the discussions of the "Working Group of the Study Council for Promoting Translation of Japanese Laws and Regulations into Foreign Languages" (composed of scholars and lawyers) under the Liaison Conference, which was followed by revisions by the "Law Translation Expert Council" and, since April 2009, by the "Japanese Law Translation Council" (an expert committee established by the Ministry of Justice to conduct expert studies on the development of infrastructure for the promotion of the translation of Japanese laws and regulations into foreign languages). The first edition of the Standard Bilingual Dictionary was prepared based on the discussions of the "Working Group of the Study Council for Promoting Translation of Japanese Laws and Regulations into Foreign Languages" (composed of scholars and lawyers) under the Liaison Conference, which was followed by revisions by the "Law Translation Expert Council" and, since April 2009, by the "Japanese Law Translation Council" (an expert committee established by the Ministry of Justice to conduct expert studies on the development of infrastructure for the promotion of the translation of Japanese laws and regulations into foreign languages). Currently, the "Public-Private Sector Strategy Council for the Promotion of International Dissemination of Japanese Laws and Regulations," which was launched in December 2019, is in charge of promoting the translation of Japanese laws and regulations into foreign languages.