民法第542条
Termination of Contract Without Prior Demand
催告によらない解除
Plain-language explanation
Normally, to terminate a contract for non-performance you must first demand performance within a reasonable period and wait for that period to expire (Article 541). Article 542 carves out situations where this waiting step would be pointless or unfair to the creditor, allowing immediate termination — of the whole contract or just part of it — without any prior demand.
The five grounds for full termination are: (1) performance of the entire obligation has become impossible (e.g., the goods were destroyed); (2) the debtor has clearly stated they refuse to perform at all (e.g., "we're not delivering anymore"); (3) partial impossibility or refusal exists, and the remaining part alone can't achieve the contract's purpose; (4) the contract was for a "fixed-time" transaction — performance only makes sense if done by a specific date or within a specific period (e.g., a wedding dress, holiday-season goods) — and that deadline has passed without performance; and (5) any other situation where it's clear that even a demand wouldn't lead to adequate performance. Paragraph 2 extends similar logic to partial termination when only part of the obligation is impossible or clearly refused.
For businesses, this article is a practical shortcut: if a supplier flatly refuses to deliver, or if a time-critical order (event supplies, seasonal merchandise, custom orders tied to a specific date) misses its deadline, you don't need to send a formal demand letter and wait — you can terminate immediately and move on to sourcing from another vendor. This is especially useful in fast-moving commercial relationships where delay itself causes damage.
日本語での解説
通常、契約を解除するには「相当の期間を定めて履行を催告し、その期間内に履行がなければ解除する」という手順（民法541条）を踏む必要があります。しかし民法542条は、そのような催告をしても意味がない、あるいは催告を待たせること自体が不合理な場合について、債権者が直ちに（無催告で）契約全部または一部を解除できる例外的なケースを定めています。
具体的には、①債務の全部が履行不能になった場合（例：売買目的物が焼失した）、②債務者が履行を拒絶する意思をはっきり示した場合（例：「もう納品しない」と明言）、③一部が履行不能・拒絶でも残りだけでは契約目的を達成できない場合、④結婚式のドレスや年末年始限定商品のように、特定の日時・期間内の履行でなければ意味がない「定期行為」で、その時期を過ぎてしまった場合、⑤その他、催告しても十分な履行が見込めないことが明らかな場合、が全部解除の要件です。2項では、債務の一部のみが履行不能・拒絶の対象である場合に、その部分だけを無催告で解除できることも定めています。
実務上重要なのは、これらの事由があれば「まず催告して」というワンクッションを省略できる点です。取引先が明確に「もう対応しない」と言ってきた場合や、納期が絶対的な意味を持つ契約（イベント用品、季節商品など）で期限を過ぎた場合には、この条文を根拠にすぐ解除通知を出し、代替の取引先を探すなどの次の行動に移ることができます。
Common scenarios
- ▸A supplier explicitly emails that they will not deliver the ordered goods at all, allowing the buyer to terminate immediately without a formal demand
- ▸A factory fire destroys the specific custom machinery ordered, making performance impossible and justifying immediate contract termination
- ▸An order for wedding decorations or event supplies arrives after the event date has passed, triggering termination under the 'fixed-time transaction' rule
- ▸A contractor completes only part of a renovation and refuses to finish, and the unfinished portion makes the whole project useless to the client
- ▸A seasonal retailer cancels a Christmas merchandise order because the vendor missed the required shipping window
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