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Question: Is it a violation of the law in Japan for an unqualified person to act as an intermediary (referrer) for legal work to a lawyer and for the lawyer to pay a referral fee to that person in return for the introduction?

Answer: Yes, such an act is a violation of the law. It constitutes a crime, and those involved can be found guilty in a criminal case.

Explanation
Several provisions of Japanese law and professional rules prohibit unqualified individuals from acting as intermediaries for legal work and lawyers from paying for such referrals.
Prohibition against legal practice by non-lawyers (Article 72 of the Attorney Act): Article 72 of the Japanese Attorney Act forbids anyone who is not a certified attorney from handling or acting as an intermediary for legal matters for compensation. This is considered “illegal legal practice” and is a criminal offense.
Prohibition against paying for referrals (Article 13 of the JFBA’s Basic Rules on the Duties of Attorneys): The Japan Federation of Bar Associations’ rules specifically prohibit attorneys from paying any compensation or consideration for client referrals.
Penalties: Both the unqualified individual and the attorney face penalties.
Illegal legal practice by a non-attorney can result in imprisonment for up to two years or a fine up to 3 million yen.
Attorneys are prohibited from accepting cases referred by individuals engaged in illegal legal practice (Article 27 of the Attorney Act).
An attorney convicted of a crime that results in imprisonment automatically loses their license to practice law.
These regulations aim to protect clients and uphold the integrity of the legal profession by preventing unqualified individuals from exploiting clients.