I hereby promulgate the Labor Ministry Establishment Law.
Signed:HIROHITO, Seal of the Emperor
This thirty-first day of the eighth month of the twenty-second year of Showa (August 31, 1947)
Prime Minister KATAYAMA Tetsu
Labor Ministry Establishment Law
Article 1. The Government aiming at the welfare of laborers and the security of employment in order to contribute to the economic growth and the stabilization of the national life, shall establish the Labor Ministry.
Article 2. The Labor Minister shall be in charge of affairs concerning labor unions, adjustment of labor relations, enlightenment and information concerning labor, working condition, workmen's accident compensation insurance and protection of laborers, as well as adjustment of supply and demand of labor such as employment exchanges, guidance and training:countermeasures against unemployment:unemployment insurance:labor statistics and research and other affairs relating to labor.
Article 3. There shall be in the Labor Ministry the Ministerial Secretariat and the following five Bureaus:
Labor Administration Bureau,
Women's and Minors'Bureau,
Employment Security Bureau,
Labor Statistics and Research Bureau.
Article 4. The Ministerial Secretariat shall be in charge of affairs relating to the following items: Matters concerning
2. Appointment and dismissal and standing of officials, except the matters assigned by the Minister to other Bureaus;
3. Custody of the official seal of the Minister and seal of the Ministry;
4. Research, planning, examination in general and coordination of administration within the ministerial jurisdiction;
5. Receiving, sending, compilation and keeping of official documents;
6. Budget of expenditures and revenues, settlement of accounts, accounts in general and Audit of accounts;
7. Official property and articles.
Article 5. The Labor Administration Buread shall be in charge of affairs relating to the following items:
1. The enforcement of the Trade Union Law, except as delegated by law to the Labor Relations Committee;
2. The enforcement of the Labor Relations Adjustment Law, except as delegated by law to the Labor Relations Committee;
3. Enlightenment and Information concerning labor problems;
4. Other labor affairs which are not within the jurisdiction of other Bureaus.
Article 6. The Labor Standard Bureau shall be in charge of affairs relating to the following items:
1. Wages, labor hours, rest periods, and holidays;
4. Laborers'accident compensation and Laborers'accident compensation insurance;
5. Improvement of labor efficiency;
7. Inspection relating to the working condition and the protection of laborers at factories, mines and other establishments;
8. Other working conditions and protection of laborers including all matters covering the enforcement of the Labor Standard Law which are not within the jurisdiction of other bureaus.
Article 7. Women's and Minors'Bureau shall be in charge of affairs relating to the following items:
1. Working conditions and labor protection peculiar to women and minor laborers;
2. Prohibition of employment of children;
3. Problems of family workers and domestic workers;
4. Other problems peculiar to women and minor laborers;
5. Problems of workers families excepting in so for as the responsibility is by law assignel to other Ministries;
6. Research, liaison and coordination of the problem of the promotion of women's status and all other women's problems, except that such liaison and coordination shall not include management of matters assigned by law to other Ministries.
Article 8. Employment Security Bureau shall be in charge of affairs relating to the following items:
1. Adjustment of supply and demand of labor such as employment exchanges, guidance, and training;
2. Counter-measures against unemployment;
3. Unemployment insurance or unemployment compensation;
4. Other problems on employment and vocation.
Article 9. Labor Statistics and Rsearch Bureau shall be in charge of affairs relating to the following items:
1. Regular statistics and publications concerning Labor Unions, labor lisputes an-d other abor relations;
2. Regular Statistics and publilations concerning working condition;
3. Regular statistics and publications concerning wages and remuneration;
4. Regular statistics and publications concerning Laborers'living cost;
5. Regular statistics and publications concerning Employment;
6. Collection, compilation, analysis and publications of the materials concerning home and foreign labor circumstances;
7. Special surveys and publications concerning economic problems affecting the welfare, remuneration and employment security of Laborers.
Article 10. There shall be established in the Ministry an Industrial Safety Laboratory which conducts research and investigations of, and training of technicians for, the prevention of accidents in factories and workshops.
Article 11. Necessary matters concerning divisions, bureaus, agencies and officials of the Labor Ministry shall be fixed by Cabinet Order.
When it is necessary, part of the functions of a bureau or bureaus can be transferred within the Ministry irrespective of the stipulations of Article 4 to Article 9 inclusive in accordance with regulations of the Cabinet Order.
Article 12. For the purpose of uniting and coordinating with administration of Labor Ministry in regard to the vital matters on the Labor of seamen, a Seamen's Labor Coordinating Committee shall be established in the Labor Ministry which shall be composed of the competent officials of the Ministries of Labor and Transportation.
Matters necessary for the Seamen's Labor Coordinating Committee shall be decided by the Labor Minister in consultation with the Minister of Transportation.
Supplementary Provisions:
Article 13. The date of the enforcement of this Law shall be fixed by Cabinet Order within 30 (thirty) days of its existence.
Article 14. A part of the Regulations Governing the Organization of Welfare Ministry shall be amended as follows:
In Article 1, "Labor" shall be deleted and next to "Social Insurance" "Exclusive of those matters which are under the jurisdiction of Labor Ministry" shall be added.
In Article 3, "Nine Bureaus" shall read "Six Bureaus and "
Labor Administration Bureau,
Employment Security Bureau
"shall be deleted.
Article 7-(2) and Article 7-(3) deleted.
In Article 8, Item 1, "National Health Insurance and Insurance against liability for the aid of laborers disasters" shall read "and National Health Insurance."
Article 15. A part of Labor Standard Law shall be amended as follows:
Article 100-(2). Director of the Women's and Minors'Bureau in the Ministry of Labor shall, under the supervision and direction of Minister of Labor, administer matters concerning the establishment revision and interpretation of stipulation peculiar to women and minors of this Law, and give recommendation concerning matters partaining to the enforcement thereof the Chiefs of Labor Standard Bureau and its subordinate offices as well as assistance to the Chiefs of Labor Standard Bureau in the direction and supervision of the subordinate offices.
The Director of Women's and Minors'Bureau may inspect or have official designated by the Director inspect documents relating to the supervision of women and minors made by the Labor Standard Bureau its subordinate offices or their officials.
The provisions of Article 101, Paragraph 1 and Paragraph 4 and Article 105 shall apply mutatis mutandis to investigations to be carried out by the Director of Women's and Minors'Bureau or officials designated by the Director concerning the enforcement of the provisions peculiar to women and minors in this Law.
In Article 120, Item 1, "Article 105 to Article 109 inclusive" shall read "Article 105 (incluling the case applied by Article 100 (2), Paragraph 3 to Article 109 inclusive" , and in the same Article Item 4, "Article 101" shall read "Article 101 (including the case applied by Article 100-(2), Paragraph 3 and" Labor Standard Inspector "shall read" Labor Standard Inspector, the Director of Women's and Minors'Bureau or Officials designated by the Director."