I give Our sanction to the Imperial Ordinance concerning the special instances of the right of civil justice pertaining to the orders to be issued in accordance with the Potsdom Declaration given is the Imperial Ordinance No. 542 in the 20th year of Showa and hereby cause the same to be promulgated.
Signed: Hirohito, Seal of the Emperor
This fourteenth day of the fifth month of the twenty-first year of Showa (14 May, 1946)
Countersigned: Baron Kijuro Shidehara Prime Minister
Chuzo Iwata Minister of Justice
Imperial Ordinance No. 273
Art. 1. All courts will exercise no civil jurisdiction with respect to United Nations nationals or organizations attached to or accompanying the Allied Occupation Forces.
Civil claims against such persons or organizations will be presented to the Minister of Justice, who,if he believes the claims to be meritorious and supported by good and sufficient evidence, will forward them to the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers.
Art. 2. Should the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (including his authorized representatives the same applies correspondingly to the following parts) have given directions as to such steps as modification of decision or other dispositions, against decisions in any civil case in which United Nations nationals or organizations neither attached to nor accompanying the Allied Occupation Forces are parties, the court which had rendered such decision shall, from time to time, take such steps, by a ruling as are deemed necessary for carrying out matters ordered by the directions, including modification of such decision. The same applies to decisions in civil case, to which United Nations nationals or organizations neither attached to nor accompanying the Allied Occupation Forces have become successors or in which they are interested.
Those steps mentioned in the foregoing paragraph may be taken irrespective of the provisions of other laws and ordinances.
The code of proceedings in non-action cases applies to rulings referred to in the first paragraph.
No complaint may be made against rulings mentioned in the first paragraph.
Art. 3. When, in reference to the conduct of civil cases referred to in the first paragraph of the preceding article, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers has given directions as to such steps as suspension of proceedings or other dispositions, the court wherein the case is pending-in the case there is no such court, the court nominated by the Minister of Justice-shall, from time to time, take such steps, by a ruling, as are deemed necessary for carrying out matters ordered by directions, including suspension of proceedings.
The provisions of 2 to 4 paragraphs of the preceding article shall be applied to rulings referred to in the preceding paragraph with necessary modification.
Supplementary Provision:
This ordinance will come into force as from the day of its promulgation.