①The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may, when there has been a severe nationwide worsening of unemployment situation reaching the standards specified by Cabinet Order, and the Minister finds it necessary from the perspective of employment prospects for qualified recipients, make a decision on measures to pay the basic allowance to qualified recipients in excess of the prescribed duration of benefits, for a limited period designated by the Minister, with regard to the days the recipients are unemployed within the period prescribed in paragraph (3). In this case, the number of days for which the basic allowance is payable in excess of the prescribed duration of benefits is to be limited to the number of days specified by Cabinet Order.

②The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, when finding it necessary in light of the standards specified by Cabinet Order after having made a decision on the measures referred to in the preceding paragraph, may extend the period designated under the provisions of the preceding paragraph (when the period has been extended under the provisions of this paragraph, that extended period).

③Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 20, paragraphs (1) and (2), the benefit period for a qualified recipient who is qualified to receive payment of the basic allowance based on the measures referred to in paragraph (1) (hereinafter referred to as the "national extended benefits") is to be the period obtained by adding the number of days specified by Cabinet Order as prescribed in the second sentence of paragraph (1) to the period specified in these provisions.