“I want to consult a lawyer, but I can’t afford it.” “I don’t even know where to start.” Many abuse survivors carry these worries. The wall is lower than it looks. Japan has several systems through which people in financial difficulty can receive legal support. From 2026, additional support is being added, making access easier.
Inability to pay legal fees is not a reason to give up the right to legal support. This guide walks through the support systems available for the recovery from abuse and for resolving the legal issues that often accompany it.
Houterasu’s Civil Legal Aid System
What Houterasu is
Houterasu (formal name: Japan Legal Support Center) is a government-established central window for legal support. It runs offices nationwide and provides free consultation, fee advances, and crime-victim support to those who cannot pay legal fees on their own. Established in 2006, it covers abuse, DV, divorce, inheritance, and other legal matters. Phone: 0570-078374 (weekdays 9:00–21:00; Saturday 9:00–17:00).
Overview
Houterasu’s Civil Legal Aid System provides free or low-cost legal consultation and supports legal fees for people whose income is below a certain threshold. Most civil cases related to abuse — damages claims, custody issues, divorce-related compensation — are eligible.
Income and savings requirements
Use requires meeting both ① monthly income and ② savings thresholds. Those receiving public assistance automatically meet the requirements without screening.
① Monthly income guideline (after-tax, 2026): single household ≈ ¥182,000; two-person ≈ ¥251,000; three-person ≈ ¥272,000; four-person ≈ ¥299,000. Special urban-area adjustments may apply.
② Savings: single household up to ¥1,800,000; thresholds rise with household size.
Starting January 2026: The Crime-Victim Lawyer Support System
From January 2026, a new system begins under which crime victims (including abuse victims) can have a lawyer assigned without an income check. The aim is to make it possible for victims of crime to secure legal representation regardless of financial standing.
Possible application routes include: police, public prosecutor’s office, Houterasu (after consultation), prefectural victim-support windows.
Important caveats
The decision to pursue criminal charges is not yours alone: whether police and prosecutors will accept a complaint and pursue charges is not the victim’s call. The act may not, in the end, be legally recognized as abuse.
Without evidence, things stall: a doctor’s certificate for physical abuse, an examination conducted by police shortly after a sexual offense, and other objective evidence make criminal review more likely to proceed.
Long timeline: from investigation to criminal trial can take more than a year. The victim carries the stress of legal uncertainty throughout.
Civil and criminal are different: a guilty verdict does not automatically pay damages. A civil suit (claim for damages) has to be pursued separately.
Crime Victim Benefit Payments
When abuse is recognized as a crime, the victim can receive a benefit payment from the state. This is not contingent on the perpetrator’s punishment; it is paid as the state’s recognition of social responsibility toward victims.
Eligible types of abuse
Injury caused by violence (with medical documentation), sexual abuse and sexual violence, psychological harm from threats (with a doctor’s diagnosis).
To receive a payment, one of the following is required: the perpetrator was convicted; the perpetrator died, or the case was closed because the perpetrator could not be located; the police have recognized the survivor as the victim of a criminal act.
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