Electricians Act
電気工事士法
Who may do electrical work (電気工事) on electrical installations, and what they must do while working, so that faulty electrical work does not lead to disasters.
- Text in force since
- Promulgated
- Articles
- 37
- Amendments on the way
- 0
What this law does
- Only a Class 1 electrician (第一種電気工事士) may do electrical work (電気工事) on electric facilities for private use (自家用電気工作物). This does not cover special electrical work, which has a rule of its own, simple electrical work, which a certified electrical worker may also do, or tasks that an Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (経済産業省令) recognises as posing no safety problem for the facilities.(Art. 3(1), Art. 3(4)) (the provisions it rests on)
Read the full overview
- Only a Class 1 or Class 2 electrician (第一種・第二種電気工事士) may do electrical work on electric facilities for general use (一般用電気工作物) and small-scale electric facilities for business use (小規模事業用電気工作物), except tasks that an Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry recognises as posing no safety problem for those facilities.(Art. 2(1), Art. 3(2)) (the provisions it rests on)
- Special electrical work (特殊電気工事) — kinds of work on electric facilities for private use that an Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry names — may be done only by a qualified special electrical worker (特種電気工事資格者) holding the certificate for that kind of work, apart from tasks that Order recognises as posing no safety problem. The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (経済産業大臣) issues the certificate for each kind of special electrical work, and only to a person the Minister recognises as having the knowledge and skill it needs.(Art. 3(3), Art. 4-2(1), Art. 4-2(2), Art. 4-2(3)) (the provisions it rests on)
- The electrician license (電気工事士免状) is issued by a prefectural governor (都道府県知事), and a Class 2 license only to a person who has passed the Class 2 electrician examination, has completed a course at a training facility the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry designates, or is recognised by the governor as having knowledge and skill equal to or greater than theirs. A Class 1 license needs a pass in the Class 1 examination together with practical experience in electricity-related work (電気に関する工事), both of the kind an Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry sets, or the governor's recognition of knowledge and skill equal to or greater than that. The Minister holds the examinations, or has an examination body the Minister designates (指定試験機関) hold them.(Art. 4(2), Art. 4(3), Art. 4(4), Art. 6(3), Art. 7(1), Art. 7(3)) (the provisions it rests on)
- While doing electrical work, an electrician, qualified special electrical worker or certified electrical worker (認定電気工事従事者) must carry their license or certificate. They must do the work so that it meets the technical standards (技術基準) set under the Electricity Business Act (電気事業法), a separate Act: an Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for electric facilities for general use, and a Ministerial Order of the competent ministries (主務省令) for small-scale facilities for business use and facilities for private use.(Art. 5(1), Art. 5(2)) (the provisions it rests on)
- A Class 1 electrician must take a course on the safety of electric facilities for private use, run by a body the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry designates, within five years of receiving the Class 1 license, and again within five years of each course taken. An unavoidable reason that an Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry sets excuses this.(Art. 4-3(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Who may do electrical workElectrician licenseElectrician examinationSpecial and simple electrical work certificatesDuties while workingClass 1 electrician safety courseDefinitions of electrical work and facilitiesPenalties
Amendments
A Japanese law is changed by another law or order that rewrites it — an . No amendment to this law is waiting to come into force. Its latest amendments are below. This law's amendments page lists every amendment e-Gov records and, for those whose changes this site has read, shows them provision by provision, in Japanese and English.
7 amendments already in force
1 June 2025
The text on this site
Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts upon the Enforcement of the Act Partially Amending the Penal Code, etc.
刑法等の一部を改正する法律の施行に伴う関係法律の整理等に関する法律
20 March 2023
Act Partially Amending the High Pressure Gas Safety Act, etc.
高圧ガス保安法等の一部を改正する法律
22 June 2022
Act Partially Amending the High Pressure Gas Safety Act, etc.
高圧ガス保安法等の一部を改正する法律
17 June 2022
Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts upon the Enforcement of the Act Partially Amending the Penal Code, etc.
刑法等の一部を改正する法律の施行に伴う関係法律の整理等に関する法律
1 April 2021
Act Partially Amending the Electricity Business Act, etc. to Establish a Resilient and Sustainable Electricity Supply System
強靱かつ持続可能な電気供給体制の確立を図るための電気事業法等の一部を改正する法律
1 April 2016
Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts upon the Enforcement of the Administrative Complaint Review Act
行政不服審査法の施行に伴う関係法律の整備等に関する法律
1 April 2016
Act Partially Amending the Electricity Business Act, etc.
電気事業法等の一部を改正する法律
Who it applies to
It applies to
- Anyone who does electrical work (電気工事) — installing or altering electric facilities for general use, small-scale electric facilities for business use, or electric facilities for private use, as this Act defines them by reference to the Electricity Business Act (電気事業法), a separate Act. Its qualification rules are written as a bar on the person who does the work (作業に従事する).(Art. 2(1), Art. 2(2), Art. 2(3), Art. 3) (the provisions it rests on)
- Class 1 and Class 2 electricians, qualified special electrical workers and certified electrical workers, who have duties while working and, for Class 1 electricians, a recurring safety course.(Art. 2(4), Art. 5, Art. 4-3(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
2 more
- People who take the electrician examination, or apply for a qualified special electrical worker's or certified electrical worker's certificate to be issued, reissued or rewritten, who pay a fee a Cabinet Order (政令) sets with regard to actual cost.(Art. 10(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
- A designated examination body (指定試験機関) — a general incorporated association or foundation (一般社団法人・一般財団法人) the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry designates to run the examinations — and its officers, staff and examiners.(Art. 7(1), Art. 7-3(1)(iii), Art. 7-9(1), Art. 7-10(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
Special rules and exceptions (5)
- Despite the Class 1 rule, a certified electrical worker (認定電気工事従事者) may do simple electrical work (簡易電気工事), the kinds of work on electric facilities for private use that an Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry names as simple. The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry issues the certificate, and only to a person the Minister recognises as having the knowledge and skill that work needs.(Art. 3(4), Art. 4-2(1), Art. 4-2(4)) (the provisions it rests on)
- Tasks that an Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry recognises as posing no safety problem for the facilities need no license or certificate, and are also left out of the duty to meet the technical standards and carry the license or certificate.(Art. 3(1), Art. 3(2), Art. 3(3), Art. 5(1), Art. 5(2)) (the provisions it rests on)
- Minor work that a Cabinet Order (政令) sets is not electrical work under this Act.(Art. 2(3)) (the provisions it rests on)
- Power stations, substations, demand facilities (需要設備) — the electric facilities on the site where electricity is used — with a maximum demand of 500 kilowatts or more, and others an Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry sets are left out of electric facilities for private use (自家用電気工作物) as this Act defines them. The Act's rules for work on facilities for private use therefore do not reach them.(Art. 2(2), Art. 2(3)) (the provisions it rests on)
- An electrician license issued before the 1987 amendment (Act No. 84 of 1987) took effect counts as a Class 2 license. A pass in the electrician examination, or a course completed at a designated training facility, under the Act as it stood before that amendment counts as a pass in the Class 2 examination or completion of the Class 2 course.(Suppl. Prov. Art. 3(1), Suppl. Prov. Art. 4(1), Suppl. Prov. Art. 5(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
How it is enforced (8)
- Doing electrical work that Article 3 reserves to Class 1 electricians, to Class 1 and Class 2 electricians, or to qualified special electrical workers, without being one, is punished by up to three months' imprisonment () or a fine of up to 30,000 yen.(Art. 14(1), Art. 3(1), Art. 3(2), Art. 3(3)) (the provisions it rests on)
- Where an electrician breaches this Act — its duties while working among them — or Article 28(1) of the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act (電気用品安全法), a separate Act, the prefectural governor may order the electrician license returned; the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry may do the same with a qualified special electrical worker's or certified electrical worker's certificate. The hearing (聴聞) on such an order is held in public. Not returning the license or certificate without good reason brings a non-criminal fine (過料) of up to 10,000 yen.(Art. 4(6), Art. 4-2(6), Art. 5, Art. 7-15(1), Art. 16(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
- The governor may refuse a license, and the Minister a certificate, to a person ordered to return a license or certificate less than a year before, or to a person sentenced to a fine or heavier for breaking this Act until two years have passed since the sentence was served or stopped being enforceable.(Art. 4(5), Art. 4-2(5)) (the provisions it rests on)
- As far as needed to carry out this Act, and as a Cabinet Order (政令) provides, the prefectural governor may have electricians, qualified special electrical workers and certified electrical workers report on their electrical work. Not reporting, or reporting falsely, is punished by a fine of up to 10,000 yen.(Art. 9(1), Art. 15(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
- The Minister supervises the designated examination body: approving its examination rules, officers and yearly plan and budget, inspecting its offices, giving it orders, and revoking its designation or suspending its examination work. A present or former officer or staff member, examiners (試験員) included, who leaks a secret learned in examination work, and an officer or staff member who breaches an order suspending that work, faces up to one year's imprisonment (拘禁刑) or a fine of up to 300,000 yen. Abolishing all the examination work without the Minister's permission, refusing, obstructing or evading an inspection or not answering or answering its questions falsely, not keeping, not entering, falsely entering or not preserving its books, or not reporting to the Minister or reporting falsely brings the officer or staff member responsible a fine of up to 200,000 yen.(Art. 7-4(1), Art. 7-5(1), Art. 7-6(1), Art. 7-7(1), Art. 7-11(1), Art. 7-12, Art. 7-13, Art. 7-14, Art. 9(2), Art. 7-10(1), Art. 13(1), Art. 13-2(1), Art. 14-2(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
- The Minister may order the designated examination body to dismiss an officer or examiner (試験員) who breaches this Act, a decision under it or the examination rules, or acts grossly improperly in examination work; the hearing (聴聞) on such an order is held in public, and an interested person who asks to take part must be allowed to. Officers and staff doing examination work are treated as public officials under the Penal Code (刑法) and other penal provisions.(Art. 7-8(1), Art. 7-9(4), Art. 7-15(1), Art. 7-15(2), Art. 7-10(2)) (the provisions it rests on)
- A person dissatisfied with a decision the designated examination body makes in its examination work, or with its failure to act, may request a review () by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. The Minister takes over all or part of the examination work where needed when the body suspends it with permission, is ordered to suspend it, or finds it hard to carry out because of a natural disaster or another reason.(Art. 7-16(1), Art. 7-17(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
- As a Cabinet Order provides, the Minister's powers under this Act may be handed to the director of a regional Industrial Safety and Inspection Department (産業保安監督部長).(Art. 12-2(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
How it connects to other laws
Cites this lawLawThis law cites it
It also names 4 laws not yet held here.
Where the translation comes from
- 266
The Ministry of Justice's translation is shown only where the Japanese it translates matches the law in force today. Everywhere else the English is a machine translation, marked on the paragraph itself.
Only the Japanese is the law, and no lawyer has reviewed the machine translation.
Sources
Everything this page rests on
- e-Gov (Digital Agency)電気工事士法 — the text in force from 2025-06-01Original
- e-Gov (Digital Agency)電気工事士法 — revision historyOriginal
- Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of Justice電気工事士法 — its English title as the Ministry of Justice's translation database lists itOriginal
- Machine translation, not official
- Machine translation, corrected on review, not official
- Written for this site with AIEnglish titles of amending laws, written for this site
- Written for this site with AIDescriptions of each law, written for this site
- Worked out by this site from e-Gov's text