What is required of lawyers under the revised Civil Procedure Act?

Submission of litigation documents via the Civil Court Document Electronic Filing System 'mints' becomes mandatory.

What is the awareness level of lawyers regarding IT adoption?

While registration is progressing, lawyers are cautious about practical use, and there is a strong tendency to continue using paper-based management alongside IT.

Is the transition to paperless workflows advancing?

About half of the lawyers intend to shift to electronic record management, but about 80% plan to continue creating paper files even after the mandate.

<Survey on Lawyers' Awareness of Civil Court ITization 2026 Edition> About 40% of Lawyers 'Have Not Used mints' in Cases Handled

Published May 20, 2026 1:00 AM ・ Updated Jun 14, 2026 7:41 AM ・ 5 min read ・ Source: PR TIMES

Bengo4.com conducted a survey of 301 member lawyers regarding their readiness for the mandatory use of mints ahead of the full enforcement of the revised Civil Procedure Act. While registration rates exceeded 80%, about 40% have never used the system for cases handled, and 80% plan to continue creating paper files, indicating the challenges in achieving a full digital transition.

Bengo4.com, Inc. has conducted the '2026 Survey on Lawyers' Awareness Regarding Civil Court ITization.'

Background The revised Civil Procedure Act regarding the digitalization of civil litigation procedures will be fully enforced on May 21. This makes the submission of documents such as complaints primarily digital, and mandatory for lawyers to use mints (Civil Court Document Electronic Filing System). Bengo4.com surveyed 301 member lawyers on their preparation status.

Survey Overview Survey Agency: In-house at Bengo4.com, Inc. Method: Web survey of member lawyers Target: 301 responding member lawyers Period: April 19–20, 2026

Summary of Results mints Usage: About 40% of lawyers have 'not used mints' in their cases. Awareness regarding paper files: 'Paper culture' remains strong even after ITization, with about 80% of lawyers planning to 'create paper files.'

Over 80% of lawyers have registered for mints (n=301) When asked if they have registered, 86.7% replied 'Yes,' and 13.3% replied 'No.'

Reasons for not registering (n=40) Among non-registered, 57.5% said they will register before the system starts, while 25.0% cited 'do not handle litigation.'

Most registrations occurred in late 2025 (n=261) Regarding the timing of registration, 'July–December 2025' was the most common at 35.2%, followed by '2024' at 18%.

About 40% have not used mints in their cases (n=261) When asked about usage in cases, '1-4 cases' was the highest at 46%, while 39.1% replied they 'have never used it in actual court.'

About 20% delegate mints operations to others (n=159) 71.7% perform operations themselves, while 16.4% delegate part of it to assistants.

Paper culture remains; 80% will still create paper files Regarding policy after mints becomes mandatory, 57.5% will create 'properly bound paper files,' 27.6% will create 'simplified paper files,' and 14.9% will 'not create paper files.'

About half anticipate transition to electronic data management (n=261) When asked about the future management of case records, 26.8% said they will 'use more electronic data,' and 21.5% said 'use slightly more electronic data,' indicating a long-term view toward shifting from paper to electronic records.

FACT BOX

Source: PR TIMES
Category: Survey
Products / services: mints