Long-Term Care Insurance Act

A community general support center is a facility that aims to provide comprehensive support for improvement of health and medical care and promotion of public aid of local residents, by implementing category 1 Preventive Long-Term Care Support projects (excluding those pertaining to Insured In-Home Persons Requiring Support) and the projects listed in Article 115-45, paragraph (2), item (i) through item (vi) (hereinafter referred to as "Comprehensive Support Project") and other projects as determined by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and by providing assistance necessary for maintaining mental and physical health and for stabilization of the lives of local residents.

A Municipality may establish a community general support center.

A person entrusted pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) of the following Article (excluding a person entrusted with only the category 1 Preventive Long-Term Care Support project and the projects listed in Article 115-45, paragraph (2), item (iv) through item (vi)) may, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, provide notice in advance to the mayor of the Municipality of matters as determined by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and establish a community general support center, in order to implement a Comprehensive Support Project and other projects as determined by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as set forth in paragraph (1).

The founder of a community general support center must improve the quality of the projects it implements by evaluating, on its own, the quality of those projects and by taking other necessary measures.

The founder of a community general support center must comply with standards as determined by Municipal Ordinance as necessary for the implementation of a Comprehensive Support Project.

A Municipality, in establishing the Municipal Ordinance set forth in the preceding paragraph, is to establish the standards concerning the employees of a community general support center and the number of those employees in accordance with the standards determined by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and is to take into consideration the standards determined by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for other matters.

The founder of a community general support center must endeavor to collaborate with Long-Term Care Service Providers, medical institutions, commissioned welfare volunteers prescribed in the Commissioned Welfare Volunteers Act (Act No. 198 of 1948), persons conducting projects for supporting independent daily life of Insured Persons in the community or for preventing them from falling into a Condition of Need for Long-Term Care, etc., or for reducing or preventing deterioration of a Condition of Need for Long-Term Care, etc., and other relevant persons, for the effective implementation of a Comprehensive Support Project.

Institution personnel of a community general support center (in a case when the institution personnel refers to a juridical person, said Officers) or the personnel or a person that were in said occupation must not divulge any confidential information that said person learned concerning said business without justifiable reasons.

A Municipality must periodically evaluate the status of implementation of projects at community general support centers and, when it is determined to be necessary, take necessary measures such as changing the policy under paragraph (1) of the following Article.

A Municipality, when a community general support center has been established and in other cases specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, must endeavor to publish information on the content and operating status of the projects of said community general support center, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

The provisions of Article 69-14 apply mutatis mutandis to a community general support center. In this case, the necessary technical replacement of terms is provided by a Cabinet Order.

In addition to the provisions as prescribed in each of the preceding paragraphs, other necessary matters concerning a community general support center are prescribed by a Cabinet Order.

A Municipality may, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and indicating the policy concerning the implementation of a Comprehensive Support Project, entrust said Comprehensive Support Project to the founder of a Long-Term Care Support Center as prescribed in Article 20-7-2, paragraph (1) of the Act on Social Welfare for the Elderly and other persons as determined by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

The entrustment pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph must be made collectively for all of the Comprehensive Support Projects (excluding the category 1 Preventive Long-Term Care Support project and the projects listed in Article 115-45, paragraph (2), item (iv) through item (vi)).

The provisions of paragraphs (7) and (8) of the preceding Article apply mutatis mutandis to a person entrusted pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1).

The founder of a community general support center may, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, entrust a part of the projects listed in Article 115-45, paragraph (2), item (i) to a Designated In-Home Long-Term Care Support Provider or other persons specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. In this case, the person entrusted is to implement said project in accordance with the policy under paragraph (1) (where the founder of the community general support center is a Municipality, the policy concerning the implementation of said project that said Municipality indicates pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare).

A Municipality may entrust the implementation of the Comprehensive Project for Long-Term Care Prevention and Daily Life Support to a person that conforms to the standards specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as being able to appropriately implement said Comprehensive Project for Long-Term Care Prevention and Daily Life Support.

A person entrusted with the implementation of a category 1 Preventive Long-Term Care Support project pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph may, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, entrust a part of the project so entrusted to a person specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

A mayor of a Municipality, in the case where the implementation of the Comprehensive Project for Long-Term Care Prevention and Daily Life Support has been entrusted pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) or (5), may entrust to the Association the affairs of examination and payment concerning the decision on payment of the expenses necessary for said implementation to the person so entrusted (referred to as "trustee" in paragraph (9), Article 180, paragraph (1) and Article 181, paragraphs (2) and (3)).

The Association entrusted pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph may, with the consent of the mayor of the Municipality that made said entrustment and pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, entrust a part of the affairs so entrusted to a not-for-profit juridical person that satisfies the requirements specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

A trustee may request a fee from users of the Comprehensive Project for Long-Term Care Prevention and Daily Life Support pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

A Municipality may entrust all or part of the affairs concerning the collection, organization, use or provision of information on Insured Persons or persons who were Insured Persons pertaining to the implementation of the project listed in Article 115-45, paragraph (2), item (vii) to the Medical Information Infrastructure and Medical Fee Examination and Payment Organization under the Medical Information Infrastructure and Medical Fee Examination and Payment Organization Act (Act No. 129 of 1948) (hereinafter referred to as "the Organization") or the Association or other persons specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (referred to as "Organization, etc." in Article 118-13 and Article 118-14).

A Municipality, when entrusting affairs pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, is to entrust them jointly with other Municipalities, the insurers prescribed in Article 1 of the Medical Information Infrastructure and Medical Fee Examination and Payment Organization Act, and persons that perform affairs pertaining to benefits concerning medical care pursuant to the provisions of laws and regulations and that are specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and other persons specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

A Municipality may, with respect to a project for In-Home Services, etc. in a Specified Area, entrust the implementation of said project for In-Home Services, etc. in a Specified Area to a person who conforms to the standards specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as being able to implement said project appropriately.

A person entrusted with the implementation of a project for In-Home Services, etc. in a Specified Area pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph may request a fee to user of the project for In-Home Services, etc. in a Specified Area pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

A Municipality may entrust the implementation of the whole or a part of the projects listed in each item of Article 115-45, paragraph (4) to the founder of a Long-Term Care Support Center as prescribed in Article 20-7-2, paragraph (1) of the Act on Social Welfare for the Elderly and other person that said Municipality determines appropriate.

A Municipality must endeavor to establish a Support Meeting (hereinafter referred to as "Support Meeting" in this Article) composed of Long-Term Care Support Specialists, persons with expert knowledge concerning health and medical care and public aid, commissioned welfare volunteers and other relevant persons, community general support centers and other relevant institutions, and relevant organizations (hereinafter referred to as "person concerned, etc." in this Article), for the effective implementation of the project listed in Article 115-45, paragraph (2), item (iii).

A Support Meeting is to, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, conduct the studies necessary to provide appropriate support to Insured Persons Requiring Long-Term Care and other Insured Persons specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (hereinafter referred to as "Insured Person Subject to Support" in this paragraph and paragraph (5)), and conduct studies concerning the support system necessary for Insured Persons Subject to Support to lead independent daily lives in the community.

A Support Meeting may, when it finds it necessary in order to conduct the studies under the preceding paragraph, request persons concerned, etc. to provide materials or information, state opinions, and give other necessary cooperation.

In the case where a Support Meeting makes a request, based on the provisions of the preceding paragraph, for the provision of materials or information, the statement of opinions, or other necessary cooperation, a person concerned, etc. must endeavor to cooperate therewith.

A Support Meeting must endeavor to cooperate mutually with the following meetings when they are organized or established in the Municipality where said Support Meeting is established: the Support Meeting prescribed in Article 106-3-2, paragraph (1) of the Social Welfare Act, the support council prescribed in Article 89-3, paragraph (1) of the Comprehensive Support for Persons with Disabilities Act, the support council prescribed in Article 81, paragraph (1) of the Act on Promotion of Offering of Rental Housing to Persons Requiring Special Assistance in Securing Housing (Act No. 112 of 2007), the Support Meeting prescribed in Article 9, paragraph (1) of the Act on Self-Reliance Support for Persons in Need (Act No. 105 of 2013), and any other meeting that contributes to establishing a support system for Insured Persons Subject to Support to lead independent daily lives in the community.

A Municipality may entrust part of the implementation of a Support Meeting to the founder of a community general support center.

A Municipality, or the founder of a community general support center entrusted pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, must endeavor to take the necessary measures, such as ensuring cooperation with the Comprehensive Support Project in the operation of a Support Meeting, and other measures to reflect the opinions of local residents.

A person engaged in the affairs of a Support Meeting, or a person that was so engaged, must not divulge any secret learned concerning the affairs of the Support Meeting without justifiable reasons.

In addition to what is provided for in paragraph (1) through paragraph (7), necessary matters concerning the organization and operation of a Support Meeting are to be specified by the Support Meeting.

A prefecture may provide Long-Term Care Service Providers, Designated Providers, and other persons similar thereto specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare with necessary assistance such as the grant of subsidies for the expenses of securing persons engaged in Long-Term Care Services, category 1 projects, and other similar projects specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

A prefecture, when granting subsidies pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, may entrust to the Association the affairs concerning the grant of said subsidies (excluding the decision on the grant; the same applies in Article 176, paragraph (1), item (iv)).