The binding effect and efficacy of the gift contract: comparative study on determining gratuitous contract and contract interpretation

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K01360
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 05060:Civil law-related
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: Ikeda Seiji 北海道大学, 法学研究科, 教授 (20212772)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 贈与 / 無償契約

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The objective of this study is to explore the gratuitous contract, an area where academic study has been lacking.
On the gift contract as a primary example, I implement a comparative study of the impact of the gratuitous factor on interpretation of contract details and on the binding power of the contract. Based on this, I examine the background to the binding power and efficacy of this type of contract and discuss legal interpretation and pertinent law formulation.
In this connection, I focus on the issues of: 1) the determining contract type that have been viewed with equal indifference until the present time, and 2) contract interpretation that have been a lack of specific study. This study was implemented with a focus on specific precedents. I present several related papers and also finish writing the section "gift"(Clause 549-554) of the New Commentary civil law Vol.12(not yet published), along with results.

Free Research Field

民法

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

贈与契約の拘束力については、ドイツとフランスでは公正証書の作成が有効要件とされているものの、一定の背景事情を持つ無償契約は「贈与契約ではない」と性質決定することで、方式を満たさない無償契約の拘束力を認めるのが裁判実務である。
これに対し、日本では、無償であれば直ちに贈与契約としつつも、「書面」ないし「履行」の概念を拡張することで、550条本文を回避している。そして、そうであるなら、この２つの概念の拡張の背景事情（＝動因）を考究することは、学問的のみならず、実務的にも最重要課題のはずである。本研究プロジェクトでは、裁判例という具体的な素材を詳細に検討することで、この動因を究明した。