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.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]