Chapter II Cooperation with the ICC Section 1 General Rules
(Acceptance of Requests for Cooperation, etc.)
Article 3 The following administrative affairs concerning cooperation with the ICC shall be carried out by the Minister of Foreign Affairs:
(i) acceptance of requests for cooperation from the ICC;
(ii) consultation with the ICC and reports that should be made thereto; and
(iii) sending of evidence to the ICC, and delivery of property and notification of the results of the service of documents in connection with the enforcement of a final judgment for a fine, forfeiture, or reparations order, to the ICC.
(Measures to Be Taken by the Minister of Foreign Affairs)
Article 4 Upon accepting a request for cooperation from the ICC, the Minister of Foreign Affairs shall, except where he/she finds that the form of the relevant request does not comply with the Statute, send the written request for cooperation issued by the ICC or documents prepared by the Minister of Foreign Affairs that certify that a request for cooperation has been made to the Minister of Justice, together with any relevant documents and with his/her opinion attached thereto.
(Consultation with the ICC)
Article 5 (1) The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall consult with the ICC, as necessary, with regard to cooperation with the ICC.
(2) When the Minister of Justice finds it necessary to consult with the ICC with regard to cooperation with the ICC, he/she shall request the Minister of Foreign Affairs to seek consultation under the provisions of the preceding paragraph.
Section 2 Provision of Evidence, etc.
Subsection 1 Provision of Evidence
(Measures by the Minister of Justice)
Article 6 (1) Where the Minister of Justice has received documents sent by the Minister of Foreign Affairs pursuant to the provisions of Article 4 concerning a request for cooperation through provision of evidence, when the case does not fall under any of the following items, the Minister of Justice shall take the measures prescribed in the following paragraph or paragraph (3):
(i) when the request for cooperation competes with a request for assistance as prescribed in Article 1, item (i) of the Act on International Assistance in Investigations and Other Related Matters (Act No. 69 of 1980) (hereinafter referred to as "Investigation Assistance" in this item and Article 39, paragraph (1), item (ii)) and, where it is possible to give priority to such request for assistance pursuant to the provisions of the Statute, when the Minister of Justice finds it reasonable to provide said Investigation Assistance;
(ii) when complying with the request for cooperation would result in a breach of any of the obligations under international law prescribed in article 98, paragraph 1 of the Statute;
(iii) when complying with the request for cooperation would prejudice Japan's national security;
(iv) where the offense underlying the cooperation request is an offense prescribed in article 70, paragraph 1 of the Statute, when the act constituting the offense for which assistance is requested would not constitute a crime under the laws and regulations of Japan were it to have been carried out in Japan;
(v) when complying with the request for cooperation would risk obstructing an investigation or trial in a case that is connected with a crime other than the offense underlying the cooperation request, and that is being investigated by a Japanese public prosecutor, public prosecutor's assistant officer, or judicial police official or is pending before a Japanese court, and the Minister of Justice finds it unreasonable to immediately comply with said request; or
(vi) when there are other justifiable grounds for not immediately complying with the request for cooperation.
(2) The measures by the Minister of Justice pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph shall be the measures under any of the following items, except in the case prescribed in the following paragraph:
(i) sending the relevant documents to the Chief Prosecutor of the appropriate District Public Prosecutor's Office and ordering the collection of evidence that is necessary for cooperation through provision of evidence;
(ii) sending documents concerning a request for cooperation through provision of evidence to the National Public Safety Commission; or
(iii) sending documents concerning a request for cooperation through provision of evidence to the Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard or to the head of any other national agency to which persons prescribed in Article 190 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Act No. 131 of 1948) who are to exercise the functions of judicial police officials belong.
(3) When the request for cooperation prescribed in paragraph (1) pertains to the provision of documents that are connected with a legal action and that are being retained by a court, a public prosecutor, or a judicial police officer, the Minister of Justice shall send the custodian of such documents the documents concerning the request for cooperation.
(4) When the Minister of Justice finds it necessary in order to take the measures prescribed in the preceding two paragraphs or in order to take other measures concerning cooperation through provision of evidence, he/she may conduct an inquiry into the whereabouts of the person concerned and other necessary matters.
(Measures by the National Public Safety Commission)
Article 7 Upon receiving documents sent under paragraph (2), item (ii) of the preceding Article, the National Public Safety Commission shall send the relevant documents to the appropriate prefectural police headquarters, and shall instruct that headquarters to collect the evidence necessary for cooperation through provision of evidence.
Cooperation under procedures of national law
EDIT.