"I lent him some money but he hasn't paid it back.""He won't
repay my apartment deposit" Have you ever had that kind of trouble before?
In situations like this you can easily avail of the "Small-Sum Lawsuit"
system. You do not need a lawyer. You only have to pay for the revenue stamps.
However, this kind of lawsuit can only be used for the purpose of claiming a
sum of less than 300,000 yen.
The following are examples: a claim for reimbursement of a deposit; a claim
for repayment of a loan to someone; a claim for discharge allowance or unpaid
wages or a claim for damages in a traffic accident. To take legal proceedings,
you have to present the petition to the summary court in the locality of the
defendant's residence. A fixed form is available at the window. It is not so
difficult to fill out. You need to specify "Who", When", "Where",
"What happened" and "What you demand".After presenting the
petition, the court will summon both the plaintiff and the defendant at a later
date.
Usually there is only one hearing in the trial, so you will need to collect
as much concrete evidence as possible, such as witnesses, documents and photos.
The main point is preparing sufficiently in advance. Judgment will be made on
the day and put on record.