Legal Aid/Assistance Projects


The JFBA established the Japan Legal Aid Association in 1952 and has continuously supported its projects such as the temporary exemption from court costs, and has been widely campaigning for legislation to realize state aid to legal aid projects. As a result of such activities, the Civil Legal Aid Act was established in April 2000 which stipulated that it is the responsibility of the state to provide civil legal aid.


Civil legal aid projects of the Japan Legal Aid Association were handed over to the Japan Legal Support Center (Houterasu) in October 2006. Also, other projects that were conducted independently by the Japan Legal Aid Association have been organized into the following 9 areas as projects to be conducted by the JFBA as legal aid services. Since October 2007, the JFBA has entrusted these legal aid services to the Japan Legal Support Center (Houterasu).*


[1] Aid for defense of criminal suspects
[2] Aid for attorney attendants in juvenile cases
[3] Legal support for victims of crime
[4] Legal support related to refugee adjudication
[5] Legal aid for foreign nationals
[6] Legal support for children
[7] Legal support for mentally disabled persons
[8] Legal support for persons in a state of insanity, etc.
[9] Legal support for the aged, disabled, or homeless people



*The number of the applications accepted by the JFBA’s legal aid services for each category in the fiscal year of 2016 is as follows:
[1]  Aid for defense of criminal suspects: 13,235
[2]  Aid for attorney attendants in juvenile cases: 2,997
[3]  Legal support for victims of crime: 1,444
[4]  Legal support related to refugee adjudication: 849
[5]  Legal aid for foreign nationals: 1,343
[6]  Legal support for children: 268
[7]  Legal support for mentally disabled persons and
[8] Legal support for persons in a state of insanity, etc.: 1,024
[9]  Legal support for the aged, disabled, or homeless people: 1,284


  • hague-lawyer-referral
  • information-for-registered-foreign-lawyer
  • covid19
  • anti-money-laundering-measures
  • 311great_earthquake
copyright© Japan Federation of Bar Associations all rights reserved.