Chapter I General Provisions

(Restrictions on Assistance)

Article 2

Assistance shall not be provided in any of the following circumstances: -
(i) When the offense for which assistance is requested is a political offense, or when the request for assistance is deemed to have been made with a view to investigating a political offense;
(ii) Unless otherwise provided by a treaty, when the act constituting the offense for which assistance is requested would not constitute a crime under laws and regulations of Japan were it to be committed in Japan;
(iii) With respect to a request for examination of a witness or provision of articles of evidence, unless otherwise provided by a treaty, when the requesting country does not clearly demonstrate in writing that the evidence is essential to the investigation.

(Receipt of Requests and Sending of Evidence)

Article 3

(1) A request for assistance shall be received, and evidence shall be forwarded to the requesting country, by the Minister of Foreign Affairs; except that the Minister of Justice shall carry out these tasks when a treaty confers the authority to receive requests for assistance on the Minister of Justice or when the Minister of Foreign Affairs gives consent in an emergency or under other special circumstances.

(2) When the Minister of Justice receives a request for assistance or forwards evidence to the requesting country pursuant to the proviso of the preceding paragraph, the Minister of Justice may ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs for cooperation necessary for the execution of matters relating to the assistance.

(Measures to Be Taken by the Minister of Foreign Affairs)

Article 4

Upon receiving a request for assistance, the Minister of Foreign Affairs shall, except where any of the following applies, send to the Minister of Justice the written request for assistance or a certification prepared by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the fact that such a request has been made, as well as related documents, with the opinion of the Minister of Foreign Affairs attached:

(i) When a request has been made based on a treaty but the form of the request does not conform to the requirements of the treaty;

(ii) When a request has been made without being based on a treaty but there is no guarantee from the requesting country that it will honor requests of the same sort from Japan.

Chapter II Collection of Evidence

(Measures to Be Taken by the Minister of Justice)

Article 5

(1) With respect to a request for assistance in matters other than a transfer of a sentenced inmate for testimony, except where any item in Article 2 (any item in Article 2 or 4 when the Minister of Justice receives a request for assistance pursuant to the proviso of paragraph (1) of Article 3) applies, the Minister of Justice shall, when none of the provisions of the following paragraph applies and the Minister of Justice deems it appropriate to honor the request, take one of the following measures:

(i) Send the related documents to the Chief Prosecutor of an appropriate district public prosecutors office and order the Chief Prosecutor to collect the evidence necessary for assistance;
(ii) Send the documents concerning the request for assistance to the National Public Safety Commission;
(iii) Send the documents concerning the request for assistance to the Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard, or to the head of other national agencies to which judicial police officials belong as provided by Article 190 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Act No. 131 of 1948).

(2) With respect to a request for provision of a document pertaining to the trial which is in the custody of a court, a public prosecutor or a judicial police officer, the Minister of Justice shall send the documents pertaining to the request for assistance to the custodian of the document pertaining to the trial.

(3) The Minister of Justice may conduct an inquiry on the whereabouts of any relevant person and other necessary matters, when the Minister of Justice deems it necessary in order to take the measures provided in paragraph (1) or any other measures relating to the assistance.

(Measures to Be Taken by the National Public Safety Commission)

Article 6

Upon receiving the documents set forth in paragraph (1), item (ii) of Article 5, the National Public Safety Commission shall send the documents concerned to an appropriate Prefectural Police, and instruct it to collect the evidence necessary for the assistance.

(Measures to Be Taken by the Chief Prosecutor)

Article 7

(1) When a Chief Prosecutor receives an order set forth in paragraph (1), item (i) of Article 5, he/she shall have a public prosecutor in the office take measures to collect the evidence necessary for assistance.
(2) When the Superintendent General or the chief of Prefectural Police (hereinafter referred to as "Chief of Police") is instructed pursuant to the provision of Article 6, he/she shall cause a judicial police officer of the Prefectural Police to take the measures set forth in the preceding paragraph.
(3) When the head of a national agency receives the documents set forth in paragraph (1), item (iii) of Article 5, he/she shall have an appropriate judicial police officer of the agency take the measures set forth in paragraph (1).

(Measures to Be Taken by a Public Prosecutor)

Article 8

(1) With regard to the collection of evidence necessary for assistance, a public prosecutor or a judicial police officer may take the following measures;
(i) To ask any person concerned to appear before them and interview the person;
(ii) To request an expert opinion;
(iii) To make an inspection;
(iv) To ask the owner, possessor or custodian of a document or other materials to submit it;
(v) To ask a public office, or a public or private organization to make reports on necessary matters;
(vi) To request in writing, the person engaged in the business of providing facilities operating electronic communications for the use of the communications of other persons or the person establishing facilities operating electronic communications capable of intermediating the transmissions of many, unspecified persons for the purpose of its own business, to not erase transmission history of specified necessary electromagnetic records out of the electromagnetic records pertaining to the transmission source, the transmission destination, the date and time of the transmission and other transmission history of the electronic communications which are recorded in the course of business, for a period not exceeding 30 days (in case of an extension, a period not exceeding a total of 60 days).

(2) With regard to the collection of evidence necessary for assistance, a public prosecutor or a judicial police officer may, if it is deemed to be necessary, undertake seizure, seizure ordering records, search, or inspection of evidence, upon a warrant issued by a judge.

(3) A public prosecutor or a judicial police officer may, when the evidence to be collected pursuant to the preceding two paragraphs is a business document or item (hereinafter in this paragraph refers to a document or any other item that is prepared or retained in the course of business) and a request for assistance in certification regarding the manner of preparation and retention of such business document or item has been made, request the person who has prepared or retained such business document or item, or any other person who is deemed to have professional knowledge regarding its preparation or retention, to submit a certificate of the matters asked for in the request.

(4) When requesting submission of a certificate pursuant to the provision of the preceding paragraph, a public prosecutor or a judicial police officer shall notify the person whom they have asked for a certificate that submission of a false certificate may result in criminal punishment.

(5) A public prosecutor or a judicial police officer may have a public prosecutor's assistant officer or a judicial police official take the measures set forth in paragraphs (1) to (3) inclusive.

(Penal Provision)

Article 9

A person who submits a false certificate in response to a request for submission of a certificate in accordance with paragraph (3) of Article 8 shall be punished by imprisonment with work for not more than a year or a fine of not more than 500,000 yen; except that this shall not apply when such conduct of the person constitutes a crime under the Penal Code (Act No. 45 of 1907).

(Request for Examination of a Witness)

Article 10

A public prosecutor may request a judge for examination of a witness when any of the following applies:
(i) When the request for assistance is for examination of a witness;
(ii) When the person concerned has refused to appear or to make statements in response to an interview in accordance with paragraph (1) of Article 8;
(iii) When a person who has been requested to submit a certificate pursuant to paragraph (3) of Article 8 has refused to do so.

(Request for Issuance of a Warrant)

Article 11

A request for issuance of a warrant or examination of a witness shall be accompanied with the document set forth in item (iii) of Article 2; except that this shall not apply when a treaty provides otherwise.

(Jurisdiction of the Court)

Article 12

A request for issuance of a warrant or examination of a witness shall be made to a judge of the district court that has jurisdiction over the place where the office to which the requesting person belongs is located, while the filing of an appeal to a measure taken by a judicial police official concerning the seizure or the restoration of a seized article shall be made to the district court that has jurisdiction over the place where that judicial police official has exercised his/her duties.

(Application Mutatis Mutandis of the Code of Criminal Procedure)

Article 13

In addition to those items specifically provided for in this Act, the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure (limited to Chapter II and Chapters V to XIII of Part I, Chapter I of Part II, Chapters I and IV of Part III, and Part VII), and of laws and regulations concerning the costs of criminal proceedings, shall apply mutatis mutandis to the measures taken by a public prosecutor, a public prosecutor's assistant officer or a judicial police official, to the issuance of a warrant and the examination of a witness by a judge, and to the decision rendered by a court or a judge, insofar as such application is not incompatible with the nature of the proceedings.

(Measures upon Completion of Disposition)

Article 14

(1) When the Chief Prosecutor has completed the collection of evidence necessary for the assistance, he/she shall promptly send the collected evidence with his/her opinion attached, to the Minister of Justice. When the head of a national agency set forth in paragraph (1), item (iii) of Article 5 has completed the collection of evidence, the same shall apply.

(2) When a Chief of Police has completed the collection of evidence necessary for the assistance, the Prefectural Public Safety Commission shall promptly send the collected evidence with its opinion attached, to the National Public Safety Commission.

(3) Upon receiving the evidence pursuant to the provision set forth in the preceding paragraph, the National Public Safety Commission shall promptly send the evidence with its opinion attached, to the Minister of Justice.

(4) The custodian of a document relating to the trial who has received the documents concerning a request for assistance pursuant to the provision of paragraph (2) of Article 5, shall promptly send the document or a certified transcript thereof with his/her opinion attached, to the Minister of Justice; but when he/she is unable to do so, he/she shall return the documents concerning the request for assistance to the Minister of Justice.

(5) When, after receiving the evidence set forth in paragraph (1),(3), or the preceding paragraph, the Minister of Justice deems it to be necessary, he/she shall determine conditions that the requesting country shall observe with respect to the use or return of the evidence.

(6) When the requesting country does not assure that it will observe the conditions set forth in the preceding paragraph, the Minister of Justice shall not provide the assistance.

(Notification When Assistance Is Not Provided)

Article 15

When the Minister of Justice, after taking the measures set forth in paragraph (1), item (ii) or (iii) of Article 5, or in paragraph (2) of Article 5, deems it to be inappropriate to provide assistance, he/she shall, without delay, notify the person who has received the documents concerning the request for assistance to such effect.

(Consultation)

Article 16

(1) The Minister of Justice shall consult the Minister of Foreign Affairs when making a decision not to provide assistance upon finding that the request falls under item (i) of Article 4 or that honoring the request would be inappropriate, or when setting conditions in accordance with paragraph (5) of Article 14.

(2) When the Minister of Justice takes any of the measures set forth in the items of paragraph (1) of Article 5, he/she shall consult the National Public Safety Commission and the head of the national agency set forth in item (iii) of that paragraph, according to their jurisdiction, except when the agency to collect the evidence is clear from the documents pertaining the request for assistance, such as when the examination of a witness is requested.

(Rules of the Supreme Court)

Article 17

Besides the provisions of this chapter, the necessary procedural rules concerning issuance of warrants, examination of a witness, and appeals shall be determined by the Supreme Court.

(Cooperation with the International Criminal Police Organization)

Article 18

(1) The National Public Safety Commission may, on receiving a request for cooperation from the International Criminal Police Organization in investigating a criminal case of a foreign state, take one of the following measures:

(i) Give instructions to a Prefectural Police which is deemed to be appropriate to make the necessary inquiry;
(ii) Send the documents concerning the request for cooperation to the head of the national agency set forth in paragraph (1), item (iii) of Article 5.

(2) The provision of Article 2 (except for item (iii)) shall apply mutatis mutandis to the case set forth in the preceding paragraph.

(3) The National Public Safety Commission may, when it deems necessary in order to take the measures set forth in paragraph (1), cause an official of the National Police Agency conduct an inquiry into the whereabouts of a person concerned and other necessary matters.

(4) With regard to the measures set forth in paragraph (1), the National Public Safety Commission shall consult the head of the national agency set forth in item (ii) of paragraph (1), according to its jurisdiction, except when the agency to conduct inquiry is obvious in the request.

(5) The National Public Safety Commission shall hear the opinion of the Minister of Justice when it is to take the measure set forth in paragraph (1).

(6) The Chief of Police of the Prefectural Police who has received the directions pursuant to item (i) of paragraph (1) shall order a police official of the Prefectural Police to take the measures necessary for the inquiry.

(7) The head of a national agency who has received the documents pertaining to a request for cooperation pursuant to the provision of item (ii) of paragraph (1) may order an official of the agency who is a judicial police official to take the measures necessary for the inquiry in connection with the request.

(8) With regard to the inquiry set forth in the preceding two paragraphs, a police officer or an official of the national agency in the preceding paragraph may: question any person concerned; make an inspection; ask the owner, possessor or custodian of a document and other articles to present it; or ask a public office, or a public or private organization to make a report on a necessary matter.

Chapter III Transfer of a Sentenced Inmate for Testimony Regarding a Domestic Sentenced Inmate

(Decision of Transfer of a Sentenced Inmate for Testimony)

Article 19

(1) When the requesting country, in accordance with a treaty, requests the transfer of a sentenced inmate for testimony regarding a domestic sentenced inmate (hereinafter refers to a person who is confined in Japan for execution of a sentence of imprisonment with or without work, or of an assistance punishment set forth in item (ii) of Article 2 of the Act on the Transnational Transfer of Sentenced Persons (Act No. 66 of 2002)), the Minister of Justice shall make a decision of transfer of
the sentenced inmate for testimony with a fixed period for transfer of the domestic sentenced inmate, if neither item (i) nor (ii) of Article 2, nor any of the following (with respect to cases where the Minister of Justice receives a request for assistance in accordance with the proviso of paragraph (1) of Article 3, neither item (i) nor (ii) of Article 2, item (i) of Article 4, nor any of the following) applies and where the Minister of Justice deems it appropriate to honor the request:

(i) When the domestic sentenced inmate does not consent in writing;
(ii) When the domestic sentenced inmate is under the age of 20;
(iii) When the requested period for transfer of the domestic sentenced inmate exceeds 30 days;
(iv) When a case regarding a crime that the domestic sentenced inmate has committed is pending in a Japanese court.

(2) The provisions of paragraphs (5) and (6) of Article 14, and paragraph (1) of Article 16 shall be applied mutatis mutandis to where a request for transfer of a sentenced inmate regarding a domestic sentenced inmate has been made. Any technical provisions for such application shall be set forth in a Cabinet order.

(3) The Minister of Justice shall, when having made the decision set forth in paragraph (1), order the warden of the penal institution in which the domestic sentenced inmate is imprisoned to hand over the inmate in accordance with the decision, and shall notify the domestic sentenced inmate to such effect.

(Measures Relating to a Handover)

Article 20

(1) The Minister of Justice shall send a permit of custody, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs when having made the order pursuant to paragraph (3) of Article 19.

(2) The Minister of Foreign Affairs, upon receipt of the permit of custody in accordance with the preceding paragraph, shall send it to the requesting country immediately.

(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs, when the Minister of Justice receives a request for assistance pursuant to the proviso of paragraph (1) of Article 3, the sending of the permit of custody to the requesting party shall be done by the Minister of Justice.

(4) The warden of the penal institution who has received the order set forth in paragraph (3) of Article 19 shall, when an official of the requesting country requests handover of the domestic sentenced inmate by showing a permit of custody, hand over the domestic sentenced inmate.

(5) The official of the requesting country who has received the handover of the domestic sentenced inmate in accordance with the provision in the preceding paragraph shall promptly escort the domestic sentenced inmate to the requesting country.

(Treatment of the Period of Transfer of a Domestic Sentenced Inmate)

Article 21

The period for which a domestic sentenced inmate has been made subject to the transfer of a sentenced inmate for testimony (excluding the period in which the inmate was not detained) shall be deemed as a period served for the purpose of execution of the sentence.

(Special Provision to the Act on Penal Detention Facilities and Treatment of Inmates and Detainees)

Article 22

(1) With regard to the application of the Act on Penal Detention Facilities and Treatment of Inmates and Detainees (Act No. 50 of 2005), Article 52, paragraph (1) of Article 53 (including the cases where it is applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to paragraph (6) of Article 132 of the Act) , paragraph (2) of Article 53, paragraph (1) of Article 85, paragraphs (1), (2) and (4) of Article 98, paragraph (4) of Article 100, paragraphs (3), (5) and (7) of Article 132, paragraph (1) of Article 164 (including the cases where it is applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to paragraph (3) of Article 165 of the Act), paragraph (3) of Article 166 (including the cases where it is applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to paragraph (4) of Article 167 and paragraph (4) of Article 168 of the Act), Articles 171, 174 and 175, the handover of a domestic sentenced inmate to an official of the requesting country pursuant to the provision of paragraph (4) of Article 20 shall not be deemed to be a release.

(2) Article 54 (except for items (ii) and (iii) of paragraph (1)), Article 55, paragraph (5) of Article 98 (limited to the part pertaining to item (i)), Article 99, paragraphs (4) to (7) inclusive of Article 132 and Article 176 of the Act on Penal Detention Facilities and Treatment of Inmates and Detainees shall apply mutatis mutandis to the personal effects left behind, remuneration, prohibited or suspended correspondence, or reproduction of the deleted or erased part of correspondence, in the case of a domestic sentenced inmate, who has been handed over to an official of the requesting country pursuant to paragraph (4) of Article 20, escaping or dying. In this case, the term "any of the items in paragraph (1) of Article 54" in paragraph (5), item (ii) and paragraph (7) of Article 132 of the Act shall be deemed to be replaced with "paragraph (1), item (i) of Article 54", and the term "paragraph (1) of Article 54" in paragraph (6) of Article 132 shall be deemed to be replaced with "paragraph (1) of Article 54 (except for items (ii) and (iii))".

Chapter II Cooperation with the International Criminal Court

Section 2 Provision of Evidence, etc.

Subsection 1 Provision of Evidence

(Measures by the Minister of Justice)
Article 6 (1) Where the Minister of Justice has received documents sent by the Minister of Foreign Affairs pursuant to the provisions of Article 4 concerning a request for cooperation through provision of evidence, when the case does not fall under any of the following items, the Minister of Justice shall take the measures prescribed in the following paragraph or paragraph (3):

(i) when the request for cooperation competes with a request for assistance as prescribed in Article 1, item (i) of the Act on International Assistance in Investigations and Other Related Matters (Act No. 69 of 1980) (hereinafter referred to as "Investigation Assistance" in this item and Article 39, paragraph (1), item (ii)) and, where it is possible to give priority to such request for assistance pursuant to the provisions of the Statute, when the Minister of Justice finds it reasonable to provide said Investigation Assistance;
(ii) when complying with the request for cooperation would result in a breach of any of the obligations under international law prescribed in article 98, paragraph 1 of the Statute;
(iii) when complying with the request for cooperation would prejudice Japan's national security;
(iv) where the offense underlying the cooperation request is an offense prescribed in article 70, paragraph 1 of the Statute, when the act constituting the offense for which assistance is requested would not constitute a crime under the laws and regulations of Japan were it to have been carried out in Japan;
(v) when complying with the request for cooperation would risk obstructing an investigation or trial in a case that is connected with a crime other than the offense underlying the cooperation request, and that is being investigated by a Japanese public prosecutor, public prosecutor's assistant officer, or judicial police official or is pending before a Japanese court, and the Minister of Justice finds it unreasonable to immediately comply with said request; or
(vi) when there are other justifiable grounds for not immediately complying with the request for cooperation.

(2) The measures by the Minister of Justice pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph shall be the measures under any of the following items, except in the case prescribed in the following paragraph:

(i) sending the relevant documents to the Chief Prosecutor of the appropriate District Public Prosecutor's Office and ordering the collection of evidence that is necessary for cooperation through provision of evidence;
(ii) sending documents concerning a request for cooperation through provision of evidence to the National Public Safety Commission; or
(iii) sending documents concerning a request for cooperation through provision of evidence to the Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard or to the head of any other national agency to which persons prescribed in Article 190 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Act No. 131 of 1948) who are to exercise the functions of judicial police officials belong.

(3) When the request for cooperation prescribed in paragraph (1) pertains to the provision of documents that are connected with a legal action and that are being retained by a court, a public prosecutor, or a judicial police officer, the Minister of Justice shall send the custodian of such documents the documents concerning the request for cooperation.

(4) When the Minister of Justice finds it necessary in order to take the measures prescribed in the preceding two paragraphs or in order to take other measures concerning cooperation through provision of evidence, he/she may conduct an inquiry into the whereabouts of the person concerned and other necessary matters.


(Measures by the National Public Safety Commission)
Article 7 Upon receiving documents sent under paragraph (2), item (ii) of the preceding Article, the National Public Safety Commission shall send the relevant documents to the appropriate prefectural police headquarters, and shall instruct that headquarters to collect the evidence necessary for cooperation through provision of evidence.


(Implementation of Cooperation)
Article 8 The provisions of Articles 7, 8, 10, 12, and 13 of the Act on International Assistance in Investigations and Other Related Matters shall apply mutatis mutandis to cooperation through provision of evidence based on a request set forth in Article 6, paragraph (1). In this case, the term "Article 5, paragraph (1), item (i)" in Article 7, paragraph (1) of said Act shall be deemed to be replaced with "Article 6, paragraph (2), item (i) of the Act on Cooperation with the International Criminal Court (Act No. 37 of 2007)," the term "the preceding Article" in paragraph (2) of said Article shall be deemed to be replaced with "Article 7 of the Act on Cooperation with the International Criminal Court," the term "Article 5, paragraph (1), item (iii)" in paragraph (3) of said Article shall be deemed to be replaced with "Article 6, paragraph (2), item (iii) of the Act on Cooperation with the International Criminal Court," and the phrase "specifically provided for in this Act" in Article 13 of said Act shall be deemed to be replaced with "provided for in Articles 8, 10, and 12 as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 8 of the Act on Cooperation with the International Criminal Court."


(Penal Provisions on the Submission of False Certificates)
Article 9 (1) When a person who has been requested to submit a certificate under the provisions of Article 8, paragraph (3) of the Act on International Assistance in Investigations and Other Related Matters as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to the preceding Article has submitted a false certificate, he/she shall be punished by imprisonment with work for up to one year or a fine of up to 500,000 yen.

(2) The provisions of the preceding paragraph shall not apply if the act
constitutes a crime under the Penal Code (Act No. 45 of 1907) or under Chapter IV.


(Measures Upon Completion of a Disposition, etc.)
Article 10 (1) When the Chief Prosecutor has completed the collection of evidence that is necessary for cooperation through provision of evidence, he/she shall promptly send the collected evidence to the Minister of Justice, with his/her opinion attached thereto. The same shall apply when the head of a national agency provided for in Article 6, paragraph (2), item (iii) has completed the collection of evidence that is necessary for cooperation.

(2) When the Superintendent General of the Metropolitan Police Department or the chief of the Prefectural Police Headquarters has completed the collection of evidence that is necessary for cooperation, the Prefectural Public Safety Commission shall promptly send the collected evidence to the National Public Safety Commission, with its opinion attached thereto.

(3) When the National Public Safety Commission has received the evidence sent thereto under the preceding paragraph, it shall promptly send the same to the Minister of Justice, with its opinion attached thereto.

(4) A custodian of documents that are connected with a legal action who has received documents concerning a request for cooperation through provision of evidence sent thereto pursuant to the provisions of Article 6, paragraph (3), shall promptly send the relevant documents in his/her custody or certified copies thereof to the Minister of Justice, with his/her opinion attached thereto; provided, however, that when he/she finds it difficult to immediately send the same, he/she shall promptly notify the Minister of Justice to that effect.


(Conditions for the Provision of Evidence)
Article 11 Where the Minister of Justice will provide the ICC with evidence that has been sent thereto pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1), (3) or (4) of the preceding Article, when he/she finds it necessary, he/she shall set conditions concerning the use or return of said evidence.


(Notification of Non-cooperation)
Article 12 After taking measures under the provisions of Article 6, paragraph (2), item (ii) or (iii) or paragraph (3) of said Article, when the Minister of Justice finds that the case falls under any of the provisions of paragraph (1), items (i) through (iv) of said Article and decides not to cooperate through provision of evidence, he/she shall notify the person who received the documents that were sent concerning the request for cooperation through provision of evidence to that effect without delay.


(Consultation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, etc.)
Article 13 (1) The Minister of Justice shall consult with the Minister of Foreign Affairs in advance in a case that falls under any of the following items:

(i) when deciding not to cooperate through provision of evidence, on the basis that the case falls under any of the provisions of Article 6, paragraph (1), items (i) through (iii);
(ii) when postponing cooperation through provision of evidence, on the basis that the case falls under either of the provisions of Article 6, paragraph (1), item (v) or (vi); or
(iii) when setting the conditions set forth in Article 11.

(2) The provisions of Article 16, paragraph (2) of the Act on International Assistance in Investigations and Other Related Matters shall apply mutatis mutandis to where the Minister of Justice decides to take the measures set forth in any of the items of Article 6, paragraph (2) with regard to a request for cooperation through provision of evidence.

Chapter II Cooperation with the International Criminal Court

Section 2 Provision of Evidence, etc.

Subsection 2 Judicial Examination of Evidence and Service of Documents

(Measures by the Minister of Justice)
Article 14 Where the Minister of Justice has received documents sent by the Minister of Foreign Affairs pursuant to the provisions of Article 4 concerning a request for cooperation through a judicial examination of evidence or the service of documents, when the case does not fall under any of the items of Article 6, paragraph (1), the Minister of Justice shall sent the documents concerning said request for cooperation to the appropriate district court.


(Measures by the Court, etc.)
Article 15 (1) The provisions of Article 1, paragraph (2), Article 1-2, paragraph (1) (excluding items (i), (v), and (vi)), and Articles 2 and 3 of the Act on Assistance Based on Commission by Foreign Courts (Act No. 63 of 1905) shall apply mutatis mutandis to cooperation through a judicial examination of evidence or the service of documents.

(2) When the district court provided for in the preceding Article has completed the judicial examination of evidence or the service of documents, it shall promptly send the evidence obtained through the judicial examination of evidence to the Minister of Justice or notify him/her of the results of the service of documents.


(Mutatis Mutandis Application)
Article 16 The provisions of Article 12 and Article 13, paragraph (1) (excluding item (iii)) shall apply mutatis mutandis to where the Minister of Justice has taken measures related to cooperation through a judicial examination of evidence or the service of documents under the provisions of Article 14. In this case, the term "paragraph (1), item (i) of said Article" in Article 12 shall be deemed to be replaced with "Article 6, paragraph (1), item (i)."

Chapter II Cooperation with the International Criminal Court

Section 2 Provision of Evidence, etc.

Subsection 3 Transfer of a Sentenced Inmate for Testimony, etc.

(Decision, etc. on the Transfer of a Sentenced Inmate for Testimony, etc.)
Article 17 (1) Where the Minister of Justice has received documents sent by the Minister of Foreign Affairs pursuant to the provisions of Article 4 concerning a request for cooperation through the transfer of a sentenced inmate for testimony, etc., when the case neither falls under Article 6, paragraph (1), item (iv) nor falls under any of the following items, and when the Minister of Justice finds it reasonable to comply with the request, he/she shall make an affirmative decision to transfer the sentenced inmate for testimony, etc., setting a period not to exceed thirty days during which the transfer of the domestic sentenced inmate will be in effect:

(i) when the domestic sentenced inmate does not consent in writing;
(ii) when the domestic sentenced inmate is under the age of 20; or
(iii) when a case connected with the crime committed by the domestic sentenced inmate is pending before a Japanese court.

(2) Where the Minister of Justice makes the affirmative decision set forth in the preceding paragraph, when he/she finds it necessary, he/she shall set conditions concerning the transfer of the sentenced inmate for testimony, etc.

(3) When the Minister of Justice decides not to effect the transfer of a sentenced inmate for testimony, etc. on finding that it is unreasonable to comply with the request set forth in paragraph (1), or when he/she sets the conditions set forth in the preceding paragraph, the Minister of Justice shall consult with the Minister of Foreign Affairs in advance.

(4) The provisions of Article 19, paragraph (3) of the Act on International Assistance in Investigations and Other Related Matters shall apply mutatis mutandis to a case in which the decision set forth in paragraph (1) has been made.


(Measures Concerning the Surrender of a Domestically Sentenced Inmate, etc.)
Article 18 (1) When the Minister of Justice has issued an order under the provisions of Article 19, paragraph (3) of the Act on International Assistance in Investigations and Other Related Matters as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to paragraph (4) of the preceding Article, he/she shall send a written permit of custody to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

(2) When the Minister of Foreign Affairs has been sent a permit of custody under the provisions of the preceding paragraph, he/she shall immediately send the same to the ICC.

(3) The warden of a penal institution who has been issued the order prescribed in paragraph (1) or an official of the penal institution who has been nominated by that warden shall promptly escort the domestic sentenced inmate to the place designated by the ICC, and shall surrender said domestic sentenced inmate to the person designated by the ICC who is in possession of the permit of custody.

(4) The provisions of Articles 21 and 22 of the Act on International Assistance in Investigations and Other Related Matters shall apply mutatis mutandis to a domestic sentenced inmate with regard to his/her surrender, pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, to the person designated by the ICC. In this case, the "transfer of a sentenced inmate for testimony" in Article 21 of said Act shall be deemed to be replaced with "transfer of a sentenced inmate for testimony, etc. as prescribed in Article 2, item (vii) of the Act on Cooperation with the International Criminal Court."