For the purpose of facilitating or otherwise promoting the re-employment of elderly persons and others, the national government is to give consideration so that vocational guidance, employment placements, vocational training, and other measures concerning elderly persons and others can be implemented in an effective and coordinated way.

For the purpose of facilitating or otherwise promoting the re-employment of elderly persons, public employment security offices are to search for job openings in order to secure employment opportunities for elderly persons and others and are to also strive to collect information concerning job openings and job applications related to elderly persons and others and to provide such information to elderly persons and others seeking jobs and to employers.

①When deemed necessary in order to introduce elderly persons and others to employment that is compatible with their abilities, public employment security offices are to give guidance to recruiting employers on age and other conditions.

②Public employment security offices may give those that employ or seek to employ elderly persons and others the necessary advice and other support on technical particulars concerning the employment of elderly persons and others concerning such particulars as hiring, assignments, working equipment and the working environment.

①If an elderly person and other persons (limited to those specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) or other persons specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (hereinafter referred to as "elderly persons eligible for re-employment assistance and other assistance") are separated from employment due to being dismissed by their employer (excluding dismissal based on grounds attributable to those persons themselves) or due to any other reason specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and if the elderly persons eligible for re-employment assistance and other assistance wish to be re-employed, the employer must strive to search for job openings and take other necessary measures to support the elderly persons eligible for re-employment assistance and other assistance in their search for re-employment (hereinafter referred to as the "measures to support re-employment").

②Public employment security offices are to provide an employer with the necessary advice and other support for the measures to support re-employment that should be taken by the employer pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, at the request of the employer.

①In the event that elderly persons eligible for re-employment assistance and other assistance whose number is equal to or greater than the number specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare are separated from employment due to a reason specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as set forth in paragraph (1) of the preceding Article, the employer must notify the Chief of the Public Employment Security Office of this in advance, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

②The calculation of the number of workers separated from employment in the case referred to in the preceding paragraph is to be made by the calculation method specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

①When elderly persons and others (limited to those specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) who are to be separated from their employment due to dismissal (excluding dismissal based on grounds attributable to those persons themselves) or other reasons specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as being similar to dismissal (hereinafter referred to as "dismissal or other disposition" in this paragraph) wish to be re-employed, an employer must draft a document (hereinafter referred to as the " Support Plan for Job-Seeking") pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, regarding the particulars specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare concerning the work experience and occupational abilities of the elderly persons and others, and other particulars that will help them become re-employed (excluding the reasons for their dismissal or other disposition), and that also clarifies the measures to be taken by the employer to support their re-employment, and issue it to the elderly persons and others, in order to facilitate their re-employment.

②An employer who has drafted a Support Plan for Job-Seeking pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph is to appoint a person to be in charge of re-employment support from among the persons employed by the employer and have that person provide, in accordance with the Support Plan for Job-Seeking, support for the re-employment of elderly persons and others that are subjects of the Support Plan for Job-Seeking in cooperation with public employment security offices and pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

①The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may give necessary guidance and advice to an employer who violates the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article.

②If the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare finds that an employer still violates the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article, even after having received the guidance and advice as provided for in the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may recommend the employer prepare a Support Plan for Job-Seeking and issue it to the elderly persons and others that are the subjects of the Support Plan for Job-Seeking.

①Workers who have received a Support Plan for Job-Seeking may present the plan to public employment security offices when applying for employment there.

②When presented with a Support Plan for Job-Seeking pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, public employment security offices are to consider the content of the Support Plan for Job-Seeking and offer advice on how to prepare a document that clarifies the work experiences, etc. of the job seeker and provide other support to the job seeker.

③If deemed necessary when offering the advice and other support provided for in the preceding paragraph, the Chief of the Public Employment Security Office may request that the employer that prepared the Support Plan for Job-Seeking provide information and any other necessary cooperation.

①When an employer recruits or employs workers and sets an upper age limit for applicants (limited to age limits of not more than 65 years of age) due to compelling reasons, the employer must explain the reasons for the limitation to the job seekers, pursuant to a method specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

②If the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare deems it necessary, the Minister may request reports from an employer or give advice, guidance, or recommendations, with regard to providing grounds specified in the preceding paragraph or the content of the grounds.

After retirement of the elderly persons employed by the employer due to reaching the mandatory retirement age or for other similar reasons, the employer must strive to take measures to provide support to the elderly persons so that they can acquire the necessary knowledge concerning life after retirement and must take other measures in order to support the elderly persons in making the necessary preparations to facilitate their retirement from occupational life, in accordance with their wishes.

The Chief of the Public Employment Security Office is to issue job application pocketbooks for middle-aged and elderly unemployed persons and other persons (hereinafter referred to as a "Pocketbook") to middle-aged and elderly unemployed persons and other persons who fall under each of the following items, based on an application from the persons:

①The Pocketbook remains valid for the period specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

②The Chief of the Public Employment Security Office may extend the validity period of a recipient's Pocketbook for the period specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, when the Chief recognizes that the person continues to have difficulty in finding employment after the lapse of the validity period of the Pocketbook referred to in the preceding paragraph and therefore remains in need of the measures listed in each item of Article 25, paragraph (1).

③In specifying the period to be set by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare under the preceding two paragraphs, special consideration may be given to persons residing in specified areas.

①When the Chief of the Public Employment Security Office recognizes that a person who has received a Pocketbook falls under any of the following items, the Pocketbook becomes invalidated:

②In the case referred to in the preceding paragraph, the Chief of the Public Employment Security Office is to notify the person who has received the Pocketbook to that effect.

①The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare is to formulate a plan to ensure that the measures listed in each of the following items are implemented in an effective and coordinated way in order to facilitate the employment of persons who have received Pocketbooks:

②Prior to the formulation of the plan referred to in the preceding paragraph, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare must hear the opinions of the Labour Policy Council.

①When the Chief of the Public Employment Security Office issues a Pocketbook, the Chief is to instruct the person receiving the Pocketbook to receive all or part of the measures listed in each item of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article based on the plan referred to in the same paragraph (hereinafter referred to as the "measures to promote employment") during the validity period of the Pocketbook, according to the person's knowledge, skills, work experience, and other circumstances.

②Upon extending the validity period of a Pocketbook for a person who has received it, the Chief of the Public Employment Security Office is to again, instruct the person to receive all or part of the measures to promote employment during the extended validity period of a Pocketbook.

③When the Chief of the Public Employment Security Office finds it necessary to increase the effectiveness of measures to promote employment for a person who has received the instructions referred to in the preceding two paragraphs, the Chief may modify the instructions issued to the person.

①The employment security agencies, local governments, and the Japan Organization for Employment of the Elderly, Persons with Disabilities and Job Seekers (referred to as the "Organization" in Article 49, paragraphs (2) and (3)) must strive to liaise closely and cooperate to ensure the smooth implementation of measures to promote employment for persons receiving the instructions referred to in paragraphs (1) or (2) of the preceding Article.

②A person who has received the instructions referred to in paragraph (1) or (2) of the preceding Article must follow the guidance or instructions of the official who is implementing the measures to promote employment and also must strive to promptly find employment on their own initiative.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Act on Comprehensively Advancing Labor Measures, Stabilizing the Employment of Workers, and Enriching Workers' Vocational Lives (Act No. 132 of 1966), the national government and the prefectures may pay an allowance to a person who receives the measures to promote employment under the instructions referred to in Article 26, paragraph (1) or (2) during the validity period of their Pocketbook, in an effort to facilitate the person's job-seeking activities and ensure the stability of their livelihoods.

Vocational guidance as part of measures to promote employment is to be provided by employment promotion officers under Article 9-2, paragraph (1) of the Employment Security Act (Act No. 141 of 1947).

The Chief of the Public Employment Security Office may request a person receiving measures to promote employment to submit reports on the status of their job-seeking activities in accordance with the instructions referred to in Article 26, paragraph (1) or (2).

With regard to middle-aged and elderly unemployed persons and other persons residing in specified areas, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare is to formulate a plan relating to the implementation of employment placements and vocational and other training, implementation of projects designed to increase employment opportunities, and other particulars necessary to promote the employment of the persons, and is also to establish necessary measures based on this plan.

①Concerning public works projects planned and conducted in the specified areas (referring to public-oriented construction and restoration projects planned and conducted directly by the national government or by corporations established by a special act of incorporation pursuant to a special act (limited to corporations specified by Cabinet Order for which all or most of the stated capital comes from investment by the national government, or for which the primary source of funds for expenses necessary to conduct the projects comes from grants or subsidies from the national government) (referred to as the "national government and specified corporations" in the following paragraph), or by local governments and other entities to which a contribution or subsidy from the national treasury has been provided; the same applies hereinafter), when the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare deems it to be necessary based on the employment conditions of middle-aged and elderly unemployed persons and other persons in specified areas, the Minister may prescribe the percentage of the total number of workers employed in these projects that are middle-aged and elderly unemployed persons and other persons (hereinafter referred to as the "absorption ratio of unemployed persons") by occupation or area, according to the type of project.

②The national government and specified corporations or local governments and other entities which plan and conduct public works projects for which the absorption ratio of unemployed persons has been prescribed (including persons that conduct these projects based on a subcontract or other contract with the national government and specified corporations or local governments and other entities; hereinafter referred to as the "project operator for a public works project") must employ middle-aged and elderly unemployed persons and other persons in the number corresponding to the absorption ratio of unemployed persons at all times, through referrals of the unemployed persons by public employment security offices.

③If it is difficult for the project operator for a public works project to employ middle-aged and elderly unemployed persons and other persons in the number required by the provisions of the preceding paragraph through referrals of unemployed persons by public employment security offices, the project operator for a public works project may directly employ the number of difficult-to-hire workers upon receiving written consent from public employment security offices.

Beyond the provisions described in this Section, the issuing of Pocketbooks, the returning of Pocketbooks, other necessary particulars related to Pocketbooks, necessary particulars related to procedures for the instructions referred to in Article 26, paragraph (1) or (2), and necessary particulars related to the absorption of middle-aged and elderly unemployed persons and other persons, into public works projects are specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.