Article 16.　The chairman of the assembly of an ordinary local public body must, when the enactment or amendment or abolition of a by-law has been resolved upon, forward it within three days from that day to the chief of that ordinary local public body.

Article 74-(2).　The representative of those who are demanding enactment or amendment or abolition of a by-law must submit to the election administration committee of the city, town or village the signing books of those who are demanding enactment or amendment or abolition of a by-law and request certification that those who have affixed their signatures and seals to those books are persons entered in the electors'register. In this ease, the election administration committee of that city, town or village must within twenty days from that day, complete examination, determine the validity of those signatures and certify accordingly.

Article 74-(3).　Such signatures of those who are demanding enactment or amendment or abolition of a by-law as are mentioned below shall be invalid:

Article 74-(4).　Any person who has used violence or power on or abducted those who have the right to sign their names or signature canvassers, or who has interfered with the freedom of signing by obstructing the convenience of traffic or of meeting or interfering with speeches or by other wrongful means such as deception, fraud, etc., or who has forcibly influenced those who have the right to sign their names or signature canvassers by taking advantage of special interests, including water supply, lease of farm land, claims and contributions to those who have the right to sign their names or signature canvassers or to shrines and temples, schools, firms, unions, cities, towns and villages with which they are connected, with regard to signatures in signing books by those who are demanding enactment or amendment or abolition of a by-law, shall be liable to penal servitude or imprisonment not exceeding four years or a fine not exceeding seventy-five thousand yen.

Article 244-(2).　In cases where the chief accountant or treasurer or other personnel of an ordinary local public body has lost or damaged cash or goods kept in his custody in accordance with the provisions of law and order, if he has neglected a good caretaker's caution, the chief of the ordinary local public body concerned must cause him to compensate the damage by fixing a period, on the basis of the result of inspection by the inspection commissioners, unless specially provided for by law or Cabinet Order. However, when the chief accountant or treasurer or other personnel of the ordinary local public body have proved that it has bas been due to an unavoidable accident or, in cases where the goods have been put to the use of the personnel of the ordinary local public body, that legitimate supervision has not been neglected, the chief of the ordinary local public body may refer the proof to the inspection commissioners for examination, submit it to the assembly for consideration accompanying their opinion and, with its consent, exempt him from the responsibility of compensation.

Article 255-(2).　Validity concerning signatures in the signing books for direct demand, or concerning such votes for the dissolution of the assembly or the dismissal of members of the assembly or the chief or such resolutions for the dismissal of the assistant governor, assistant mayor, chief accountant, treasurer, members of the election administration committee, inspection commissioners, or members of the public safety commission as are taken according to direct demand, or concerning the elections or decisions by the assembly, or concerning the determination of qualification by the election administration committee, or concerning the vote of yeas and nays of the inhabitants taken in accordance with this Law, in the ordinary local public bodies, can be contested only in accordance with the provisions of this Law with regard to the terms of litigation and the competent courts.