Documents for the Preliminary Consultation (Jizen Kyogi) of a Religious Corporation
In the preliminary consultation the authority expects proof of continuity: member roll, attendance, classified finances and minutes. See which documents to prepare and why.
Last updated: October 2026
During the preliminary consultation (jizen kyogi, 事前協議) with the competent authority (shokatsucho, 所轄庁), a church proves continuity with dated records: a member roll, attendance and activity records, financial records classified by type, meeting minutes, a draft of its rules, and proof of use of its place of worship. Records made at the time carry more weight than ones rebuilt later.
The church must show that its religious activity is continuous, collective and stable, not with statements but with documents. This guide explains what is usually asked at this stage and why the way the records were produced matters as much as their content.
It explains the general logic of preparing documents. The exact list, and the final form of presentation, is for the licensed administrative scrivener (gyosei shoshi, 行政書士) handling the case and for the competent authority itself.
Why you must "prove" and not just report
Certification (ninsho, 認証) under the Religious Corporations Act (shukyo hojin ho, 宗教法人法) is not granted on a statement that the church exists. The competent authority looks at whether the group's main purpose is to spread a religion, hold rites and form its believers, and whether it is organized and operating in fact for that purpose. What is under review is not the content of the doctrine but the reality of the activity, meaning its continuity and collective character.
Continuity and collective activity cannot be explained in an interview. They are shown with dated records accumulated over time. That is why, in practice, the preliminary consultation works as a period for gathering this kind of evidence.
The five points the competent authority usually looks at
- Place of worship. Whether a place of worship is maintained continuously.
- Officer structure. At least three responsible officers (sekinin yakuin, 責任役員) in total, one of whom is the representative officer (daihyo yakuin, 代表役員), consistent with the rules (kisoku, 規則), the church's bylaws (Religious Corporations Act, Article 18, paragraph 1).
- Collective character. Activity of a group of believers, not one person.
- Continuity. Recurring services and events over a period, not isolated occurrences.
- Reality as religious activity. Religious activity as the main purpose, without excessive weight on profit-making business (shueki jigyo, 収益事業).
None of these points has a published minimum (of believers, years or money handled). The test is qualitative. Diagnostic tools, including this product's, give only a preparation reference, never a forecast of approval.
Which documents are usually requested
In line with the five points, the most common documents and records are:
- Membership roster (shinja meibo, 信者名簿). A list of names and affiliation, kept over time, not a snapshot of one moment.
- Attendance and activity records. Participation in services and events showing recurrence, not one-off events.
- Financial records with classification. Income and expenses classified month by month between religious activities (shukyo katsudo, 宗教活動) and other categories such as profit-making business. Heavy concentration in profit-making activity is a point of attention.
- Meeting minutes (gijiroku, 議事録). A record of the group's decisions. Before certification the group is still a religious organization (shukyo dantai, 宗教団体) without legal personality, not an incorporated religious corporation, so there is no formal board of responsible officers yet, and the minutes must be written to reflect that.
- Draft rules (kisoku-an, 規則案). Name, purpose, address and leadership structure of the future corporation. The final version is reviewed with an administrative scrivener.
- Proof of use of the place of worship. A lease or permission of use showing the place is continuously available.
What happens when documents are assembled after the fact
One thing the competent authority checks repeatedly is whether records were produced when the events happened or rebuilt afterward. Inconsistent dates, uneven detail and no cross-check with the finances are signs that tend to show in documents put together in a hurry.
Rebuilt documentation tends to bring requests for more and slows the preliminary consultation itself. Records that are born organized, as a natural by-product of running the church day to day, tend to be accepted with fewer back-and-forths.
How Church Manager JP helps
Church Manager JP is a church management tool, not a law office. It does not replace the administrative scrivener in drafting or filing documents, and it does not represent the church before the competent authority in the preliminary consultation or the certification application (ninsho shinsei, 認証申請).
What the system does is keep, as a result of daily use for members, attendance and finances, the records that answer the five points above: an export of the membership roster, monthly attendance summaries, a financial report already classified between religious activities and other categories, and help drafting minutes. When the church moves forward in the preliminary consultation, that organized history makes the conversation with the administrative scrivener easier, instead of forcing a rebuild of years of scattered records.
To see how these documents fit the full sequence, read how to establish a religious corporation step by step. For the underlying conditions, see the requirements for a religious corporation. For the timing, read how long it takes.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Does the law set exactly which documents are required in the preliminary consultation? A. There is no closed list defined in law. What exists is the need to show continuity, collective character and the reality of religious activity. The specific documents vary by case and by competent authority, and should be confirmed with the administrative scrivener.
Q. Can we start preparing documents only when the preliminary consultation begins? A. It is possible, but records produced retroactively tend to be spotted by the competent authority and bring requests for more, which tends to lengthen the process. Keeping continuous records from before the decision to formalize lowers that risk.
Q. What should the membership roster contain? A. Generally the names and affiliation of the believers. But the format and the handling of personal data, including sensitive data such as religious affiliation, should follow the administrative scrivener's guidance and the applicable personal data protection law (APPI).
Q. Does Church Manager JP prepare the final documents for the certification application? A. No. The system organizes the records that support the evidence of continuity. It never files the application. The church can submit the certification application directly to the competent authority, or hire a licensed administrative scrivener, paid directly by the church, to do it on its behalf. The final preparation of the rules and the complexity of the application lead most churches to hire.
Q. Does misclassifying finances between religious activities and profit-making business have a real impact? A. Yes. Inconsistent classification from month to month makes it harder to show that religious activity is the church's main purpose, which can weigh in the competent authority's review.
Official sources
Read next
The 7 steps to turn your church into a religious corporation in Japan, from first diagnosis to final registration, and who does what at each stage. A guide for foreign churches.
The full process to certification and registration takes about 3 years. See the timing of each stage, from the preliminary consultation to the final notification, and what delays it most.
Place of worship, officers, three years of continuity and church rules: the real requirements the Japanese authorities assess for certification, and how to prepare.