[April Dream] Dreaming of standing in civil law courts around the world. The global vision for Japan-born AI legal OS 'AILEX'.
AILEX, a Japanese legal tech company, is sharing its dream of expanding its 'verifiable AI legal OS' to civil law jurisdictions worldwide. By addressing the common challenges of digitalization, small-firm isolation, and AI reliability, the company aims to support lawyers globally as they navigate the transition to digital legal systems.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 14:50
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 08:05
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 2, 2026 at 13:02 (1492h 56m after Collected)
We support 'April Dream,' an initiative that encourages companies to share their dreams on April 1st. This press release represents the dream of AILEX LLC.
AILEX LLC (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Partner: Tokachi Kamimura), the developer and operator of the AI legal SaaS 'AILEX' for attorneys, shares its dream of delivering AILEX as a 'verifiable AI legal OS' to law firms in civil law jurisdictions around the world.
https://ailex.co.jp
https://users.ailex.co.jp
---
## ■ Our Dream: Delivering AILEX to every civil law country
Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Germany, France—there are many countries in the world that operate under 'civil law,' where legal systems are centered around codified law. Building up interpretations of legal provisions, organizing vast amounts of documents, and constructing arguments one by one: attorneys in civil law jurisdictions have been engaged in this work for centuries.
However, the tools supporting this work are still paper, fax machines, and manual labor.
AILEX wants to change this situation. Our dream is that AILEX, which began in a small Japanese law firm, will one day be present on the desktops of lawyers in Taipei, the tablets of legal professionals in Berlin, and the smartphones of attorneys in Seoul.
---
## ■ AI thrives precisely because it is a land of legal codes
In common law countries, judicial precedents are the core of the law, but in civil law countries, written legal codes are the foundation of practice. The Japanese Civil Code, the German BGB, the Civil Code of Taiwan—all start from systematically compiled legal codes.
This structure is highly compatible with AI. By using legal provisions as a starting point, referencing precedents, and constructing arguments tailored to the specific case, AI can support this workflow, allowing attorneys to focus on 'making decisions for their clients.'
In Japan, AILEX has already implemented over 70 types of AI document templates across 16 legal categories, 20 AI agents, and integration with the e-Gov legal API. We will connect this mechanism to the legal codes of each country to deliver 'AI legal support based on legal provisions' to the world.
---
## ■ The 'Three Pains' shared by attorneys in civil law jurisdictions
The challenges AILEX has faced in Japan are common to civil law jurisdictions.
First, the volume of paperwork. In Japan, the use of 'mints' (the civil court document electronic submission system) will become mandatory on May 21, 2026, yet surveys show that 65.5% of attorneys have no experience using it. In South Korea, the usage rate for electronic litigation in civil cases exceeds 80%, and in Germany, electronic submission by attorneys became mandatory in 2022. The 'transition from paper to digital' is a structural challenge common to civil law jurisdictions.
Second, the isolation of small firms. Approximately 93.5% of law firms in Japan have five or fewer attorneys. They lack IT staff and have limited investment capacity. The situation is similar in Taiwan and Germany, creating a demand for AI tools that small firms can use immediately.
Third, concerns regarding AI reliability. The anxieties of 'Is it okay to submit AI-generated documents to court?' and 'Will client information be used to train the AI?' are shared across borders. In civil law jurisdictions where confidentiality obligations are strict, technical assurance of reliability is essential.
---
## ■ The 'May 2026 Cliff': The reality Japanese attorneys are facing now
Before AILEX can dream of the world, there is a reality we must overcome in Japan first.
On May 21, 2026, the amended Code of Civil Procedure will be fully enforced, making the online submission of civil court documents by attorneys a legal obligation. Electronic filing via 'mints' will be mandatory, and in principle, paper submissions will be treated as procedural violations—deemed inadmissible.
The impact of this institutional change is eloquently told by the numbers. According to a survey by Bengo4.com (conducted in 2024, n=316), 65.5% of attorneys responded that they have 'never used mints in an actual trial.' Only 8.9% have used it five or more times. With mandatory implementation looming, the majority of attorneys have zero practical experience.
Even more serious is the structure where the work habits of attorneys themselves are rooted in paper. 98.1% of attorneys use fax machines in some form. 57.6% prioritize paper case records. For many attorneys, complaints, preparatory briefs, and evidence documents are still 'created on paper, submitted on paper, and read on paper.'
As of October 2025, out of approximately 47,000 total attorneys, only about 30,000 (approx. 64%) had registered for a mints account. Even after the Japan Federation of Bar Associations sent postcards to all members to provide an opportunity for mass registration, about 17,000 remained unregistered. Some point out that the fact that paper submissions will no longer be possible has not been fully understood.
In addition, TreeeS (the next-generation civil court procedure system), which was originally developed as the 'trump card for court IT,' has faced development difficulties due to defects during the testing phase, with its introduction pushed back to fiscal year 2027 or later. The full enforcement in May 2026 will be met with a provisional system that is a modified version of the existing mints. Anxiety is spreading among attorneys about 'facing the real thing with a transitional system.'
And the ones who have the hardest time getting support are the small firms with 1 to 5 attorneys, which account for over 80% of all law firms. They have no IT-savvy staff. They have no one to consult. Reading manuals in between tasks and facing the system alone—they are about to be swallowed by the wave of digitalization while holding onto piles of paper, which we describe as 'law firms renting warehouses.'
AILEX was born as a tool to overcome this 'May 2026 Cliff.' From automatic generation of PDFs required for mints submission, AI evidence explanation document creation support, pre-submission error checks, to packaging mints-compliant files—AILEX aims to be incorporated into the daily operations of small firms as a tool that 'stands next to mints.' Since there is no external API for mints, direct integration is not possible, but we reduce the burden on attorneys by thoroughly streamlining the workflow before uploading to mints.
This experience is not just a 'track record in the Japanese market' for us.
From South Korea's electronic litigation, Germany's beA (attorney electronic communication system), to Taiwan's electronic litigation services—in the digitalization of court procedures progressing in civil law countries, the experience of 'standing by attorneys in the midst of institutional change and delivering easy-to-use tools' serves as a blueprint for overseas expansion.
---
## ■ Three technical foundations for competing globally
To ensure this dream does not end as a mere wish, AILEX has three weapons.
'PIIMasker (automatic personal information masking technology)' automatically replaces client names, addresses, case numbers, etc., with placeholders before sending data to external AI, and restores them after receiving the response. Attorneys do not need to explain consent to clients every time they use AI—this mechanism is a decisive differentiator in civil law jurisdictions where confidentiality obligations are strict.
'AI Fact Check' is a feature that automatically verifies the content of AI-generated documents using external AI search engines. AI's 'plausible lies' are fatal in legal documents, and by integrating generation and verification, we provide a foundation of trust.
And the 'IETF Internet-Draft.' AILEX has formulated the 'VAP Framework,' which makes the sources and transformation processes of AI-generated content cryptographically verifiable, and 'LAP,' specialized for legal AI, and submitted them to the international standardization organization IETF. It has been evaluated by five independent organizations as the world's first case of an IETF Internet-Draft specialized for legal tech AI.
---
## ■ From Shibuya to the courts of the world
AILEX is operated by a company headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo.
Compared to major legal tech companies, our scale and financial resources are limited.
However, we have a conviction.
What attorneys in civil law jurisdictions need is not a massive system, but a reliable AI partner that makes the document creation in front of them easier right now.
Our experience of running alongside small firms in the midst of a historic institutional change in the Japanese legal world—the mandatory use of mints. Our experience of bridging an industry with over 98% fax dependency to digital, one firm at a time. This accumulation is our greatest asset for overseas expansion.
First, we will build a track record in Japan, then move to Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and then Germany.
---
## ■ The view AILEX sees in 2030
A lawyer in Tokyo is creating a complaint using AILEX.
A lawyer in Taipei is drafting a statement in the Traditional Chinese version.
A lawyer in Seoul is running an AI fact check in the Korean version.
A lawyer in Berlin is drafting a Schriftsatz (brief) in the German version.
**Behind every screen, PIIMasker is protecting client information, and the VAP framework is recording the audit trail of the AI's judgment.**
Not 'AI generated it,' but 'the attorney verified it.' A world where that proof is valid across borders.
Not the convenience of AI, but the provability of AI.
Carrying this philosophy, a small company in Shibuya aims for the civil law courts of the world.
---
## ■ About 'April Dream'
'April Dream' is a project by PR TIMES where companies share the dreams they hope to achieve someday on April 1st. We support this activity and are sharing the dream of AILEX.
---
## ■ About AILEX
AILEX is an AI legal SaaS for attorneys that integrates functions necessary for litigation practice, such as AI document generation, AI fact checking, case management, and mints submission support, based on the concept of a 'verifiable AI legal OS.'
Official Website: https://ailex.co.jp
SaaS: https://users.ailex.co.jp
iOS App: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6760126068
IETF Internet-Draft: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-ailex-vap-legal-ai-provenance/
Official LINE: https://lin.ee/P9JAWZp
* AILEX is a tool to support the efficiency of attorneys' work and does not perform legal services under Article 72 of the Attorney Act.
AI-generated content is for reference only; please perform final confirmation, correction, and judgment yourself.
---
## ■ Company Overview
Company Name: AILEX LLC
Address: Shibuya Dogenzaka Tokyu Building, 1-10-8 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0043
Representative Partner: Tokachi Kamimura
Business Manager: Shintaro Yamakawa
Advisory Law Firm: Esora Law Office
Phone Number: 03-6821-7462
Email Address: info@ailex.co.jp
Official Website: https://ailex.co.jp
AILEX LLC (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Partner: Tokachi Kamimura), the developer and operator of the AI legal SaaS 'AILEX' for attorneys, shares its dream of delivering AILEX as a 'verifiable AI legal OS' to law firms in civil law jurisdictions around the world.
https://ailex.co.jp
https://users.ailex.co.jp
---
## ■ Our Dream: Delivering AILEX to every civil law country
Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Germany, France—there are many countries in the world that operate under 'civil law,' where legal systems are centered around codified law. Building up interpretations of legal provisions, organizing vast amounts of documents, and constructing arguments one by one: attorneys in civil law jurisdictions have been engaged in this work for centuries.
However, the tools supporting this work are still paper, fax machines, and manual labor.
AILEX wants to change this situation. Our dream is that AILEX, which began in a small Japanese law firm, will one day be present on the desktops of lawyers in Taipei, the tablets of legal professionals in Berlin, and the smartphones of attorneys in Seoul.
---
## ■ AI thrives precisely because it is a land of legal codes
In common law countries, judicial precedents are the core of the law, but in civil law countries, written legal codes are the foundation of practice. The Japanese Civil Code, the German BGB, the Civil Code of Taiwan—all start from systematically compiled legal codes.
This structure is highly compatible with AI. By using legal provisions as a starting point, referencing precedents, and constructing arguments tailored to the specific case, AI can support this workflow, allowing attorneys to focus on 'making decisions for their clients.'
In Japan, AILEX has already implemented over 70 types of AI document templates across 16 legal categories, 20 AI agents, and integration with the e-Gov legal API. We will connect this mechanism to the legal codes of each country to deliver 'AI legal support based on legal provisions' to the world.
---
## ■ The 'Three Pains' shared by attorneys in civil law jurisdictions
The challenges AILEX has faced in Japan are common to civil law jurisdictions.
First, the volume of paperwork. In Japan, the use of 'mints' (the civil court document electronic submission system) will become mandatory on May 21, 2026, yet surveys show that 65.5% of attorneys have no experience using it. In South Korea, the usage rate for electronic litigation in civil cases exceeds 80%, and in Germany, electronic submission by attorneys became mandatory in 2022. The 'transition from paper to digital' is a structural challenge common to civil law jurisdictions.
Second, the isolation of small firms. Approximately 93.5% of law firms in Japan have five or fewer attorneys. They lack IT staff and have limited investment capacity. The situation is similar in Taiwan and Germany, creating a demand for AI tools that small firms can use immediately.
Third, concerns regarding AI reliability. The anxieties of 'Is it okay to submit AI-generated documents to court?' and 'Will client information be used to train the AI?' are shared across borders. In civil law jurisdictions where confidentiality obligations are strict, technical assurance of reliability is essential.
---
## ■ The 'May 2026 Cliff': The reality Japanese attorneys are facing now
Before AILEX can dream of the world, there is a reality we must overcome in Japan first.
On May 21, 2026, the amended Code of Civil Procedure will be fully enforced, making the online submission of civil court documents by attorneys a legal obligation. Electronic filing via 'mints' will be mandatory, and in principle, paper submissions will be treated as procedural violations—deemed inadmissible.
The impact of this institutional change is eloquently told by the numbers. According to a survey by Bengo4.com (conducted in 2024, n=316), 65.5% of attorneys responded that they have 'never used mints in an actual trial.' Only 8.9% have used it five or more times. With mandatory implementation looming, the majority of attorneys have zero practical experience.
Even more serious is the structure where the work habits of attorneys themselves are rooted in paper. 98.1% of attorneys use fax machines in some form. 57.6% prioritize paper case records. For many attorneys, complaints, preparatory briefs, and evidence documents are still 'created on paper, submitted on paper, and read on paper.'
As of October 2025, out of approximately 47,000 total attorneys, only about 30,000 (approx. 64%) had registered for a mints account. Even after the Japan Federation of Bar Associations sent postcards to all members to provide an opportunity for mass registration, about 17,000 remained unregistered. Some point out that the fact that paper submissions will no longer be possible has not been fully understood.
In addition, TreeeS (the next-generation civil court procedure system), which was originally developed as the 'trump card for court IT,' has faced development difficulties due to defects during the testing phase, with its introduction pushed back to fiscal year 2027 or later. The full enforcement in May 2026 will be met with a provisional system that is a modified version of the existing mints. Anxiety is spreading among attorneys about 'facing the real thing with a transitional system.'
And the ones who have the hardest time getting support are the small firms with 1 to 5 attorneys, which account for over 80% of all law firms. They have no IT-savvy staff. They have no one to consult. Reading manuals in between tasks and facing the system alone—they are about to be swallowed by the wave of digitalization while holding onto piles of paper, which we describe as 'law firms renting warehouses.'
AILEX was born as a tool to overcome this 'May 2026 Cliff.' From automatic generation of PDFs required for mints submission, AI evidence explanation document creation support, pre-submission error checks, to packaging mints-compliant files—AILEX aims to be incorporated into the daily operations of small firms as a tool that 'stands next to mints.' Since there is no external API for mints, direct integration is not possible, but we reduce the burden on attorneys by thoroughly streamlining the workflow before uploading to mints.
This experience is not just a 'track record in the Japanese market' for us.
From South Korea's electronic litigation, Germany's beA (attorney electronic communication system), to Taiwan's electronic litigation services—in the digitalization of court procedures progressing in civil law countries, the experience of 'standing by attorneys in the midst of institutional change and delivering easy-to-use tools' serves as a blueprint for overseas expansion.
---
## ■ Three technical foundations for competing globally
To ensure this dream does not end as a mere wish, AILEX has three weapons.
'PIIMasker (automatic personal information masking technology)' automatically replaces client names, addresses, case numbers, etc., with placeholders before sending data to external AI, and restores them after receiving the response. Attorneys do not need to explain consent to clients every time they use AI—this mechanism is a decisive differentiator in civil law jurisdictions where confidentiality obligations are strict.
'AI Fact Check' is a feature that automatically verifies the content of AI-generated documents using external AI search engines. AI's 'plausible lies' are fatal in legal documents, and by integrating generation and verification, we provide a foundation of trust.
And the 'IETF Internet-Draft.' AILEX has formulated the 'VAP Framework,' which makes the sources and transformation processes of AI-generated content cryptographically verifiable, and 'LAP,' specialized for legal AI, and submitted them to the international standardization organization IETF. It has been evaluated by five independent organizations as the world's first case of an IETF Internet-Draft specialized for legal tech AI.
---
## ■ From Shibuya to the courts of the world
AILEX is operated by a company headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo.
Compared to major legal tech companies, our scale and financial resources are limited.
However, we have a conviction.
What attorneys in civil law jurisdictions need is not a massive system, but a reliable AI partner that makes the document creation in front of them easier right now.
Our experience of running alongside small firms in the midst of a historic institutional change in the Japanese legal world—the mandatory use of mints. Our experience of bridging an industry with over 98% fax dependency to digital, one firm at a time. This accumulation is our greatest asset for overseas expansion.
First, we will build a track record in Japan, then move to Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and then Germany.
---
## ■ The view AILEX sees in 2030
A lawyer in Tokyo is creating a complaint using AILEX.
A lawyer in Taipei is drafting a statement in the Traditional Chinese version.
A lawyer in Seoul is running an AI fact check in the Korean version.
A lawyer in Berlin is drafting a Schriftsatz (brief) in the German version.
**Behind every screen, PIIMasker is protecting client information, and the VAP framework is recording the audit trail of the AI's judgment.**
Not 'AI generated it,' but 'the attorney verified it.' A world where that proof is valid across borders.
Not the convenience of AI, but the provability of AI.
Carrying this philosophy, a small company in Shibuya aims for the civil law courts of the world.
---
## ■ About 'April Dream'
'April Dream' is a project by PR TIMES where companies share the dreams they hope to achieve someday on April 1st. We support this activity and are sharing the dream of AILEX.
---
## ■ About AILEX
AILEX is an AI legal SaaS for attorneys that integrates functions necessary for litigation practice, such as AI document generation, AI fact checking, case management, and mints submission support, based on the concept of a 'verifiable AI legal OS.'
Official Website: https://ailex.co.jp
SaaS: https://users.ailex.co.jp
iOS App: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6760126068
IETF Internet-Draft: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-ailex-vap-legal-ai-provenance/
Official LINE: https://lin.ee/P9JAWZp
* AILEX is a tool to support the efficiency of attorneys' work and does not perform legal services under Article 72 of the Attorney Act.
AI-generated content is for reference only; please perform final confirmation, correction, and judgment yourself.
---
## ■ Company Overview
Company Name: AILEX LLC
Address: Shibuya Dogenzaka Tokyu Building, 1-10-8 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0043
Representative Partner: Tokachi Kamimura
Business Manager: Shintaro Yamakawa
Advisory Law Firm: Esora Law Office
Phone Number: 03-6821-7462
Email Address: info@ailex.co.jp
Official Website: https://ailex.co.jp