Houterasu (Japan Legal Support Center)

Houterasu,  Japan Legal Support Center (日本司法支援センター), is Japan’s public body for helping people navigate legal problems. It works as a general guide to the legal system, giving out information and connecting people to consultations rather than acting as a single law firm. It covers a wide range of everyday legal troubles and also runs dedicated support lines for specific situations, including a crime victims line, a disaster victims line.

Houterasu Support Dial at 0570-078374 is open weekdays from 9am to 9pm and Saturdays from 9am to 5pm. From there you can book a legal consultation with a lawyer by phone or web through your nearest Houterasu office, and offices are located across Japan rather than only in one region. For quick questions, the site also offers chat and email inquiry options that accept messages around the clock, plus a search tool for finding the consultation window closest to you.

For foreign residents, Houterasu runs a dedicated legal information line for foreign nationals at 0570-078377, available on weekdays and not on weekends or holidays. The main website is in Japanese, but there is a “For Foreign Nationals” section and this separate multilingual line, so English-language and other-language support is available through that channel even though the general services are delivered in Japanese.