Japanese Law on Marriage

If marriage were outlawed, only outlaws would have in-laws

Here is a brief overview of the current laws and procedures for getting married in Japan.

PLEASE NOTE: Laws change. The information below is for guidance only and should not be regarded as legal advice. It is important that you verify all information with your city or ward office before making any wedding or travel plans.

How to get married in Japan

Take your Family Register (koseki tohon) or its extract (koseki shohon) to your local City or Ward office (shiyakusho/kuyakusho). That document shows you are eligible to marry – basically that you are not already married, and that you are a male 18 years old or over, or a female 16 or older. Those under the age of 20 must have their parents' signed permission to marry (douisho). Blood relatives may not marry, and if you are recently divorced, you cannot remarry until you have your Divorce Decree Absolute (rikon shomeisho). To avoid confusion as to the identification of a child's father if a birth occurs near the end of a marriage, a woman cannot remarry within six months of the dissolution of her previous marriage.

Articles 731 to 737 of the Japanese Civil Code give the complete details of requirements and some City or Ward Offices may have additional procedures or may require additional documents to be shown.

You then lodge a Registration of Marriage Form (kon-in-todoke), counter-signed by two witnesses who may need to provide their registered seal (inkan). Then a Receipt of Registration of Marriage (kon-in-todoke-juri-shomeisho) is issued by the Marriage Officer. It is not strictly necessary to have one of these documents but they make a nice parchment souvenir. It is the amended Family Register (koseki tohon) that shows the new, married status.

There are separate rules for foreigners wishing to marry in Japan:

Embassy advice on marrying in Japan