①Unless conducted pursuant to the provisions of the following Article and Article 33-3, a person seeking to provide free employment placement services (excluding those provided by an employment security agency or specified local public entity; the same applies hereinafter) must be licensed by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare.

②Before granting the license referred to in the preceding paragraph, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare must hear the opinion of the Labor Policy Council in advance; provided, however, that this does not apply if the license is granted to a labor union, etc.

③The validity period of the license referred to in paragraph (1) is five years commencing from the day the license is granted.

④The provisions of Article 30, paragraphs (2) through (4), Articles 31, 32, 32-4, and 32-5, Article 32-6, paragraphs (2), (3), and (5), Articles 32-7 through 32-10, and Articles 32-12 through 32-16 apply mutatis mutandis to free employment placement services provided under the license referred to in paragraph (1) and persons that have obtained that license. In such a case, the phrase "the license referred to in the preceding paragraph" in Article 30, paragraph (2), the phrase "the license referred to in paragraph (1) of the preceding Article" in Article 31, and the phrase "the license referred to in Article 30, paragraph (1)" in Article 32, Article 32-4, paragraph (1), Article 32-5, Article 32-6, paragraph (5), Article 32-8, paragraph (2), and Article 32-9, paragraph (1) are deemed to be replaced with "the license referred to in Article 33, paragraph (1)"; the phrase "the preceding paragraph" in Article 32-6, paragraph (2) is deemed to be replaced with "Article 33, paragraph (3)"; the phrase "the particulars of its fees, the particulars of its complaint processing" in Article 32-13 is deemed to be replaced with "the particulars of its complaint processing"; and the phrase "the amounts of fees for employment placement, and other particulars" in paragraph (2) of the preceding Article and the phrase "the particulars of its fees, and other particulars" in paragraph (3) thereof are deemed to be replaced with ", and other particulars".

⑤The provisions of Article 30, paragraphs (2) through (4), Article 31, paragraph (2), and Article 32 (excluding items (v) through (viii)) apply mutatis mutandis to the renewal of the validity period of the license provided for in Article 32-6, paragraph (2) as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to the preceding paragraph.

①After filing a notification with the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, the head of a facility set forth in any of the following items may provide free employment placement services for the persons specified in that item (including persons provided for by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as equivalent thereto):

②The head of a facility set forth in any of the items of the preceding paragraph that provides free employment placement services pursuant to the provisions of that paragraph, may designate persons to be in charge of operations in employment placement services from among the personnel of the facility, and may have those designated persons carry out the operations on their behalf.

③The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may establish standards concerning the performance of operations for free employment placement services that the heads of the facilities set forth in the items of paragraph (1) carry out pursuant to the provisions of that paragraph.

④Before establishing the standards referred to in the preceding paragraph pertaining to the heads of the facilities set forth in paragraph (1), items (i) and (ii), the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare must first consult with the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

⑤The head of a facility set forth in any of the items of paragraph (1) who seeks to carry out free employment placement services pursuant to the provisions of that paragraph may establish the scope of employment placement to be handled by the facility and file the notification referred to in that paragraph.

⑥If the head of a facility set forth in any of the items of paragraph (1) has established the scope of employment placement and filed a notification pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the provisions of Article 5-6, paragraph (1) and Article 5-7, paragraph (1) are to apply only within the scope of employment placement.

⑦The provisions of Article 32-8, paragraph (1), Article 32-9, paragraph (2), and Articles 32-10, 32-13, 32-15, and 32-16 apply mutatis mutandis to the free employment placement services that the head of a facility set forth in any of the items of paragraph (1) provides pursuant to the provisions of that paragraph. In this case, the phrase "item (ii) or (iii) of the preceding paragraph" in Article 32-9, paragraph (2) is deemed to be replaced with "item (ii) of the preceding paragraph"; the phrase "the particulars of its fees, the particulars of its complaint processing" in Article 32-13 is deemed to be replaced with "the particulars of its complaint processing"; the phrase "a business report concerning its paid employment placement services for each place of business at which it provides those services" in Article 32-16, paragraph (1) is deemed to be replaced with "a business report"; the phrase "its paid employment placement services for each place of business at which it provides those services" in paragraph (2) of that Article is deemed to be replaced with "its services"; the phrase "the amounts of fees for employment placement, and other" in that paragraph and the phrase "the particulars of its fees, and other" in paragraph (3) of that Article are deemed to be replaced with ", and other"; and the phrase "must provide" in that paragraph is deemed to be replaced with "must endeavor to provide".

⑧Before ordering the head of a facility set forth in item (i) or (ii) of paragraph (1), who is providing free employment placement services pursuant to the provisions of that paragraph, to suspend those services pursuant to the provisions of Article 32-9, paragraph (2), as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to the preceding paragraph, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare must first notify the relevant educational administrative authority.

①After filing a notification with the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, a corporation that has been incorporated pursuant to a special law and is prescribed by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare may provide free employment placement services to job posters that are direct or indirect members of the corporation (hereinafter individually referred to as a "members" in this paragraph) or to job seekers that are members of the corporation or persons employed by the members.

A public employment security office may provide a person who provides free employment placement services after being licensed as referred to in Article 33, paragraph (1) or filing the notification under Article 33-2, paragraph (1) or paragraph (1) of the preceding Article, with employment information, the results of research and study relating to employment, and other assistance in its administration of free employment placement services.

In administering its services, a provider of employment placement services must endeavor to take the necessary measures for improvement, in coordination with employment security agencies.

If it is particularly necessary to coordinate workforce supply and demand, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may provide necessary guidance, advice, and recommendations to the provider of employment placement services; these recommendations can cover the scope, timing, means, and number of cases of employment placement, and methods of carrying out employment placement, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

The provisions of Article 20 apply mutatis mutandis when a provider of employment placement services conducts employment placement services. In such a case, the "public employment security office" in paragraph (1) of that Article is deemed to be replaced with "provider of employment placement services"; and the phrase "the public employment security office" in paragraph (2) of that Article is deemed to be replaced with "the public employment security office is to report this to the provider of employment placement services, and the provider of employment placement services that has received the report".

Apart from what is provided for in this chapter, the procedure for applying for a license for employment placement services and other necessary particulars related to employment placement services are specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.