INI

Types of Courts in Japan - INI

The Japanese court system consists of the Supreme Court and lower courts based on the Constitution. The Court Organization Act establishes four types of lower courts: High Courts, District Courts, Family Courts, and Summary Courts. Japan adopts a three-tier court system with first, second, and third instance courts, allowing parties to receive up to three hearings in principle. Each court exercises judicial power independently and has different jurisdictions and characteristics.

courts judiciary Supreme Court High Court District Court Family Court Summary Court three-tier system law

[item.supreme-court]
code=1
slug=supreme-court
name=Supreme Court
description=The sole and highest court in Japan, established by the Constitution.
courtType=supreme
instance=third
location=Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
numberOfCourts=1
branches=
locations=
localOffices=
civilLimit_amount=
civilLimit_currency=
civilLimit_description=

[item.high-court]
code=2
slug=high-court
name=High Court
description=Established in 8 major cities, handling appeals and first-instance trials for crimes such as insurrection.
courtType=high
instance=second
location=
numberOfCourts=8
branches=6
locations=["Sapporo","Sendai","Tokyo","Nagoya","Osaka","Hiroshima","Takamatsu","Fukuoka"]
localOffices=
civilLimit_amount=
civilLimit_currency=
civilLimit_description=

[item.district-court]
code=3
slug=district-court
name=District Court
description=50 courts nationwide, serving as the principal court of first instance for civil and criminal cases.
courtType=district
instance=first
location=
numberOfCourts=50
branches=203
locations=
localOffices=
civilLimit_amount=
civilLimit_currency=
civilLimit_description=

[item.family-court]
code=4
slug=family-court
name=Family Court
description=50 courts nationwide, specializing in family matters and juvenile cases.
courtType=family
instance=first
location=
numberOfCourts=50
branches=203
locations=
localOffices=77
civilLimit_amount=
civilLimit_currency=
civilLimit_description=

[item.summary-court]
code=5
slug=summary-court
name=Summary Court
description=438 courts nationwide, handling minor civil and criminal cases through simplified procedures.
courtType=summary
instance=first
location=
numberOfCourts=438
branches=
locations=
localOffices=
civilLimit_amount=1400000
civilLimit_currency=JPY
civilLimit_description=Claims where the subject matter value does not exceed 1.4 million yen