Comprehensive nationwide litigation searches are not possible in Japan. However, it is possible to search Tokyo District Court, Yokohama District Court and Osaka District Court via a legal non-public litigation database.
This database is updated weekly and includes all civil cases from 2004 in Tokyo District Court, 2014 in Yokohama District Court, and 2019 in Osaka District Court, excluding family matters, driving offenses, and small claims
Searches are conducted against the name of a company or an individual to identify any cases that the entity has been a party to. The report information will include the name of the litigants, the case title, date of first hearing, court and case number.
A summary of the case details including judgement, can also be provided at an additional cost. This process involves two in person visits to the court, one to request and one to review the file. Only had written notes can be taken during the review process. Limited additional information is available for cases over 8 years old, since most case documents are expunged at that time.