Force majeure clauses for disasters, system failures and pandemics

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This English page is prepared together with the Japanese article for readers who prefer English. LegalAgent is an AI Native Law Firm focused on corporate legal work, startup legal support, M&A support and practical legal outsourcing for modern companies.

Overview

This article explains how force majeure clauses allocate responsibility when events outside reasonable control affect contract performance.

Key points

• The clause should define covered events and excluded events
• Payment, confidentiality and mitigation duties may continue even during force majeure
• Notice, alternative performance and cooperation obligations should be practical
• Long-lasting events may require termination or renegotiation rights

Practical perspective

In practice, this topic should be reviewed together with the transaction structure, internal approval flow, counterparty relationship, business priority and risk tolerance. Generative AI can support initial organization, comparison and drafting, but attorneys or the legal team should remain responsible for final legal judgment.