会社法第356条
Restrictions on Directors' Competing Transactions and Conflict-of-Interest Transactions
取締役の競業及び利益相反取引の制限
Plain-language explanation
This article requires a director to disclose material facts and obtain approval from the shareholders' meeting (or the board of directors, if the company has one) before engaging in transactions that could harm the company's interests due to a conflict of interest. Three situations are covered: (1) competing transactions — where a director, for their own benefit or that of a third party, engages in business within the same field as the company; (2) self-dealing transactions — where a director transacts directly with the company for their own benefit or a third party's benefit; and (3) indirect conflict transactions — such as the company guaranteeing a director's personal debt, or other transactions with third parties where the company's interests conflict with the director's.
The purpose is to prevent directors from exploiting their position to benefit themselves or related parties at the company's expense. Because directors owe duties of loyalty and care to the company, any transaction carrying a risk of conflicting interests must go through a check by shareholders (or the board), ensuring transparency and deterring improper transfers of value from the company. If a director proceeds without the required approval, they may be held liable for damages to the company, and this is often applied alongside Article 423(3) of the Companies Act, which presumes a breach of duty in such cases.
Paragraph 2 clarifies that Article 108 of the Civil Code (which normally prohibits an agent from self-dealing or representing both sides of a transaction) does not apply to self-dealing or indirect conflict transactions that have received proper approval under this article. In other words, once the correct approval process is followed, it becomes legally valid for a director — even acting as the company's representative — to enter into a contract with themselves personally.
日本語での解説
この条文は、会社の取締役が「会社の利益を害しかねない取引」を行おうとする場合に、事前に株主総会（取締役会設置会社では取締役会）で重要事実を開示し、承認を受けなければならないと定めています。対象となるのは大きく3つの場面です。①取締役が自分または第三者のために、会社の事業と同じ分野の取引（競業取引）をしようとするとき、②取締役が自分または第三者のために会社と直接取引をしようとするとき（自己取引）、③会社が取締役の借金の保証をするなど、取締役以外の者との間で会社と取締役の利益が相反する取引をしようとするとき（間接取引）です。
この制度の趣旨は、取締役が自分の立場を利用して会社を犠牲にし、自分や関係者の利益を優先することを防ぐことにあります。取締役は会社に対して忠実義務・善管注意義務を負っているため、利益相反のおそれがある取引については、株主（または取締役会）のチェックを経ることで透明性を確保し、不当な利益移転を防止します。承認を得ずに取引を行うと、その取締役は会社に対して損害賠償責任を負う可能性があり、任務懈怠が推定される規定（会社法423条3項）とセットで運用されることが多いです。
第2項は、民法108条（代理人の自己契約・双方代理の禁止）の規定が、株主総会等の承認を受けた自己取引・間接取引には適用されないことを定めています。つまり、適正な手続きを踏んで承認を得れば、取締役が会社の代表者として自分自身と契約すること自体は有効になる、という調整規定です。
Common scenarios
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