Article 1.　The purpose of this Law is to supply the textbooks, every school year, to the children who first enter the elementary schools, the schools for the blind, the schools for the deaf, and the schools for the otherwise handicapped, in order to deepen the consciousness of the children as a member of the nation, as well as to bless their future prospects.

Article 2.　The State shall supply every school year the textbooks of national language and arithmetic prescribed by Cabinet Order to be used in the first grade course (excluding those to, be used by the children after they changed schools in the course of the school year) to the children who enter the first grade of the elementary schools, or of the elementary sections of the schools for the blind, the schools for the deaf, and the schools for the otherwise handicapped (hereinafter referred to as "the elementary schools." )

2　The supply of textbooks mentioned in the preceding paragraph shall be respectively made, through the principals of the elementary schools on behalf of the State, by the presidents of the universities to which the said elementary schools are attached in ease of the national elementary schools;by the boards of education of To, Do, Fu and prefectures in case of the elementary schools established by To, Do, Fu and prefectures;by the boards of education of cities, towns and villages (or by the mayors of cities, towns and villages in case of those cities, towns and villages where the boards of education have not yet been established;hereinafter the same) in case of the elementary schools established by cities, towns and villages (including associations of the cities, towns and villages;hereinafter the same);And by the chief directors of the school juridical persons that establish the said elementary schools in case of the private elementary schools (hereinafter referred to generally as "governing agencies." )

Article 3.　The governing agencies shall supervise the principals under their jurisdiction, concerning the supply of textbooks in accordance with the provision of paragraph 2 of the preceding Article, and, in accordance with what is prescribed by Cabinet Order, they shall report to the Minister of Education on the kinds of textbooks supplied, the number of children who received the supply thereof, and other necessary matters, and at the same time shall deliver the certificate descriptive of the total sum of the prices of those textbooks supplied and other necessary matters, to the publishers of those textbooks.

Article 4.　The Minister of Education may investigate the actual circumstances of the dealings respecting the supply of textbooks made by the governing agencies in accordance with the provision of Article 2 paragraph 2, and may require the necessary reports from them.

2　Besides the cases provided for in the preceding paragraph, the Minister of Education may have the boards of education of To, Do, Fu and prefectures or the governors thereof investigate the actual circumstances of the dealings respecting the supply of textbooks made by the boards of education of cities, towns and villages, or by the chief directors of the school juridical persons, in accordance with the provision of Article 2 paragraph 2, and may have them require the submittance of the necessary reports from the boards of education of cities, towns and villages, or from the chief directors of the school juridical persons.

Article 5.　In order to supply the textbooks under the provision of Article 2 paragraph 1, the State may conclude a contract with the publisher of the said textbooks that it will, through the procedures provided for in Article 6, pay the appropriate cost of the textbooks supplied by the governing agencies to the children through the principals of elementary schools in accordance with the provisions of Article 2 paragraph 2, out of those supplied by the same publisher to the same elementary schools in accordance with the provisions of Article 10 paragraph 2 of the Law for Provisionary Measures concerning the Publication of Textbooks (Law No.132 of 1948).

Article 6.　In case the Minister of Education has received the bill for payment legally valid respecting the cost approved by the contract mentioned in the preceding Article, together with the certificate provided for in Article 3, from the publishers of the textbooks, he shall pay that amount within thirty (30) days of the date when he received the bill.

2　In case the Minister of Education has recognized any mistake in the appended certificate after he received the bill for payment mentioned in the preceding paragraph, he shall inform the fact to the publishers as soon as possible, indicating clearly the reasons thereof and at the same time send back the certificate to the governing agencies that have issued that certificate, and give order to have the said agencies investigate whether there is really any mistake in it, and re-submit it, with the note appended thereto stating that there is no mistake, if in fact there has been found none, or with the mistake corrected, if there has been any. In this case, the Minister of Education shall, notwithstanding the provision of the preceding paragraph, pay the cost concerning the said certificate within thirty (30) days of the date when that certificate re-submitted was received.

3　As regards the time of payment of the said cost and the amount thereof to which the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs are not applicable owing to the failure in the national budget (including the additional budget) of the fiscal year concerned, exceptions may be made in, accordance with what is prescribed by Cabinet Order.

Article 7.　In case the boards of education of the chief directors of the school juridical persons have inflicted under loss upon the State by contriving artifice or describing false statement upon the reports to the Minister of Education or upon the certificates delivered to the publishers in accordance with the provision of Article 3 (including the certificates re-submitted to the Minister of Education under the provision of Article 6 paragraph 2), the Minister of Education may claim the indemnity for the loss against the said To, Do, Fu or prefectures, or the said cities, towns or villages, or the said school juridical persons.

2　The Minister of Education shall, when he intends to take the measure mentioned in the preceding paragraph, show the reason, the amount of money, and other necessary matters, by documents, to the boards of education or the chief directors of the school juridical persons concerned.

3　The boards of education or the chief directors of school juridical persons may raise objection toward the Minister of Education in the case mentioned in paragraph 1, within thirty (30) days of the date when they received the documents mentioned in the preceding paragraph.

Article 8.　Respecting the application of the provisions of this Law, the elementary schools set up by special wards shall be regarded as those set up by To, and respecting the said schools, To shall be regarded as cities, towns and villages.