Article 96Authority of the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare

①On finding it to be necessary to do so in order to ensure safety and health of the workers with regard to the structure of machinery or other such equipment of the type for which the relevant person has passed a type examination and equipment used to manufacture and inspect that machinery or other such equipment, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may have the relevant officials enter the workplace of the person that has undergone the type examination or the place where the machinery or other such equipment or facilities or other things connected to the type examination are found to be located, question persons concerned, and inspect machinery or other such equipment, facilities or other things, and other articles.

②On finding it to be necessary to do so in order to ensure the proper operation of the services of consultants, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may have relevant officials enter the office of a consultant, question persons concerned, and inspect books and documents (including electronic and magnetic records, if the relevant data are prepared, provided, and kept as electronic or magnetic records instead of the books or documents) related to the consultant's services.

④On finding it to be necessary to do so in order to have a senior industrial health physician participate in the administrative functions under the provisions of paragraph (2) of the preceding Article, the Director of the Prefectural Labour Bureau may have the senior industrial health physician enter the workplace, question the persons concerned or inspect the record of work environment monitoring or medical checkup results and other articles.

⑤The provisions of paragraphs (3) and (4) of Article 91 apply mutatis mutandis pursuant to respect to on-site inspections under the provisions of the preceding four paragraphs.