Article 1No guardianship registration, etc. file or closed registration file (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Guardianship Registration, etc. File, etc.") or no written application for registration, etc. (meaning the written application for registration, etc. prescribed in Article 12, paragraph (1) of the Cabinet Order on Guardianship Registration, etc. (hereinafter referred to as the "Order"); the same applies hereinafter) may be removed from a registry office unless it is to be removed in order to avoid any contingency; provided, however, that this does not apply to a written application for registration, etc. if it is removed as ordered or commissioned by the court.

Article 2If a registrar is ordered or commissioned by the court to send a written application for registration, etc., the registrar must send the written application limited to the part related to the order or commission.

Article 3(1)If all or a part of the record of a Guardianship Registration, etc. File, etc. is lost, a registrar must, without delay, notify the Director of the supervisory Legal Affairs Bureau or District Legal Affairs Bureau, stating the grounds for loss, date of loss, the lost record of the Guardianship Registration, etc. File, etc., and any other information that is necessary to take the measures referred to in Article 3 of the Order, and estimating the period for registration for restoration.

(2)If the Director of the Legal Affairs Bureau or District Legal Affairs Bureau is notified as referred to in the preceding paragraph, the Director must report to the Minister of Justice, after conducting an adequate investigation on the case.

Article 4(1)A registrar must keep a duplicate record in which the same information as that recorded in a Guardianship Registration, etc. File, etc. is recorded

(2)If a registrar is unable to administer registration affairs using the record in a Guardianship Registration, etc. File, etc., the registrar may administer these affairs using a duplicate record referred to in the preceding paragraph.In this case, the information recorded in the duplicate record is deemed to be information recorded in the record of the Guardianship Registration, etc. File, etc.

(3)If a registrar is now able to administer registration affairs using the record in a Guardianship Registration, etc. File, etc., the registrar must immediately record information, which has been recorded in the duplicate record pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, in the record of the Guardianship Registration, etc. File, etc.

Article 5(1)A registry office is to keep the following books:

(2)The documents specified in the following items are to be filed in the books set forth in the respective items:

(3)The information specified in the following items is to be entered in the books specified in the respective items:

(4)The period of preservation of the following records, books, documents or electronic or magnetic recording media set forth in the following items (hereinafter referred to as "Records, etc.") is as specified in the respective items:

Article 5-2If a registry office is to dispose of Records, etc., it must obtain approval from the Director of the Legal Affairs Bureau or District Legal Affairs Bureau.

Article 6The information necessary to identify a registration record as prescribed in Article 5, paragraph (2), item (v) of the Order is to be the information set forth in any of the following items, beyond the name of the adult ward, etc., principal of a voluntary guardianship contract or principal of a guardianship order, etc.:

Article 7(1)When applying for two or more registrations of change with regard to the same registration record simultaneously, an application for registration may be made by submitting only one written application.

(2)When applying for two or more registrations simultaneously to the same registry office, if any documents to be attached to the respective written applications contain the same information, it is sufficient to attach one copy of the relevant document to only one written application.

(3)In the case referred to in the preceding paragraph, a statement to that effect must be indicated as a supplementary note in each of the other written applications.

Article 8When a person who intends to apply for registration sends a written application for registration, etc., the person must do so by registered mail or by using the service of correspondence delivery prescribed in Article 2, paragraph (2) of the Act on Correspondence Delivery by Private Business Operators (Act No. 99 of 2002), which is carried out by a general correspondence delivery service operator prescribed in paragraph (6) of that Article or a specified correspondence delivery service operator prescribed in paragraph (9) of that Article (hereinafter referred to as "Correspondence Delivery"), and in which the general correspondence delivery service operator or the specified correspondence delivery service operator records the receipt and delivery.

Article 9(1)If a registrar receives a written application for registration, the registrar must record the type of registration, the name of the applicant, and the date of receipt and receipt number in a receipt record book prepared by means of a magnetic disk (including an object in which certain information can be securely recorded by any other means equivalent thereto; the same applies hereinafter), and enter the date of receipt and the receipt number in the written application for registration.

(2)A receipt number must be renewed on a yearly basis.

Article 10A document set forth in Article 6, item (i) or item (ii) of the Order which has been created by a government agency or public office must be one that has been created within the past three months.

Article 11(1)A registration number is to be given to each registration record.

(2)A registration number must be renewed on a yearly basis.

Article 12In order to make a registration, the grounds for registration and the date thereof, as well as the date of registration must be recorded in a Guardianship Registration, etc. File.

Article 13If a registrar makes a registration based on a ruling for commencement of guardianship or registration based on a ruling to revoke that ruling, the registrar must give notice to that effect to the mayor of municipality (including the mayor of special ward; in the case of a designated city referred to in Article 252-19, paragraph (1) of the Local Autonomy Act (Act No. 67 of 1947), the mayor of ward or mayor of consolidated ward) having jurisdiction over the registered domicile (or the address in the case of a foreign national) of the adult ward subject to these rulings.

Article 14(1)If there is a change to an administrative district, county (gun), ward (ku), or town (machi) or aza in a municipality, or the name of any of these, a registration of that change is deemed to have been made.

(2)In the case referred to in the preceding paragraph, a registrar is not precluded from recording the change in a record of a Guardianship Registration, etc. File.

Article 15A decision referred to in Article 7 of the Order must be made in writing.

Article 16The public notice prescribed in Article 9, paragraph (2) of the Order is to be given by posting the relevant information for two weeks at the posting area in the registry office where the registration to be cancelled was made or at any other place accessible to the public in the registry office.

Article 17(1)A request for issuance of a Certificate of Registered Information, etc. must be made in writing.

(2)The following information must be contained in the written application under the preceding paragraph, and the applicant or the representative or agent thereof must affix the name and seal to it:

Article 18(1)The following documents must be attached to the written application referred to in paragraph (1) of the preceding Article:

(2)A document referred to in any of the items of the preceding paragraph which has been created by a government agency or public office must be one that has been created within the past three months.

Article 19If a registrar receives a written application referred to in Article 17, paragraph (1), the registrar must enter the date of receipt in the written application and make a reasonable disposition in order of receipt.

Article 20In order to create a Certificate of Registered Information, etc., a registrar must write an authentication text at the end of a document containing the information to be certified, enter the date and the registrar's title and name, affix the official seal, and affix a seal to confirm page continuation over the seam between each contiguous page or take measures equivalent thereto.

Article 21When issuing a Certificate of Registered Information, etc., the number of copies of the Certificate of Registered Information, etc. issued and the date of issuance must be entered in the written application.

Article 22The following application or request may be made by using the electronic data processing system prescribed in Article 3, paragraph (1) of the Act on Use of Information and Communications Technology in Administrative Procedure (Act No. 151 of 2002; hereinafter referred to as the "Act on the Utilization of Information and Communications Technology"); provided, however, that the application or request must conform to the conditions specified by the Minister of Justice:

Article 23(1)In order to make an application referred to in item (i) of the preceding Article pursuant to the provisions of that Article, the applicant or the representative or agent thereof must perform an electronic signature (meaning the electronic signature prescribed in Article 2, paragraph (1) of the Act on Electronic Signatures and Certification Business (Act No. 102 of 2000; the same applies hereinafter) with regard to the information set forth in the items of Article 5, paragraph (2) of the Order, and transmit that information, as specified by the Minister of Justice.

(2)In the case of making an application referred to in the preceding paragraph, the following information must also be transmitted:

(3)When transmitting the information for which an electronic signature has been performed as referred to in the preceding two paragraphs, an electronic certificate regarding the electronic signature (meaning an electronic or magnetic record created in order to certify that the information used to identify the person who has performed the electronic signature pertains to that person; the same applies hereinafter) which falls under any of the following items must also be transmitted:

Article 24Inspection of information referred to in paragraphs (1) and (2) of the preceding Article pursuant to the provisions of Article 12, paragraph (1) of the Order is to be conducted by a method of inspecting data output on a sheet of paper of Japanese Industrial Standard A Series, size 4.In this case, upon the request of the person who has inspected the information, a registrar must deliver the sheet of paper used for the inspection to that person.

Article 25(1)In order to make the request referred to in Article 22, item (ii) pursuant to the provisions of that Article, the applicant or the representative or agent thereof must perform an electronic signature with regard to the information set forth in the items of Article 17, paragraph (2), and transmit that information, as specified by the Minister of Justice.

(2)In the case of making a request referred to in the preceding paragraph, the following information must also be transmitted:

(3)The provisions of Article 23, paragraph (3) apply mutatis mutandis when transmitting the information for which an electronic signature has been performed as referred to in the preceding two paragraphs.

Article 26In the case of requesting the issuance of a Certificate of Registered Information, etc. referred to in Article 22, item (ii) pursuant to the provisions of that Article, the issuance by using the electronic data processing system prescribed in Article 4, paragraph (1) of the Act on the Utilization of Information and Communications Technology may be requested.

Article 27Upon the request for issuance of a Certificate of Registered Information, etc. made pursuant to the provisions of the preceding Article, a registrar must perform an electronic signature with regard to the information requested to be certified, and record that information in a file stored on a computer used by the Ministry of Justice, with an electronic certificate regarding that electronic signature.

Article 28The measure to reveal one's name referred to in Article 3, paragraph (4) and Article 4, paragraph (4) of the Act on the Utilization of Information and Communications Technology which is specified by order of the competent ministry is to be an electronic signature performed by the person who should affix that signature, etc.

Article 29The provisions of Articles 18 and 19 apply mutatis mutandis to a request for inspection of a written application for registration, etc.

Article 30Inspection of a written application for registration, etc. must be conducted in the presence of a registrar.

Article 31If a registrar is to make a registration by order of the Director of the Legal Affairs Bureau or District Legal Affairs Bureau, the registrar must also record the title of the Director of the Legal Affairs Bureau or District Legal Affairs Bureau, the date of order and date of registration, and a statement that the registration is made by order.

Article 32(1)If a registrar or a registrar's spouse or relative within the fourth degree of kinship (including a person who was a registrar's spouse or relative within the fourth degree of kinship; hereinafter the same applies in this Article) is an applicant for a registration, that registrar may not make the registration. The same applies if a registrar or a registrar's spouse or relative within the fourth degree of kinship represents the applicant in making an application.

(2)The provisions of the preceding paragraph apply mutatis mutandis if a registrar or a registrar's spouse or relative within the fourth degree of kinship is or was any of the persons prescribed in Article 4, paragraph (1), items (ii) through (iv), the acting representative person prescribed in paragraph (1), item (x) of that Article, any of the persons prescribed in Article 4, paragraph (2), item (ii) or (iii) of the Act, any of the persons prescribed in Article 5, item (ii), item (iii) or item (vi) of the Act, or the acting representative person prescribed in item (x) of that Article.

Article 33(1)Payment of the fees referred to in the main clause of Article 11, paragraph (2) of the Act and Article 12, paragraph (4) of the Order must be made by affixing revenue stamps to a written commission or written application.

(2)The method specified by Order of the Ministry of Justice as referred to in the proviso to Article 11, paragraph (2) of the Act is to be the method of payment by means of the payment information that the person making the request referred to in that proviso has obtained from the registrar when making that request.

(3)The expenses required for sending a certificate as referred to in Article 11 of the Order must be paid by means of postage stamps, or vouchers that can be used to pay fees for the service of Correspondence Delivery and which are designated by the Minister of Justice.

(4)The designation referred to in the preceding paragraph must be made by public notice.