Resolving disputes
The ideal way for private individuals to settle a dispute is through discussion. However, when discussions fail, the use of a civil arbitration court (minji chotei) or an arbitration center (chusai center) is an option. Such institutions are also referred to as dispute settlement centers (funso kaiketsu center) or out-of-court mediation centers (jidan assen center).

Trial fees
There are 2 kinds of trial fees: lawsuit costs and lawyer’s fees. The lawsuit costs are costs incurred for holding a trial. The lawyer’s fees are initial fees and remuneration.
Initial costs consist of an advance payment for the lawyer’s services until the case is resolved. The remuneration is based on the settlement sum set by the court.
l If the prospect of winning the case is good, but there is a lack of finance, an application for assistance can be made to the Legal Aid Association (horitsu fujo kyokai). If the application is successful, the Association will pay the costs of the trial in advance. This advance payment is repaid at the rate of about \10,000 per month. The Association will also pay the lawyer’s remuneration after the trial. This can be repaid in installments.

For details, ask a person who understands Japanese to enquire for you at nearest Bar Association.

Note 1 The information given is that confirmed as of July 2002. Note that a new system or system revisions may have been introduced after this date.

This information is from the CLAIR website. The Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR) was established in July 1988 in response to rising concerns about local level internationalization in Japan.