Article 1. The Court Organization Law (Law No.59 of 1947) shall partially be amended as follows:
In Contents, "Chapter III. Summary Court" shall read
"Chapter III. Family Court,
Chapter IV. Summary Court."
In Article 2, "and Summary Courts" shall read "Family Courts and Summary Courts."
In Article 10, item 1, after "of a litigant," there shall be added "(excluding cases where the opinion is the same as that of a decision previously rendered through a Grand Bench in which the Constitutionality of the statute, ordinance, regulation or disposition is recognized)."
In Article 13, "Secretariat (Jimu-kyoku)" shall read "Secretariat (Jimu-sokyoku)."
In Book II, there shall be added the following one Article after Article 14;
Article 14-(2),(Supreme Court Library) In the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court Library shall be established as a branch Library of the National Diet Library.
Article 16, items 1 to 3 inclusive shall be amended as follows:
1. "Koso" appeals from judgements in the first instance rendered by District Courts, from judgements rendered by Family Courts and from judgements concerning criminal cases rendered by Summary Courts;
2. Complaints (Kokoku) against rulings and orders rendered by District Courts and Family Courts and against rulings and orders concerning criminal cases rendered by Summary Courts, except those mentioned in Article 7, item 2;
3. "Jokoku" appeals from judgements in the second instance rendered by District Courts and from judgements rendered by Summary Courts, except those concerning criminal cases.
In Article 19, after "a District Court," there shall be added "or a Family Court."
Article 24, items 2 and 3 shall be amended as follows:
2. "Koso" appeals from judgements rendered by Summary Courts, except those mentioned in Article 16, item 1;
3. Complaints (Kokoku) against rulings and orders rendered by Summary Courts, except those mentioned in Article 7, item 2 and Article 16, item 2.
In Article 28, after "another District Court," there shall be added "or a Family Court within the said area or of the said High Court."
In Book III, Chapter III shall be Chapter IV, and after Article 31, there shall be added the following one Chapter:
Chapter III. Family Court
Article 31-(2).(Organization) A Family Court shall consist of a proper number of Judges and Assistant Judges.
Article 31-(3).(Jurisdiction and other powers) A Family Court shall have power over the following matters:
1. Judgement and conciliation with regard to cases relating to family as provided by the Law for Adjudgment of Domestic Relations;
2. Judgment with regard to the matters of protection of the juvenile as provided by the Juvenile Law;
3. Actions in the first instance relating to any of the offenses mentioned in Article 37, Paragraph 1 of the Juvenile Law.
A Family Court cannot impose imprisonment (without hard labor) on a graver penalty.
A Family Court shall have, in addition to those prescribed in this statute, other powers as specially provided by other statutes.
Article 31-(4).(Single Judge System, Collegiate Court System) In case of rendering judgement, a Family Court shall handle cases through a single Judge. However, cases which as elsewhere provided by statute are to be heard and decided through a collegiate court shall be handled in accordance with the provisions of such statute.
The number of judges of a collegiate court mentioned in the proviso to the preceding paragraph shall be three, one of whom shall be the Presiding Judge.
Article 31-(5).(Application with the Necessary Modifications of the Provisions of District Court) The Provisions of Articles 27 to 31 inclusive shall apply with the necessary modifications to a Family Court.
In Article 33, paragraph 1, item 3, after "relating to attempts at them," there shall be added "(excluding the actions mentioned in Article 31-(3), paragraph 1, item 3)."
In Article 41, paragraph 2, "Secretaries of the Attorney-General's Office (Homu-cho), Instructors of the Attorney-General's Office (Homu-cho) or Juvenile Court Judges" shall read "Secretaries of the Attorney-General's Office (Homu-cho) or Instructors of the Attorney-General's Office (Homu-cho)."
Article 42, paragraph 1, item 5 shall read as follows:
5. Research Officials of a court and Teachers of the Judicial Research and Training Institute;
In Article 44, paragraph 1, item 4, "Secretaries of the Attorney-General's Office (Homu-cho), Instructors of the Attorney-General's Office (Homu-cho) and Juvenile Court Judges" shall read "Secretaries of the Attorney-General's Office (Homu-cho) and Instructors of the Attorney-General's Office (Homu-cho)."
In Article 50, "a High Court or a District Court" shall read "a High Court, a District Court or a Family Court."
In Article 53, paragraph 3, "Secretariat (Jimu-kyoku) shall read" Secretariat (Jimu-sokyoku)."
In Article 54, "(Private Secretary to the President of the Supreme Court)" shall read "(Private Secretaries to judges of the Supreme Court)" ;in paragraph 1 of the same Article, there shall be added "and fourteen Private Secretaries to Judges of the Supreme Court" after "one Private Secretary to the President of the Supreme Court" ;paragraph 2 of the same Article, "and Private Secretaries to Judges of the Supreme Court" shall be added after Private Secretary to the President of the Supreme Court "and in paragraph 3 of the same Article," Private Secretaries to Judges of the Supreme Court shall, upon the order of the judges of the Supreme Court "shall be added after" of the President of the Supreme Court."
There shall be added the following two articles after Article 56:
Article 56-(2).(Director of the Supreme Court Library) In the Supreme Court there shall be one Director of the Supreme Court Library, who shall be appointed from among court officials.
The Director of the Supreme Court Library shall, under the supervision of the President of the Supreme Court, administer the affairs of the Supreme Court Library, and control and supervise the officials thereof.
The provisions mentioned in the preceding two paragraphs shall not prevent the application of the provisions of the National Diet Library Law.
Article 56-(3).(Private Secretaries to Presidents of High Courts) In a High Court, there shall be one Private Secretary to the President of Hight Court.
Private Secretaries to Presidents of High Courts shall be second class officials.
Private Secretaries to Presidents of High Courts shall, upon the order of Presidents of High Courts shall administer confidential affairs.
In Article 59, paragraph 1, "each High Court and District Court" shall read "each High Court, District Court and Family Court" and in paragraph 2 of the same Article, after "the President of each District Court," there shall be added "the Chief of Secretariat of each Family Court, of the President of each Family Court."
In Article 60, paragraph 1, "each High Court of each District Court" shall read "each High Court, each District Court or each Family Court."
There shall be added the following one Article after Article 61.
Article 61-(2).(Juvenile Investigators) In each Family Court there shall be Juvenile Investigators, and they shall be assigned to positions from among court secretaries or technical officials of court by the Supreme Court or each Family Court in accordance with the rules determined by the Supreme Court.
Juvenile Investigators shall conduct the necessary research for judgement mentioned in Article 31-(3), paragraph 1, item 2 and other affairs provided by the Juvenile Law.
Chief Juvenile Investigators may be appointed from among Juvenile Investigators by the Supreme Court to exercise supervision over research affairs, and to conduct the affairs of liaison and adjustment, etc. with the District Youth Offenders Prevention and Rehabilitation Board and other organs.
Juvenile Investigators shall, in exercising their duties, obey the order of judges.
Article 63, paragraph 1 shall be amended as follows:
There shall be bailiffs in each court. They may be third class officials within the limits of number to be fixed elsewhere by statute.
Article 64 shall be amended as follow:
Article 64.(Appointment, Dismissal and Promotion) The appointment, dismissal and promotion of court officials other than judges shall be made by the Supreme Court, a High Court, a District Court or a Family Court in accordance with the rules determined by the Supreme Court.
In Article 65, "Chief of Secretariat or Court Clerks" shall read "Chief of Secretariat, Court Clerks or Juvenile Investigators," after "Technical Officials of Court," there shall be added "(except those being Juvenile Investigators)," and "a High Court or a District Court" shall read "a High Court, a District Court or a Family Court."
In Article 80, item 4 shall be item 5, and the following one item shall be added to the same Article:
4. Each Family Court shall exercise Supervision over its officials.