Article 1.　The object of this law is to prevent, guard against, and control fire, for protecting the lives, bodies and properties of the people from fire and, at the same time, to minimize damages of flood, fire, earthquake or similar disaster, thereby preserving peace and other and promoting public welfare.

Article 2.　The terms used in this law shall be defined as follows:

Article 3.　The fire service executive chief (or, where no such officer exists, the mayor of a city or headman of a town or village) or the chief of the fire station may give the persons, whose actions out of doors are considered detrimental to the prevention of fire, or the competent owners, managers or occupants of the objects which are likely to impede fire service activities, any of the orders, mentioned in the following items, to take necessary measures:

Article 4.　The fire service executive chief or the chief of the fire station may, in case of necessity for the prevention of fire, order the person concerned to produce reference materials, or have the competent fire service officers enter any workshop, factory, or place of public assembly, and any other place concerned for the inspection of the location, structure, equipments and condition of management of the fire prevention object. Howvever, private homes may not be entered unless consent of the person concerned has been obtained.

Article 5.　When, in connection with the location, structure, equipment or condition of management of a fire prevention object, it is considered as necessary for the prevention of fire or dangerous to lives in the event of fire, the fire service executive chief or the chief of the fire station may give orders to the comptent person concerned with the fire prevention object, for its repair, removal, prohibition or suspension or restriction of its use, or the suspension or discontinuance of the works on it, or other necessary measures, provided that this shall not apply to a building or other structure, whose construction, extention, alterations or removal was permitted or authorized under some other laws and no change has occurred in the circumstances.

Article 6.　In case the person, who has received an order under the preceding Article, is not satisfied with it, he may, within ten days after the receipt of such an order, appeal to the court having jurisdiction over the place where the fire prevention object concerned is located.

Article 7.　An administrative office having authority to issue permit or approval to the construction, extension, alterations, transition or change of the purpose of the use of a building or a structure, may not issue such permit or approval, unless a permit or an approval of the fire service executive chief or the chief of the fire station having jurisdiction over the place, endorsing that the projected work does not impede the prevention of fire, has been obtained.

Article 8.　The owner, manager or occupant of a school, factory, entertainment house, department store, place for the manufacture or disposal of dangerous objects, or other building or structure which is designated by municipal by-laws, shall appoint a person responsible for the prevention of fire, establish a fire service program, and enforce drills therefor.

Article 9.　The location, structure and management of furnaces, bath-rooms or other equipments using fire, or such equipments liable to cause fire by using fire and the handling of portable cooking-furnaces, footwarmers or other appliances using fire, or such appliances liable to cause fire by using fire as well as matters necessary for the prevention of fire, shall be regulated by the municipal by-laws.

Article 10.　Dangerous objects, the quantity of which exceeds the quantity specified by municipal by-laws shall not be stored or handled at places other than a storage depot. However, when the quantity is less than thirty times the designated quantity it may be temporarily stored at a safe place designated by the competent fire service executive chief or chief of the fire station within a period not exceeding ten days.

Article 11.　Dangerous object exceeding the quantity specified by municipal by-laws shall not be handled before dawn or after sunset, except when permission is obtained from the competent fire service executive chief or chief of the fire station.

Article 12.　Any person, who intends to establish a depot, shall obtain, in accordance with the provisions of municipal by-laws, the permission of the mayor of the city or headman of the town or village concerned. The same shall apply to any alteration in the matters specified by municipal by-laws.

Article 13.　A person, who has established a depot, (including a person who has succeeded to his post), shall appoint a person in charge of the handling of dangerous objects at the depot and report it to the competent fire service execntive chief or chief of the fire station.

Article 14.　No person other than a film operator qualified in accordance with municipal by-laws shall operate a projector to screen film pictures of no slow combustible nature for show or public inspection.

Article 15.　The projection room shall be of the structure and be possessed of the equipments as specified by municipal by-laws.

Article 16.　Beside the matters provided for in the foregoing six Articles, matters necessary for the prevention of fire in connection with the storage, transportation, rebottling and other treatments of dangerous objects, shall be specified by municipal by-laws.

Article 17.　The owner, manager or occupant of a school, factory, workshop, entertainment house, department store, hotel, eating establishment or other building or structure designated by municipal by-laws, shall, in accordance with the provisions of the municipal by-laws, equip his building or structures, with a fire extinguisher and other machines and appliances for the purpose of fire service, fire service water, and refuge appliances.

Article 18.　No person shall be allowed to unreasonably use, destroy, remove or obstruct the proper use of a firealarm, hydrant, reservoir arrangement for the use of fire service, fire tower or alarm bell tower.

Article 19.　The standard qualities of the machines, implements and equipments for the use of fire service to be designated by ordinance, shall be recommended by the National Fire Service Board.

Article 20.　The standard of water supply required for fire service shall be recommended by the National Fire Service Board.

Article 21.　The fire service executive chief or the chief of the fire station may, with the consent of the owner, manager or occupant of a pond, pool, well, tank, and other water supply available for fire service, designate them as fire service water supply resource, and may keep them in a condition available constantly for use.

Article 22.　In case the meteorological condition is considered unfavourable for the prevention of fire, the President of the Central Meteorological Observatory or the chief of a district meteorological observatory or the chief of a meteorological station shall immediately notify it to the governor of the prefecture, who has jurisdiction over the district concerned.

Article 23.　When it is deemed specially necessary for the prevention of fire, the mayor of a city or headman of a town or village may restrict a blazing fire or smoking in a certain area.

Article 24.　Any discoverer of a fire shall notify to the fire station or to a place specified by the mayor of the city or headman of the town or village concerned without loss of time.

Article 25.　When a fire breake out, the persons concerned with the fire service object in view and other persons specified by ordinance shall, until a fire brigade arrives at the scene of the fire, engage in fire fighting, prevention of the spreading of fire, and rescue of lives.

Article 26.　When responding to an alarm of fire, vehicles of the fire department shall be given right of way by all other vehicles and by pedestrians. Upon approach of such fire department vehicles responding to an alarm of fire, all motor-driven vehicles, horse or animal-drawn vehicles, hand-drawn vehicles, bicycles and other similar equipment, shall proceed as near to left-hand curb as possible, and stop until fire apparatus has passed. All tramway cars shall come to a full stop upon being warned of the approach of fire department vehicles which are responding to an alarm of fire, and shall not proceed until such apparatus has passed.

Article 27.　When it is urgently necessary in order to reach the scene of a fire, the fire brigade may pass along or through an road or path other than public thoroughfares, any unoccupied lot or any water surface not in use for any public purpose.

Article 28.　The fire officers or members of the fire service corps may throw a cordon around the scene of fire, and order any persons other than those specified by ordinance to withdraw from such area, or prohibit or restrict such persons to go in or out of the same.

Article 29.　In case of necessity for fire suppression, checking of the spread of flames, or rescue of lives, the fire officers or members of the fire service corps, may use or dispose of any fire service object about to take fire, or already set a flames, as well as the ground on which such object stands, or may restrict the use of such object or ground. The same shall apply to any property adjoining the fire service object which is already set aflames and is in danger of being set aflames.

Article 30.　In case of urgent necessity for the maintenance of water-supply at the scene of fire, the fire service executive chief or the chief of the fire station may open or close a lockgate or flood-gate of the flame, or a hydrant.

Article 31.　In case incendiarism or mishandling of fire is suspected, the chief of the fire station concerned shall collect the evidences and endeavor to keep them intact, while notifying the fact to the competent police station without loss of time. However, the recommendations made by the National Fire Service Board for assisting in the search of offence relative to incendiarism or mishandling of fire should be observed by the fire service personnel.

Article 32.　The fire service executive chief or the chief of the fire station concerned shall, side by side with the execution of fire suppression activities, set about the investigation of the cause of and the losses incurred by the fire and fire suppression activities.

Article 33.　The fire service executive chief, chief of a fire station and authorized representatives of any fire insurance company involved, shall be permitted to inspect property damaged or destroyed by fire for the purpose of determining the cause of the fire and the extent of the loss.

Article 34.　In case of necessity for the investigation specified in the preceding paragraph, the fire service executive chief or the chief of the fire station concerned may order any persons concerned to produce required date, or may despatch fire officers to any place concerned in order to make necessary investigations of the condition of property damaged or destroyed by fire.

Article 35.　The primary responsibility for the investigation of suspected arson or accidental fire shall be upon the fire service executive chief, or the chief of the fire station concerned;

Article 36.　The provisions of Article 18, Paragraph 2'Article 22, and Articles 24 to 29 shall be applicable with necessary modifications to flood and other disasters.

Article 37.　Where there are special districts established, the words in this law reading "city, town, or village" or "mayor of a city or headman of a town, or village," or "Municipal By-Law" shall respectively read "Metropolis," "metropolitan governor," and "Metropolitan By-Laws."

Article 38.　Any person who, in contravention of the provisions of Article 18, Paragraph 1, and without authority, damages, destroys or removes a fire tower or a fire-bell tower shall be liable to imprisonment with hard labor for a period not exceeding seven years.

Article 39.　Any person who, in contravention of the provisions of Article 18, Paragraph 1, and without authority, damages, destroys, or removes a fire-alarm or a hydrant shall be liable to imprisonment with hard labor for a period not exceeding five years.

Article 40.　Any person falling under any of the following items shall be liable to imprisonment with hard labor for a period not exceeding two years or to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand yen or both in consideration of circumstances.

Article 41.　Any person failing under any of the following items shall be liable to imprisonment with hard labor for a period not exceeding one year or to a fine not exceeding 25 thousand yen or both in consideration of circumstances:

Article 42.　Any person falling under any of the following items shall be liable to imprisonment with hard labor for a period not exceeding six months, or to a fine not exceeding 12 thousand yen, or both, in consideration of circumstances:

Article 43.　The municipal by-laws mentioned in Article 16 may prescribe penalties of imprisonment with hard labor for a period not exceeding three months or a fine not exceeding 5 thousand yen against an offender, or both, in consideration of circumstances.

Article 44.　Any person falling under any of the following items shall be liable to a fine not exceeding two thousand yen, or to a detention:

Article 45.　The proprietor of any business or undertaking may not be exempt from the penalty for any infringement of Article 10, Paragraphs 1 to 3, Article 11, Article 12, Paragraph 1, Article 13, Article 14, Paragraph 2 or Article 15, or of municipal by-laws issued under Article 16 committed by his agent, any person living under the same roof, his servant or employee, in the execution of his business, by the reason that the offender was not acting in accordance with his directions.

Article 46.　The penalities applicable to the proprietor of any business or undertaking under this law or municipal by-laws issued by virtue of Article 17, shall, in case the offender is a juridical person, apply to its manager, director, or any other person who administers its business, and where the offender is a minor or a person under disability, to his legal representative. This, however, shall not apply to a minor who is to be treated as of age with respect to the business in question.