①A worker who has filed an application for childcare leave may withdraw the application on or before the day preceding the scheduled start date for childcare leave in the application (in cases where the employer designates the day pursuant to the provisions of Article 6, paragraph (3) or paragraph (2) of the preceding Article, the day designated by the employer; or in cases where the scheduled start date for childcare leave is changed pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article, the changed scheduled start date for childcare leave; the same applies hereinafter).

②A worker who has withdrawn the application filed under the provisions of Article 5, paragraph (1) pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph is deemed to have taken childcare leave based on the application with regard to application of the provisions of paragraph (2) of the same Article.

③A worker who has withdrawn an application for childcare leave under the provisions of Article 5, paragraph (3) or (4) pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) may not, except in cases where there are special circumstances specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, file an application again for childcare leave with regard to the child in the application under those provisions, notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (3), and (4) of the same Article.

④In the event that there are reasons specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as to why the worker comes to cease childcare subject to the application for childcare leave, such as the death of the child, on or before the day preceding the scheduled start date for childcare leave after the application for childcare leave, the application for childcare leave is considered not to have been filed. In this case, the worker must notify the employer without delay to the effect that those reasons have occurred.

①The period for which a worker who has filed an application for childcare leave may take that childcare leave (hereinafter referred to as the "period of childcare leave") is between the scheduled start date for childcare leave and the scheduled end date for childcare leave (or, in cases where the scheduled end date for childcare leave is changed pursuant to the provisions of Article 7, paragraph (3), the changed scheduled end date for childcare leave; the same applies in the following paragraph).

②In cases where any of the circumstances listed in the following items occurs, the period of childcare leave ends on the day on which the relevant circumstance occurs (or, in cases where the circumstance set forth in item (iii) occurs, the preceding day), notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph:

③The provisions of the second sentence of paragraph (4) of the preceding Article apply mutatis mutandis to cases where there are reasons specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare provided for in item (i) of the preceding paragraph.

①A worker may take parental leave (meaning the childcare leave that is to be taken pursuant to the provisions of this Article through Article 9-5 by designating a period of not more than four weeks during the period between the date of birth of the child and the day following the date on which eight weeks elapse from the date of birth of the child (or, in cases where the child is born before the expected date of confinement, the period between the date of birth of the child and the day following the date on which eight weeks elapse from the expected date of confinement or, in cases where the child is born after the expected date of confinement, the period between the relevant expected date of confinement and the day following the date on which eight weeks elapse from the date of birth; the same applies in item (i) of the following paragraph); the same applies hereinafter) for the child that worker takes care of upon applying to their employer; provided, however, that a person employed for a fixed period of time may only file that application in cases where it is not clear that the term of that person's labor contract expires before the day on which six months elapse from the day following the day on which eight weeks elapse from the date of birth of the child that person takes care of (or, in cases where the relevant child is born before the expected date of confinement, the expected date of confinement).

②Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph, a worker may not file an application under the provisions of the preceding paragraph with regard to the child that worker takes care of, in cases where the worker falls under either of the following items:

③The application under the provisions of paragraph (1) (hereinafter referred to as "application for parental leave") must be filed, with regard to a continued period for parental leave, by making clear the first day thereof (hereinafter referred to as the "scheduled start date for parental leave") and the last day thereof (hereinafter referred to as the "scheduled end date for parental leave") as prescribed by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

④The provisions of the proviso of paragraph (1) and paragraph (2) (excluding item (ii)) do not apply to cases where a person employed for a fixed period of time who takes parental leave having designated the last day of the labor contract period as the scheduled end date for parental leave (or, in cases where the relevant scheduled end date for parental leave is changed pursuant to the provisions of Article 7, paragraph (3) as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to the provisions of Article 9-4, the changed scheduled end date for parental leave) files an application for parental leave, due to the renewal of the labor contract, in which the first day of the renewed labor contract period is the scheduled start date for parental leave.

①Employers may not, when an application for parental leave is filed by a worker, refuse the application for parental leave; provided, however, that this does not apply to cases where a new application for parental leave is filed by a worker with regard to a child that worker has already been taking care of on the day on which the application for parental leave had been filed by that worker after the application for parental leave is filed by that worker with regard to a child that worker takes care of.

②The provisions of Article 6, the proviso of paragraph (1) and paragraph (2) apply mutatis mutandis to cases where a worker files an application for parental leave. In this case, the term "the proviso of the preceding paragraph" in the same paragraph is deemed to be replaced with "Article 9-3, the proviso of paragraph (1) and the proviso of the preceding paragraph as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 9-3, paragraph (2)," and the term "paragraphs (1), (3) and (4) of the preceding Article" in the same paragraph is deemed to be replaced with "Article 9-2, paragraph (1)."

③An employer may, as prescribed by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, in cases where a worker files an application for parental leave, when the scheduled start date for parental leave in the application falls before the day on which two weeks elapse from the day following the date of the relevant application (referred to as "two weeks expiry date" hereinafter in this paragraph), designate as the scheduled start date for parental leave any day during the period between the scheduled start date for parental leave and the two weeks expiry date (or, in cases where there are reasons specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare provided for in Article 6, paragraph (3) before the day of the application for parental leave, a day which falls before the two weeks expiry date and which is specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare).

④In regard to the application of the provisions under the preceding paragraph in cases where the following matters are set forth in a written agreement between the employer and a labor union, if any, organized by a majority of workers at the place of business where the worker is employed or, when there is no labor union organized by the majority of workers at the place of business where the worker is employed, a person who represents the majority of workers, the term "the day on which two weeks elapse (referred to as "two week expiry date" hereinafter in this paragraph) in the same paragraph refers to "the day on which the period set forth in item (ii) of the following paragraph elapse," and "the two week expiry date" in the same paragraph refers to "the day on which the period set forth in the same item elapsed."

⑤The provisions of the proviso of paragraph (1) and the preceding three paragraphs do not apply to cases where a worker files an application for parental leave prescribed in paragraph (4) of the preceding Article.

The provisions of Article 7, and Article 8, paragraphs (1), (2) and (4) apply mutatis mutandis to applications for parental leave, and the scheduled start date for parental leave and scheduled end date for parental leave. In this case, the term "(paragraph (3) of the preceding Article" in Article 7, paragraph (1) is deemed to be replaced with "(Article 9-3, paragraph (3) (including the cases where applied by replacing terms pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (4) of the same Article)"; the term "one month" in paragraph (2) of the same Article is deemed to be replaced with "two weeks"; the term "paragraph (3) of the preceding Article" in paragraph (2) of the same Article is deemed to be replaced with "paragraph (3) of Article 9-3 (including the cases where applied by replacing terms pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (4) of the same Article)"; the term "Article 6, paragraph (3) or paragraph (2) of the preceding Article" in Article 8, paragraph (1) is deemed to be replaced with "Article 9-3, paragraph (3) (including the cases where applied by replacing terms pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (4) of the same Article) or paragraph (2) of the preceding Article as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 9-4"; the term "paragraph (1) of the same Article" in Article 8, paragraph (1) is deemed to be replaced with "paragraph (1) of the preceding Article as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 9-4"; and the term "paragraph (2) of the same Article" in Article 8, paragraph (2) is deemed to be replaced with "Article 9-2, paragraph (2)."