(1)　"Food" shall mean all kinds of food and beverage. However, it shall not include anything which is taken as a medicine;

(2)　"Additional things" shall mean anything which is used in the way of addition, mixture, permeation, etc. for the purpose of seasoning, coloring perfuming, preserving, bleaching, expension or other treatment of food;

(3)　"Apparatus" shall mean utensils used for food and beverage, cooking utensils, or machine, implement and any other articles used in collection, manufacture, processing, preparing, storage, transportation, displaying, delivery or eating and drinking of food or additional things and which come into direct contact with food or additional things. However, it shall not include machine, implement or any other articles used for collection of food in agriculture and fishery;

(4)　"Container (and package)" shall mean any articles in which food or additional things are contained or any package in which such are packed when offered;

(5)　"Medical drugs" shall mean any one of the articles mentioned below excepting devices;

(6)　"Device" shall mean any one of the articles mentioned below;

(1)　Health of the people;

(2)　Pharmaceutical affairs and control of narcotics and Cannibis Sativa L;

(3)　Social work, disaster relief and other protection and guidance of the life of the people;

(4)　Promotion of child and maternal welfare;

(5)　Business and program concerning social insurance (except those under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Labor);

(6)　Business concerning population problem.

(1)　To make, within the limits of budgetary appropriations, obligations necessary for carrying out its responsibilities;

(2)　To collect revenues and make payments necessary for carrying out its responsibilities;

(3)　To establish and maintain offices and other facilities directly required for carrying out its responsibilities;

(4)　To procure materials for use in enterprises, office supplies, research materials, etc., which are directly required for carrying out its responsibilities;

(5)　To dispose of unnecessary property;

(6)　To administer personnel affairs, including appointment, dismissal, awards and discipline;

(7)　To establish and maintain facilities required for the welfare and health of personnel;

(8)　To establish and maintain housing to be rented to personnel;

(9)　To distribute or publish statistics and research data concerning the affairs under its jurisdiction;

(10)　To inspect and supervise the affairs under its jurisdiction and to take necessary measures in accordance with the provisions of laws and orders;

(11)　To collect, prepare and disseminate information to the public concerning the affairs under its jurisdiction;

(12)　To adopt the official seals of the Ministry of Welfare;

(13)　To give permission or authorization to, or to cancel permission of juridical persons for public benefit whose activities come under the scope of jurisdiction of the Ministry;

(14)　To designate national park with specification of its boundary;

(15)　To execute national park work and to delegate a part of the work to the public body;

(16)　To designate special area in the boundary of national park and give permission to those who intend to perform a certain act in the said area and to give order to restore it to original state to those who violate the conditions set forth in the permission;

(17)　To prohibit or restrict a certain act or to order to take necessary measures in the boundary of national park and to give order to restore it to original state to those who violate these orders or dispositions;

(18)　To designate necessary areas for the improvement of facilities and betterment of environment, for the purpose of the promotion of public utilization of hot springs;

(19)　To give necessary instructions to managers of facilities which are utilizing hot springs in the designated area;

(20)　To authorize the establishment and to decide standard of eugenic marriage consultation offices;

(21)　To designate facilities for training nutritionists and to perform examinations for nutritionists;

(22)　To give necessary instructions for the establishment and the management of health-centers to To, Do, Fu and prefectures or to those cities designated by Cabinet Order;

(23)　To designate infectious diseases to which the Infectious Diseases Prevention Law (Law No.36 of 1897) shall apply and to decide the scope of its application;

(24)　To authorize the disposal of building infected by virus of infectious diseases and the quarantine measures of ships, trains and electric trains which are executed by governors of To, Do, Fu and prefectures;

(25)　To order To, Do, Fu and prefectures to execute temporary preventive inoculation program;

(26)　To admit health examination to be performed by governors of To, Do, Fu and prefectures at the time of the outbreak of veneral diseases;

(27)　To order To, Do, Fu and prefectures to establish mental hospitals;

(28)　To order To, Do, Fu and prefectures, or other public bodies as deemed necessary, to establish tuberculosis sanatoria;

(29)　To designate not less than two of To, Do, Fu and prefectures and order them to establish leprosaria;

(30)　To designate sea-ports and the kind of infectious diseases for the purpose of quarantine measures;

(31)　To designate training facilities for Riyoshi (barbers and beauty-culturists);

(32)　To set standards for food, additional things, their apparatus, containers or packages, for sale and to execute necessary examination of the products;

(33)　To set grade and standard of articles for export or to set minimum standard and packing requirement for designated export articles, and to conduct examinations accordingly under the provisions of the Export Goods Control Law (Law No.153 of 1948) and orders issued thereunder;provided, however, this provision shall not apply to matters placed under authority of other Ministries by the said Law and orders issued thereunder;

(34)　To direct food sanitation inspectors to conduct inspectional visit and examination of the business facilities stipulated by the provisions of the Food Sanitation Law (Law No.233 of 1947) and also to direct them to take away articles for examination;

(35)　To instruct cities, towns and villages to establish slaughterhouses;

(36)　To perform affairs on waterworks and sewages;

(37)　To perform examination, licensing and registration of medical practitioners and dentists, and to order the cancellation of license or the suspension of professional practices;

(38)　To perform examination, licensing and registration of public health nurses, midwives and A class nurses, and to order the cancellation of license or the suspension of professional practices;

(39)　To perform examination of dental hygienists;

(40)　To direct medical care inspectors to enter and examine hospitals, clinics or midwifery homes;

(41)　To grant permission for the establishment and use of national hospitals and to enter and examine national clinics or midwifery homes and make necessary recommendations thereon, as provided for in the Medical Service Law (Law No.205 of 1948);

(42)　To order the establishment of hospitals or clinics to To, Do, Fu, prefectures, cities, towns and villages, or to those designated by the Minister or Welfare, and to order necessary matters to the founders or managers in accordance with the provisions of the Medical Service Law;

(43)　To exercise supervision over national examinations of pharmacists and execute licensing and registration of pharmacists, and to order the cancellation of license or the suspension of professional practices;

(44)　To execute the registration of the manufacturers, importers and sellers of medical drugs, devices or cosmetics and to order the cancellation of registration or the suspension of professional practices;

(45)　To prepare and issue official compendium according to the recommendation submitted by the National committee of Pharmacy;

(46)　To permit production item by item, when manufacturers of medical drugs intend to manufacture medical drugs which are not included in official compendium or when manufacturers of devices intend to manufacture devices;

(47)　To make allocation of medical drugs, medical devices, other sanitary articles and their raw materials;

(48)　To direct pharmaceutical inspectors to enter and examine as required and direct them, in case of necessity, to take away articles for examination;

(49)　To license and register dealers in narcotics and Cannibis Sativa L, to cancel their licence and delete their registration and to designate, supervise and direct narcotic agents;

(50)　To designate poisonous and powarful drugs;

(51)　To decide the standard of medical drugs (including biological products and anti-biotic preparations) and to execute their assaying;

(52)　To instruct the administration of social work to To, Do, Fu and prefectures or to cities designated by Cabinet Order;

(53)　To instruct governors of To, Do, Fu and prefectures to assist disaster relief program executed by other governors;

(54)　To give approval for the establishment of Consumer's Livelihood Cooperative Association or Federation of Consumer's Livelihood Cooperative Associations which covers, georgraphycally or occupationally, the area wider than that of To, Do, Fu, prefecture or a special city;

(55)　To commission Welfare Commissioners and Child Welfare Workers, and to decide their fixed numbers and standard of their training;

(56)　To set minimum standard on equipment and administration of child welfare facilities;

(57)　To determine cost of medical care and enter into contract concerning Government managed Health Insurance and mariners'Insurance;

(58)　To give approval for the establishment, regulations, rates of contribution fees or budget of Health Insurance Association and Federation of Health Insurance Associations, to direct them to report on facts, to inspect the conditions of their activities and properties, to order them to amend their regulations and to make other necessary measures for supervision;

(59)　To give approval for budget for Social Insurance Medical Care Fee Payment Fund, to direct to report the conditions of its activities and properties or to direct government officials concerned to inspect the conditions of its business or properties, or books, documents and other articles;

(60)　To direct city, town and village (including special ward) where National Health Insurance is executed, National Health Insurance Association, incorporated juridical person which executes National Health Insurance and Federation of National Health Insurance Associations to submit reports concerning their activities and properties, to inspect their conditions, to order the amendment of their by-laws, regulations or stipulations and to give orders or take actions necessary for supervision;

(61)　To decide the standard of the medical fees for National Health Insurance and medical care fees for National Public Service Mutual Aid Associations;

(62)　To collect contribution fees for Government managed Health Insurance, Welfare Pension Insurance or Mariners'Insurance;

(63)　In addition to those listed in the preceding items, such powers as are placed under the Ministry of Welfare by-laws (including orders issued thereunder).