Corporation - Hojin

Japanese: 法人 - ほうじん

An entity that is not a natural person (individual) but is considered the subject of legal rights and obligations. Natural persons are not the only entities that engage in legal activities in society. Groups of people that have joined together for a certain purpose (associations) and collections of assets dedicated to a certain purpose (foundations) also engage in certain types of legal activities. A corporation is an entity that grants legal personality to such associations or foundations and recognizes them as the subject of rights and obligations (Civil Code, Article 34).

[Takahisa Awaji]

Essence

There has been much debate in modern jurisprudence about the true nature of corporations. Some argue that corporations are merely artificial fictions created by the state for legal purposes (corporate fiction theory). Others deny the social existence of corporations, arguing that they are merely a technique for unifying the legal relationships of multiple subjects (corporate denial theory). Still others acknowledge the social existence of corporations, and argue that the various legal relationships of corporations should be derived from that (corporate reality theory). While the corporate reality theory is considered the prevailing view, there is also a powerful theory that goes a step further and clarifies both the real and legal technical aspects of corporations, since each theory describes only one aspect of corporations.

[Takahisa Awaji]

kinds

Depending on whether the bearer of legal personality is a group of people (associations) or a group of assets (foundations), they are classified as incorporated associations and foundations. In addition, those with public interest purposes are called public interest corporations (public interest associations and public interest foundations based on Article 33, Paragraph 2 of the Civil Code and the Public Interest Corporation Certification Act), those with profit-making purposes are called profit-making corporations (companies), and those with neither public interest nor profit-making purposes are called general incorporated associations and general incorporated foundations, and there are also intermediate corporations (various cooperatives, labor unions, etc.) that are established by special laws without public interest or profit-making purposes. In terms of location, those with their main office in Japan and established in accordance with Japanese law are called domestic corporations, and those without are called foreign corporations. In addition, corporations whose main purpose is the exercise of public power (for example, the national or local government) or those established for a specific administrative purpose (for example, public associations, public corporations, public funds, etc.) are called public corporations, and those without are called private corporations.

[Takahisa Awaji]

Established

Regarding the establishment of corporations, there are various systems, such as the charter system, which requires a special law (such as the Bank of Japan), the permission system, which requires permission for establishment (public interest corporations under the Public Interest Corporation Certification Act), the rule system, which allows establishment if certain requirements are met (general corporations, companies), and the free establishment system, which allows free establishment (not recognized in Japan).

[Takahisa Awaji]

Activities

Corporations act through their organs. The representative organs are directors (directors of public interest corporations, representative directors of corporations, etc.), who all represent the corporation. Directors also handle the corporation's internal affairs. Decision-making organs include the general meeting of members for incorporated associations (general meeting of shareholders for corporations), and the board of directors and council committee for incorporated foundations.

[Takahisa Awaji]

Disappearance

When a corporation is dissolved, it enters the liquidation stage (the stage of sorting out its assets) and ceases to exist.

[Takahisa Awaji]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

自然人（個人）でなくて、法律上の権利・義務の主体とされているもの。社会において法的活動を営むものは、自然人だけではない。一定の目的のために結合した人の団体（社団）や一定の目的のために捧(ささ)げられた財産の集合（財団）も、ある種の法的活動を営む。このような社団または財団に法的人格を付与し、権利・義務の主体となることを認めたものが法人である（民法34条）。

［淡路剛久］

本質

法人の本質については、近代法律学上多くの論争があった。ある者は、法人は国家によって単に法律上の目的のために人為的に擬制されたものでしかない、とした（法人擬制説）。他の者は、法人の社会的実在を否定し、それは多数主体者の法律関係を単一化するための技術でしかない、とした（法人否認説）。さらに、他の者は、法人の社会的実在を認め、そこから法人のさまざまな法律関係を導き出すべきことを主張した（法人実在説）。法人実在説が通説とされるが、さらに一歩を進めて、それぞれの説は、法人のある一面を述べているのであるから、その実在としての側面、および法技術としての側面をそれぞれ明らかにしていくべきだ、という学説も有力である。

［淡路剛久］

種類

法人格の担い手が人の集合（社団）であるか財産の集合（財団）であるかに応じて、社団法人と財団法人とに区別される。また、公益を目的とするものを公益法人（民法33条2項、公益法人認定法に基づく公益社団法人および公益財団法人）、営利を目的とするものを営利法人（会社）、公益も営利も目的としないものとして、一般社団法人、一般財団法人があり、さらに公益も営利も目的とせず、特別法によって設立される中間法人（各種協同組合、労働組合など）もある。所在地という観点からは、日本に主たる事務所を有し、日本の法律に従って設立されるものを内国法人といい、それ以外を外国法人という。また、公権力の行使を主たる目的とし（たとえば、国や地方公共団体など）、あるいは、特定の行政目的のために設立される法人（たとえば、公共組合、公団、公庫など）を公法人といい、それ以外の法人を私法人という。

［淡路剛久］