Online Defamation in Japan: How to Save Evidence Before Posts Are Deleted, and Identify the Poster
Last reviewed October 16, 2026 · 24 min read · By the PEA team (Lumina Spark)
日本語版 (Japanese version)
Short answer: Build your evidence around full-screen screenshots that show each post's URL, the posting account's ID (on X, the username starting with @) and the post time, and add the posts around it, the poster's profile, and a note of when and how you saved everything. Save first, before you ask for removal and before the poster deletes it. If you want to identify the poster (a sender information disclosure request), see a lawyer early, because services and internet providers keep the records needed (logs) only for a limited time. Collecting evidence of abuse aimed at you is painful; you don't have to do it alone. This article is general information about Japan, not legal advice.
What to save first: a checklist
When you find abusive posts, make a record before you ask for removal or talk to anyone. Japan's National Police Agency (NPA) asks people to print the page and record the site's name, the URL, the poster, the date and time of posting, and the content. The Slander Hotline run by the Safer Internet Association also recommends recording a screenshot of the post, its date and time, and its URL if you are thinking of legal action or consulting the police or a lawyer.
For abusive posts, that means:
- The name of the site or service (X, Instagram, the name of a forum, etc.).
- The URL of each post (the URL you get when you open that post, not the account's page).
- The posting account: not just the display name, but the ID (such as a username starting with @) and the profile page URL.
- The post time, as shown on screen.
- The content: a full-screen screenshot of the post opened on its own, plus any image or video in the post.
- The posts around it, the reply chain or the whole thread: how it came to be written.
- Material showing the post is about you. If it doesn't use your name, or uses a nickname or handle, keep the surrounding posts or profile screens that show it refers to you.
- The poster's profile screen.
- Other accounts repeating or spreading the same content, and their post URLs.
- When and how you saved each item, and on which device.
- Notes on how it has affected you (work, daily life, health), which help when you explain your situation to a lawyer.
"Material showing the post is about you" is easy to overlook. A removal-request handbook prepared for the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) gives the example of asking TikTok to remove a defamatory post: if you are referred to by something other than your real name, prepare screenshots such as profile screens that show it means you; if no name is given, screenshots of the surrounding posts and comments.
Make a list of the posts
If there are many posts, keep a list of posts in a spreadsheet or notes app, separate from the screenshots. It makes them much easier to explain. The sample application published by the Tokyo District Court for sender information disclosure orders includes an inventory listing each post's account name, viewing URL and post time.
| No. | Site | Post URL | Account name and ID | Post time (as shown) | When saved | File name and method | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (e.g.) X | https://… | Display name, @ID | 2026/10/05 21:14 | 2026/10/05 21:30 | IMG_0123.PNG (screenshot) | Deleted? etc. |
Why the URL, account ID and post time matter
A screenshot shows what was written, but on its own it may not show which post, whose account, and when. The URL, ID and time are what pin those down.
- When asking for removal: the MOJ handbook starts every service's procedure with copying the exact URL of the post. For X, it says to copy both the URL and the username starting with @.
- When identifying the poster: the Tokyo District Court explains the process as asking the service (the content provider) to disclose the IP address and other data from when the post was made or the account logged in, and then asking the internet provider (the access provider) to disclose the poster's name and address. Being able to identify the post (URL) and its time is the starting point. The court's sample gives post times to the second, in both Japan time and UTC.
- The court checks too: the same sample has boxes for declaring that some posts have been deleted from the site, that documents supporting a post's URL can't be obtained, or that a post's time can't be identified. Whether you have the URL and time is checked in the procedure.
- A display name isn't enough. Display names can be changed freely, and similar-looking accounts exist. Keep the ID and profile URL too. Some services also let users change their ID, so keep the screen as it looked when you saved it.
Screenshots missing key details have been rejected. In a damages case over an image said to show a social media reply, the Osaka District Court (judgment of August 30, 2024) did not accept that the post existed on the strength of that image alone, pointing out among other things that it didn't show who the reply was addressed to or when it was posted.
Saving posts: screenshots, PDFs and screen recordings
For the basics of screenshots as evidence, see how to tell if a screenshot is fake. Here are the points that matter most for abusive posts. Don't rely on one method; combine them.
On a smartphone
- Open each post on its own and screenshot the whole screen. Make sure the post time, account name, @ID and, for replies, who it replies to are visible. Keep the time and battery indicators at the top; don't crop.
- Screenshot long threads in sequence, overlapping a little each time so the connection is clear. On Android 12 and later, you can also tap "Capture more" after taking a screenshot to capture a long scrolling page in one image, on many screens that scroll.
- Make a screen recording too. iPhone's Screen Recording (in Control Center) and Android's Screen record (in Quick Settings) record the screen as video. Recording, without stopping, as you go from the poster's profile to the post and then its replies or thread shows how the screens connect. Apple notes that some apps might not allow you to record audio or video.
- Copy each post's link from the share menu and paste it into your list.
- Leave your phone's date and time on automatic. The clock at the top of the screen is your phone's clock.
On a computer
- Open the post in a browser and save it as a PDF with the print function. Depending on browser settings, the page URL and date are added in the header or footer. Take a screenshot showing the URL in the address bar too.
- Save a copy on a third party's server. The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine ("Save Page Now") may save the page as it is at that moment. Password-protected pages and pages excluded by the site (robots.txt) may not be saved, and the archive may stop showing a page at the site owner's request.
For especially important posts likely to be deleted, a notary can view the screen and record what they saw in an official document (a notarial deed of facts experienced, jijitsu jikken kōsei shōsho). The Japan National Notaries Association says such deeds carry strong evidential weight and can be expected to preserve evidence. Ask a lawyer how to proceed.
Handling the files
- Don't edit the original files. If you need to crop or blank out something before showing it, do it on a copy.
- Keep copies in two or more places: not only on your phone but also on a computer or external storage. Check your backups before resetting or changing phones.
- Match the files to your list: which file is which post, and when and how you saved it.
What to keep, how, and its limits
| What to keep | How | Useful for / limits |
|---|---|---|
| Post URL | Copy the link from the share menu and record it in your list | The basic way to identify the post, used in removal requests and disclosure / Can't be opened once the post is deleted; a URL alone doesn't show the content |
| Post content (full screen) | Open the post on its own and screenshot it; save any image or video in the post | Shows what was written and how it appeared / Images can be edited; on its own it can't easily show the post existed or who posted it |
| Post time | Capture it in the screenshot and record it in your list as shown | Identifies when it was posted, the starting point for identifying the poster / The screen may show only minutes; ask a lawyer about precise times |
| Account (display name, ID, profile URL) | Screenshot of the profile and its URL | Shows whose account it is / Display names change and some services allow ID changes; the account holder isn't necessarily the writer |
| Surrounding posts, thread, material showing it's about you | Overlapping screenshots in sequence; screen recording | Shows context and that the post is about you / Tends to be a lot; organize it in your list |
| Whole web page | Save as PDF with the browser's print function | URL and date may be added depending on settings / Some pages need login or don't print well |
| Movement on screen | Screen recording | Shows screens connect and continue as you scroll / Large files; some apps block recording |
| A third party's server record | Wayback Machine "Save Page Now" | Leaves the page as it was on a third party's server / Some pages can't be saved; the owner can ask for it to be hidden |
| A note of how you saved it | When, who, which device, what method | Explains where the evidence came from / It's your own account, so it's weighed with other material |
| File hash and timestamp (e.g., a certificate) | Fix the saved screenshot file | Shows the file existed by that time and hasn't changed since / Doesn't show the post existed online, who posted it, or that it was illegal |
| Notarial deed of facts experienced | Have a notary view the screen | An official document with strong evidential weight / Costs money and needs arranging with the notary in advance |
Before you ask for removal or report a post
The order is: save → consider getting advice and preserving logs → ask for removal or report. Once a post is removed, it can't be seen. The Slander Hotline warns that on some sites, removing a post also deletes the IP address information needed to identify the poster, so if you are considering a disclosure request, consider asking the site to preserve its logs before asking for removal. If you want to identify the poster, talk to a lawyer before asking for removal.
Removal and identifying the poster are separate procedures. The Tokyo District Court explains that you can't ask for a post's removal in a sender information disclosure order case; removal needs a separate application.
Large social networks must have a removal request process. Since April 2025, large platform operators with many users must set up and publish a process for removal requests, and generally decide and notify you within a set period (7 days, under the ministerial ordinance). The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) first designated the operators of YouTube, LINE Yahoo services (such as Yahoo! Chiebukuro and LINE OpenChat), Facebook, Instagram and Threads, TikTok, and X, and has since added the operators of Niconico, Ameba Blog, Bakusai.com and Pinterest.
The MOJ handbook (information as of December 19, 2025) gives, for example, the following; procedures and pages change, so check each service's help pages:
- X: use the form for reporting content that infringes individual rights under Japanese law. You need to log in to an X account and enter the post's URL and the posting account's username.
- Instagram and Facebook: use Meta's form for reporting illegal content in Japan, choose reputation rights (defamation), and enter the post's URL and other details. The form can be used without an Instagram account. You can also report from the post's menu in the app.
- TikTok: to report defamation, you need to attach identity documents and screenshots showing the post refers to you.
Don't put too much personal information in a removal request. The same handbook warns that some forums publish removal requests as written, so keep personal information out of them, and if unsure, contact the Legal Affairs Bureau's human rights counseling instead of deciding alone. Whether to remove a post is ultimately decided by the service under its terms and removal criteria.
If asking yourself is too hard, you can turn to the Legal Affairs Bureau (human rights counseling) or the Illegal and Harmful Information Consultation Center. The Legal Affairs Bureau advises on how to request removal and, depending on the case, asks providers to remove posts itself. The Slander Hotline sends sites notices asking them to act under their terms (see Where to get help).
Mute or block after you have saved what you need. The Government of Japan's public relations site recommends muting or blocking so you don't have to see the posts before they hurt you deeply. Save the screens you need as evidence first.
If posts were deleted, or you have little evidence
Even if posts have been deleted, gather what's left and get advice early before giving up.
- Look for what you already have. Old screenshots or screen recordings on your phone or computer, records on your own account if you replied to or quoted the post, other posts that quoted or reposted it, and notifications on your phone or in your email may still hold parts of it.
- If you collect screenshots others took, record where they came from. Write down who took them, when, on which device and how, and if possible get the original files (before any resizing or compression when sent). In the Osaka case above, not knowing where the image came from was one of the reasons it wasn't believed.
- Check web archives. On the Wayback Machine, you can enter a URL to look for past copies.
- A deleted post can still be traced. The Illegal and Harmful Information Consultation Center says that even if a post has been deleted, a disclosure request is possible as long as logs for it remain, and urges people to request promptly, with documents showing what was posted. Your screenshots and list are that material.
- Asking the service directly has limits. A MIC study group's report noted that in practice, providers don't often disclose poster information voluntarily outside court, even when the infringement seems obvious. Preserving and obtaining records usually needs a court procedure (see the next section), so talk to a lawyer.
You can get help even with little evidence, from the Illegal and Harmful Information Consultation Center, the Legal Affairs Bureau or a lawyer.
Identifying the poster (sender information disclosure) and time limits
The law. The procedure for identifying a poster is set out in the Act on Measures Against Rights Infringement, etc. Arising from Distribution of Information by Specified Telecommunications, known as the Information Distribution Platform Act. It was renamed from the Provider Liability Limitation Act on April 1, 2025. You can request disclosure when your rights have clearly been infringed and you have a legitimate reason, such as needing it to claim damages (Article 5).
The court procedure since October 2022 (sender information disclosure orders). Previously, two court cases were generally needed: one against the social network and one against the internet provider. An amendment in force from October 1, 2022 created the "sender information disclosure order," a non-contentious procedure that handles this in one case, together with provision orders and orders prohibiting erasure that protect the records until disclosure is ordered. At the Tokyo District Court, the fee for each of a disclosure order, a provision order and an erasure-prohibition order is ¥1,000 per application (plus postage and similar costs).
Records (logs) are kept only for a limited time.
- The Tokyo District Court's sample application explains the need for a provision order by noting that access providers generally keep access logs only for a short period, such as 3 months, so the poster may become impossible to identify unless you act quickly.
- In September 2025, MIC asked industry groups to review how long they keep communication records, saying that cases where disclosure failed because the retention period had passed had become a concrete problem. The accompanying report says it is desirable to keep communication records for at least about 3 to 6 months (as a desirable practice for operators, not one whose breach immediately creates legal liability).
- The MOJ handbook also says disclosure requests must be made as soon as possible, because operators keep communication records only for a limited time.
How long records actually remain varies by service and operator, and you can't tell from outside. If you want to identify the poster, act as if you need to see a lawyer the moment you notice.
Other deadlines:
- Criminal complaint: defamation and insult can only be prosecuted on the victim's complaint (Penal Code Article 232). A complaint generally can't be filed more than 6 months after you learn who the offender is (Code of Criminal Procedure Article 235).
- Damages: a claim for damages in tort expires if not exercised within 3 years of learning of the damage and the person responsible (Civil Code Article 724).
- Statute of limitations for insult: with the 2022 increase in its penalty, it went from 1 year to 3 years (MOJ).
If cost is a worry, Houterasu may offer free legal consultations and help paying lawyers' fees if you meet income and other conditions (see Where to get help).
The law on defamation and insult in Japan
This section is a general explanation, not legal advice. Whether a particular post is illegal depends on its content and circumstances.
Criminal (if you want the poster punished):
- Defamation (Penal Code Article 230): a person who damages another's reputation by publicly alleging facts, regardless of whether the facts are true, faces up to 3 years' imprisonment or a fine of up to ¥500,000. There is an exception where the facts concern the public interest, the purpose was solely to benefit the public, and the facts are proved true (Article 230-2).
- Insult (Penal Code Article 231): a person who publicly insults another, even without alleging facts, faces up to 1 year's imprisonment, a fine of up to ¥300,000, penal detention or a petty fine. An amendment in force from July 7, 2022 raised this from penal detention or a petty fine only.
- The difference: MOJ explains that the difference between defamation and insult is whether facts are alleged.
- "Publicly": MOJ explains that, for insult, "publicly" means in a state where an unspecified or large number of people can perceive it. For abuse sent only in one-to-one messages, ask a lawyer or the police.
- MOJ explains that legitimate expression such as fair comment is not punished even if it meets the elements of insult. Not all criticism or opinion is illegal.
Civil (damages and restoring your reputation):
- A person who infringes another's rights intentionally or negligently must compensate the damage (Civil Code Article 709), including non-financial damage such as emotional distress when reputation is harmed (Article 710).
- A court can order measures appropriate to restore the reputation of a person defamed, instead of or together with damages (Article 723).
- Besides defamation, privacy or portrait rights may also be at issue.
The NPA also explains that abusive posts may, depending on their content, lead to criminal liability for defamation, insult and other offenses.
Don'ts
- Don't argue back or post counterattacks. The government's public relations site warns that arguing on social media can make things worse.
- Don't expose the poster's personal information while trying to identify them. The NPA urges people never to post others' personal information without their consent. You could become a party to a new dispute.
- Don't edit your evidence screenshots. Crop, annotate, blank out or stitch only copies, never the originals. If only edited images remain, that is a reason to suspect tampering.
- Don't log into someone else's account or phone to collect evidence. Unauthorized access with another person's ID and password is a crime.
- Don't ask for removal or report a post before saving it. Once it's gone, you have nothing to show what it said.
- Don't put more personal information than needed in a removal request. Some forums publish them.
- Don't post your evidence screenshots publicly to rebut the abuse. It can spread the abusive content further.
What PEA can and can't do
PEA (Professional Evidence Authenticator), from Lumina Spark in Japan, checks an image for signs of AI generation or editing with several independent analyses and shows a grade from 1 to 10. It doesn't decide whether a post is defamatory or who posted it.
Start with the free steps: full-screen screenshots showing the URL, ID and post time, PDFs, screen recordings and your list. PEA is an extra step after that. For screenshots you've saved, it can:
- Show whether the screenshot has what identifies the post. It checks whether the image is a screenshot, and lists whether it shows the post time, the account name or ID, who a reply is addressed to, the full screen (including the time and other indicators at the top), the URL and the surrounding posts, and whether there are signs of cropping, so you can see what's missing before you use it.
- Check for signs that the screen was made with AI or edited.
- Not claim that a post existed just because it found no traces. If someone changes what's on a screen before taking the screenshot, the image itself carries no trace of editing. So a screenshot with no traces gets at most Grade 6 (no signs of alteration), and the certificate states that whether the content shown on screen really existed is outside its scope.
- Give no grade when it has no basis for one. For an image so compressed that nothing usable is left, or one clearly photographed from a screen, it says "Not assessed (Grade –)" instead of guessing, and suggests a human review. Use the original file saved with your phone's screenshot function.
- Fix the screenshot file's state before the post is deleted. When you run a check, PEA records the file's SHA-256 hash and seals it with an Ed25519 digital signature and an RFC 3161 timestamp from a third-party time-stamping authority. The timestamp is the time of the check, so checking right after saving, before the post is deleted, supports "this screenshot file existed by then at the latest and hasn't changed since." For "by" versus "after," see how to prove when a photo was taken.
- Turn it into a certificate within 7 days (¥1,000 per image, charged in yen; international cards accepted). A lawyer or anyone you show it to can check the issue time, file hash, seal and timestamp by certificate number on PEA's public verification page.
- Keep the file you checked as it is. Opening and re-saving or cropping it changes the hash, and it won't match.
- You don't need a certificate for every post. Focus on screenshots of the most important posts with the URL and time.
- Images only (JPEG, PNG, HEIC, up to 25 MB). Screen recordings, PDFs and web archive records can't be checked; keep them as original files.
PEA can't prove that a post existed online, who posted it, or that it was defamation or insult. It shows that the screenshot file existed at the time of the check and hasn't changed since, plus the analysis results. The timestamp is not one accredited by Japan's Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, and we can't promise that a court will accept the certificate as evidence. It doesn't replace evidence preservation by a lawyer, a notarial deed, or the disclosure procedure. The account and certificate screens are in Japanese; browser translation works on them. Staff see an image only if you request a human review and consent, and free results are deleted after 7 days.
This article is general information about Japan, not legal advice.
Where to get help
Don't carry the evidence work alone. Rereading abuse aimed at you is very hard. A trusted family member or friend can help you save it, or you can hand it to a lawyer early. The government's public relations site cites research showing that, although it can feel as if the whole world is attacking you during a pile-on, only a very small fraction of people take part directly.
- Human rights counseling in English (Ministry of Justice): the Human Rights Counseling for Foreign Nationals line, 0570-090-911 (weekdays 9:00 to 17:00, except New Year), takes calls in English and nine other languages through an interpreter and connects you to the Legal Affairs Bureau for your area; online counseling is also available in English. The Legal Affairs Bureaus advise on how to request removal and, depending on the case, ask providers to remove posts themselves. (In Japanese: Minna no Jinken 110-ban, 0570-003-110, weekdays 8:30 to 17:15.)
- Legal advice on identifying the poster or claiming damages: the Houterasu Multilingual Information Service (0570-078377, weekdays 9:00 to 17:00, ten languages including English) explains the legal system and where to consult. If you meet income and other conditions, Houterasu may offer free legal consultations and help paying lawyers' fees. In Japanese, you can also call the Houterasu Support Dial (0570-078374, weekdays 9:00 to 21:00, Saturdays 9:00 to 17:00) or book a consultation through the bar associations' Himawari Soudan Net (0570-783-110).
- Advice on removal: the Illegal and Harmful Information Consultation Center, a Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications project, advises on how to request removal or disclosure, through a web form only and in Japanese. It doesn't make requests on your behalf.
- Asking sites to act: the Safer Internet Association's Hibō Chūshō (online abuse) Hotline sends notices to sites in Japan and abroad asking them to act under their terms. It doesn't take consultations or report individual results, and works in Japanese.
- If you want the poster punished, or feel unsafe: your nearest police station or your prefectural police's cyber crime consultation desk (the National Police Agency also has an online form, in Japanese). The NPA suggests calling the station first to arrange a time. For non-emergencies, call #9110; in an emergency, 110.
- General help for foreign residents: the Foreign Residents Support Center (FRESC) Help Desk, 0570-011000 (03-5363-3013 from IP phones or from abroad), weekdays 9:00 to 17:00, in English, Chinese and other languages.
- Emotional support: TELL Lifeline offers free counseling in English to anyone in Japan, by phone (0800-300-8355, toll-free) and by chat (daily from 16:00); hours vary by day, so check its website. In Japanese, MHLW's Mamorouyo Kokoro lists phone and social media services, and if you feel so low that you want to die, #いのちSOS (0120-061-338) answers 24 hours a day.
Frequently asked questions
Are screenshots enough as evidence of online defamation in Japan?
Screenshots matter, but on their own they may not show which post, whose account and when. Open each post on its own and screenshot the whole screen showing the post time, account name and ID (such as the @username), and also keep the post's URL, the profile screen, the surrounding posts, and when and how you saved them. Combining them with a PDF or a screen recording makes them easier to explain.
What happens if the defamatory post is deleted?
Your screenshots and records of the URL can still be used as evidence. The Illegal and Harmful Information Consultation Center says a disclosure request is still possible after deletion as long as logs for the post remain. But records are kept only for a limited time, so gather old screenshots and any images others took (noting who took them and how), and see a lawyer quickly.
What evidence do I need to identify an anonymous poster in Japan?
The Tokyo District Court's sample application lists each post's account name, viewing URL and post time, and checks whether the URL is supported by documents and whether the post time can be identified. Start by keeping full-screen screenshots showing the post's URL, account and post time, the surrounding posts showing it's about you, and the part that infringes your rights. The court's sample notes that access providers generally keep access logs only for a short time, such as 3 months, so see a lawyer early.
Do I need the URL of each post?
Yes. The URL is the main way to identify a post, and it's used in both removal requests and disclosure procedures. The National Police Agency also asks people consulting the police to bring a record of the site name, URL, poster, post time and content. Copy each post's link from the share menu and match it to your screenshots in a list.
Can I go to the police about online defamation in Japan?
Yes. Depending on their content, abusive posts may amount to defamation or insult. The National Police Agency asks people who want the poster punished to print the page, record the site name, URL, poster, post time and content, and consult their nearest police station; for non-emergencies you can also call #9110. Defamation and insult require the victim's complaint, which has a time limit, so go early.
Where can I get help in English about online abuse in Japan?
The Ministry of Justice's Human Rights Counseling for Foreign Nationals line (0570-090-911, weekdays 9:00 to 17:00) takes calls in English and nine other languages, and online counseling is available in English; the Legal Affairs Bureaus can ask providers to remove posts. The Houterasu Multilingual Information Service (0570-078377, weekdays 9:00 to 17:00) explains legal procedures and where to consult. Identifying a poster usually needs a court procedure, so talk to a lawyer early.
Sources
- National Police Agency, Responding to online defamation and abuse (Japanese): https://www.npa.go.jp/bureau/cyber/countermeasures/defamation.html
- National Police Agency, Consultation desks for cyber incidents (Japanese): https://www.npa.go.jp/bureau/cyber/soudan.html
- Government of Japan public relations online, Social media abuse: how not to become an abuser, and what to do if you are targeted (August 19, 2025; Japanese): https://www.gov-online.go.jp/article/202011/entry-8834.html
- Ministry of Justice, Let's stop human rights violations on the internet (Japanese): https://www.moj.go.jp/JINKEN/jinken88.html
- Ministry of Justice (commissioned, FY2025), Handbook for requesting removal of abusive posts online (Japanese PDF): https://www.moj.go.jp/content/001458241.pdf
- Ministry of Justice, Q&A on the increased penalty for insult (Japanese): https://www.moj.go.jp/keiji1/keiji12_00194.html
- MIC, Responding to illegal and harmful information online (Information Distribution Platform Act; Japanese): https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_sosiki/joho_tsusin/d_syohi/ihoyugai.html
- MIC, Summary of the amendment to the Provider Liability Limitation Act (in force October 1, 2022; Japanese PDF): https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000836903.pdf
- MIC, Ordinances and guidelines for the Information Distribution Platform Act (Japanese PDF): https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/001001532.pdf
- MIC press release, Request on retention of communication records (September 16, 2025; Japanese): https://www.soumu.go.jp/menu_news/s-news/01kiban18_01000270.html
- MIC, Study group on sender information disclosure, final report (December 2020; Japanese PDF): https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000724725.pdf
- Tokyo District Court, Applications for sender information disclosure orders (Japanese): https://www.courts.go.jp/tokyo/saiban/minzi_section09/hassinnsya_kaiji/index.html
- Tokyo District Court, Sample application 1 (with a provision order against a content provider; Japanese PDF): https://www.courts.go.jp/tokyo/vc-files/tokyo/2025/minshou/9-hasshinsyajouhoukaiji/03-kisairei-1_7.7kaitei.pdf
- e-Gov, Penal Code, Articles 230, 230-2, 231 and 232 (Japanese): https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/140AC0000000045
- e-Gov, Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 235 (Japanese): https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/323AC0000000131
- e-Gov, Civil Code, Articles 709, 710, 723 and 724 (Japanese): https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/129AC0000000089
- e-Gov, Information Distribution Platform Act (Japanese): https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/413AC0000000137
- Illegal and Harmful Information Consultation Center, FAQ for internet users (Japanese): https://ihaho.jp/faq/netuser.html
- Safer Internet Association, Online abuse (Slander Hotline; Japanese): https://www.saferinternet.or.jp/bullying/
- Japan National Notaries Association, Notarial deeds of facts experienced (Japanese): https://www.koshonin.gr.jp/notary/ow08
- Internet Archive Help Center, Using the Wayback Machine: https://help.archive.org/help/using-the-wayback-machine/
- Apple Support, Record the screen on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch: https://support.apple.com/102653
- Android Help, Take a screenshot or record your screen on your Android device: https://support.google.com/android/answer/9075928
- Ministry of Justice, Human rights counseling for foreign nationals (Japanese): https://www.moj.go.jp/JINKEN/jinken21.html
- Ministry of Justice, Human rights counseling services on the internet (English): https://www.jinken.go.jp/goriyouannai_en/
- MIC, Designation of large-scale specified telecommunications service providers under the Information Distribution Platform Act (English): https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_sosiki/joho_tsusin/eng/pressrelease/2025/4/30_3.html
- Illegal and Harmful Information Consultation Center, Terms of use (Japanese): https://ihaho.jp/terms/index.html
- Immigration Services Agency, FRESC Help Desk: https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/support/fresc/fresc_4.html
- Houterasu, Multilingual Information Service: https://www.houterasu.or.jp/site/english/multilingualinformationservice.html
- MHLW, Mamorouyo Kokoro (Japanese): https://www.mhlw.go.jp/mamorouyokokoro/
- TELL Lifeline: https://telljp.com/lifeline/