Japan's Minor Offences Act

The high price of peace in Japan

Living in Japan is great. It's safe, efficient, and, most importantly, no one is shooting at you. But this peace and security come at a price.

Photo by Hiroyuki Sen on Unsplash

Japan's stringent rules and regulations can often feel suffocating, leaving little room for spontaneity and creativity. And once you run afoul of Japanese law, you quickly find yourself entangled in a sticky legal maze from which extraction demands significant time, money, and effort.

So, just don’t break the law, right?

Well, that may be easier said than done.

Below is an unofficial translation of Japan’s Minor Offenses Act—a legal framework that seems to outlaw just about everything and puts us all at the mercy of the police.

Japan Minor Offenses Act

Article 1

Any person who commits any of the following acts shall be subject to detention or a fine:

1. A person who, without justifiable reason, is found hiding in an unoccupied and unattended residence, building, or vessel.

2. A person who, without justifiable reason, carries a knife, iron bar, or any other instrument capable of causing serious injury or endangering life.

3. A person who, without justifiable reason, carries concealed tools such as a ligature, hammer, pestle, glass cutter, or any other instrument that could be used to break into another person’s residence or building.

4. A person who, despite having the ability to work, has no intention of doing so, lacks a fixed place of residence, and wanders aimlessly.

5. A person who, through extremely coarse or violent language or behavior, disturbs visitors in public halls, theaters, restaurants, dance halls, or other public places, or passengers in public transportation such as trains, buses, ships, or airplanes.

6. A person who, without just cause, extinguishes another person’s lamps or lights on streets or in other public places.

7. A person who unnecessarily leaves a boat or raft in a waterway, or otherwise obstructs traffic in a waterway.

8. A person who, during a windstorm, flood, earthquake, fire, traffic accident, crime, or other calamity, without justifiable reason, refuses to follow the instructions of public officials or their assistants or fails to comply with a request for assistance from public officials.

9. A person who, without due care and attention, builds a fire near a building, forest, or other flammable object, or uses fire near gasoline or another flammable substance.

10. A person who uses or indulges in the use of firearms, gunpowder, boilers, or other explosive materials without due care and attention.

11. A person who, without due care and attention, throws, pours, or discharges any object in a manner that could cause injury to others or damage to property.

12. A person who, without just cause, releases a dog or other animal or bird known to be dangerous or fails to properly secure such an animal, allowing it to escape.

13. A person who disturbs a large number of people in a public place with extremely coarse or violent speech or behavior, or who disrupts a queue for public transportation, events, or goods distribution.

14. A person who, without government permission, makes an abnormally loud noise, whether by voice, musical instrument, or radio, disturbing the peace and causing trouble in the neighborhood.

15. A person who falsely claims to hold a public or government office, rank, title, or degree, or uses a medal, uniform, insignia, emblem, or similar item without proper qualification.

16. A person who falsely reports a crime or disaster to a public official.

17. A person who provides false information in required records, such as those concerning pawn or sale or exchange of secondhand articles.

18. A person who, knowing of a person in need of assistance due to infirmity, injury, or illness, or of a deceased body or fetus, fails to promptly notify public authorities.

19. A person who, without justifiable reason, moves the body of a deceased person or fetus.

20. A person who indecently exposes their body in a manner offensive to the public in a place where others can see them.

21. (Deleted)

22. A person who commits or incites misbehavior.

23. A person who, without justifiable reason, secretly peeps into a person’s dwelling, bathhouse, dressing room, lavatory, or other private area.

24. A person who obstructs public or private ceremonies through mischief or other disruptive behavior.

25. A person who obstructs the flow of a river, gutter, or other waterway.

26. A person who spits or urinates in public places such as streets, parks, or other areas where people gather.

27. A person who recklessly abandons garbage, animal carcasses, or other waste in a manner harmful to the public interest.

28. A person who obstructs another person’s movement, crowds around them, or follows them in a manner that causes discomfort or annoyance.

29. A conspirator who, in collaboration with others, commits preparatory acts intended to cause bodily harm to another person.

30. A person who sets a dog or other animal on another person or animal, or frightens a horse or cow, causing it to run away.

31. A person who obstructs another person’s business through mischief or other disruptive acts.

32. A person who, without justifiable reason, enters a prohibited area or another person’s property.

33. A person who defaces or removes another person’s property or signage without justifiable reason.

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And once you are arrested, there is the Japanese justice system with which to contend.

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