Small Claims (Shogaku Sosho)
Japan's small-claims track lets ordinary residents collect money owed without hiring a lawyer. The 少額訴訟 (shōgaku soshō, "small-claims litigation") procedure handles money claims up to 600,000 yen at the local summary court, usually in a single hearing, for a filing fee between 1,000 and 6,000 yen.123
Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details with the courts' guidance pages and the summary court where you would file before preparing documents. This article is general information, not legal advice; for your specific case, consult a licensed bengoshi before filing.
Overview
Small claims exist for the disputes too large to abandon and too small to litigate fully: a withheld rental deposit, an unpaid personal loan, a shorted final paycheck under the ceiling. The system trades full-trial thoroughness for speed and low cost, and it is designed for unrepresented parties.1
Three numbers define the track (as of 2026-09; confirm current figures with the courts): a 600,000-yen claim ceiling, a one-hearing design, and a 1,000 to 6,000 yen filing fee scaled to the claim.123
Who Can Use It
Only money-payment claims not exceeding 600,000 yen qualify (as of 2026-09). The case goes to the 簡易裁判所 (kan-i saiban-sho, "summary court"), and you as plaintiff must request the small-claims track when filing.12
The defendant gets a say: if the other side objects to the simplified track, the case proceeds ordinarily. Complex disputes needing multiple witnesses over several sessions are likewise moved to the ordinary track by court decision.1
Typical resident uses include rental-deposit recovery, unpaid-loan collection, small consumer claims, and unpaid-wage claims under the threshold. Use is capped at 10 filings per person per court per calendar year, which binds businesses, not ordinary residents.1
One invoice, one deposit, one loan with paperwork: ideal. Multi-party blame disputes with contested facts belong in mediation or the ordinary track, where the court has room to untangle them.1
Filing the Claim
File the written claim (訴状, sojō) at the summary court with jurisdiction over the defendant's address. A defendant in Tokyo's 23 wards means the Tokyo Summary Court; your own address does not decide the venue.1
The filing fee scales with the claim at 1,000 yen per 100,000 yen of value (as of 2026-09; confirm current figures with the filing court). Postage set by each court sits on top, so confirm that figure with the court before buying stamps.43
| Claim amount | Filing fee | As of | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100,000 yen | 1,000 yen | 2026-093 | Plus court-set postage |
| 300,000 yen | 3,000 yen | 2026-093 | Plus court-set postage |
| 600,000 yen (ceiling) | 6,000 yen | 2026-093 | Plus court-set postage |
Arrive with everything ready. All arguments and evidence must be in the court's hands by the first hearing date, and only evidence examinable immediately at that hearing is admitted.15
Hearing Day
The court aims to resolve the dispute in a single hearing. Judges hear both sides, examine the ready evidence, and push toward the outcome the same day.1
Settlement (和解, wakai) stays available throughout. Where talks fail, the court generally pronounces judgment that day, and small-claims judgments may additionally order installment payment, grace periods, or waiver of post-filing delay damages.1
After the Judgment
Either side may file an objection (異議申立て, igi mōshitate) with the same summary court. There is no appeal to the district court, so the second look happens where the first one did.1
Once the objection window closes, the judgment binds and the winner may pursue compulsory execution if the loser does not pay voluntarily. Calendar the deadline on judgment day and act inside it.1
Good to know
Proceedings run in Japanese
Filings, hearings, and judgments proceed in Japanese. Arrange interpretation or representation well in advance and confirm availability with the filing court, since interpreter arrangement is practical guidance that varies by court rather than a guaranteed service.15
File where the defendant lives, not where you live
Jurisdiction follows the defendant's address. Filing at your own nearby court out of convenience costs weeks in transfer, so verify the correct summary court before preparing the complaint.1
Get a free legal consultation before filing
Hoterasu runs a multilingual information service at 0570-078377 on weekdays from 9:00 to 17:00, with three-way interpreter calls to local offices (as of 2026-09; standard call rates apply). Local bar associations also offer legal counseling for foreigners by appointment, and Hoterasu refers callers at 0570-07-8374 to the fitting service.67
See also
- Move-Out Inspection and Deposit Negotiation in Japan
- Final Pay and Documents on Exit in Japan
- Dismissal Law and the Unfair-Dismissal Standard
- Reading a Japanese Employment Contract
- Employment-Dispute Paths