①A client must not use the staffing services provided by a staffing provider continuously for a period exceeding the allowable term for a staffing arrangement for work at each of its places of business or places for the assigned work to be performed; provided, however, that this does not apply if the worker dispatching arrangement falls under any of the following items:

②The allowable term for a staffing arrangement which is referred to in the preceding paragraph (referred to below as the "allowable term for a staffing arrangement") is three years.

③If a client seeks to use the worker dispatching staffing services (excluding services related to worker dispatching that falls under any of the items of paragraph (1); the same applies below in this paragraph) provided by a staffing provider during a continuous period exceeding three years for work at each of its places of business or places for assigned work to be performed, it may extend the allowable term for the staffing arrangement by up to three years, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, during the period that runs from the day on which provision of the staffing services begins for work at each of the client's places of business or places for assigned work to be performed (or from the day after the final day in the allowable term for the staffing arrangement prior to its extension pursuant to the provisions of this paragraph, if applicable) until the day one month before the first day on which the client will come to violate the provisions of paragraph (1) in connection with the work at each of those places of business or places for assigned work to be performed (referred to as the "period for hearing opinions" in the following paragraph). The same applies to any further extension of the extended allowable term for the staffing arrangement.

④If a client seeks to extend the allowable term for a staffing arrangement, it must hear the opinions of the majority labor union or representative (meaning a labor union made up of a majority of the workers at the client's place of business, if there is one, or a person who represents a majority of the workers at that place of business, if there is no such labor union there; the same applies in the following paragraph) within the period for hearing opinions pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

⑤If the majority labor union or representative whose opinions are heard pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph raises an objection, the client must explain to the majority labor union or representative the particulars specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, including the reason for the extension of the allowable term for the staffing arrangement, as it concerns the work at each of the client's places of business or places for assigned work to be performed, by the day before what would be the final day of the allowable term for a staffing arrangement prior to its extension.

⑥A client must endeavor to faithfully hear opinions pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (4) and give an explanation pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph in line with the purposes of this Act.

⑦If a client has extended the allowable term for a staffing arrangement pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (3), it must promptly notify the staffing provider that is providing the worker dispatching of the first day the client will come into conflict with the provisions of paragraph (1) with regard to work at each of the client's places of business or places for assigned work to be performed.

⑧Before establishing or amending the Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare referred to in paragraph (1), item (ii), (iv) or (v), the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare must obtain the opinion of the Labor Policy Council.

If the allowable term for a staffing arrangement is extended pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (3) of the preceding Article, a client must not continuously use worker dispatching services (excluding worker dispatching that falls under any of the items of paragraph (1) of that Article) that the staffing provider provides using the same dispatched worker for a period exceeding three years for work in an organizational unit at the client's place of business or at the place for assigned work to be performed.

If a client has used worker dispatching services (excluding services associated with worker dispatching that falls under any of the items of Article 40-2, paragraph (1)) that a staffing provider provides using the same prescribed dispatched worker on a fixed-term contract during a continuous period of one year or longer for work in an organizational unit at the client's place of business or at the place for assigned work to be performed, and the client seeks to hire a worker on or after the day that follows the final day in the period during which it used those staffing services (referred to below as "the period the client implemented the staffing arrangement" in this Article) so as to have a worker continue to engage in that work, it must endeavor to hire the prescribed dispatched worker who was continuously engaged in that same work during the period the client implemented the staffing arrangement (limited to a person specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as one who wishes to continue to do that work).

①If a client has used the worker dispatching services that a staffing provider provides using the same dispatched worker during a continuous period of one year or longer at the client's place of business or at the place for assigned work to be performed, and the client is looking to recruit someone as a regular worker who will be engaged in work at that place of business or place for assigned work to be performed, it must provide the dispatched worker with information on the recruitment, including the details, wages, and working hours for the work in which the person would be engaged, by taking measures such as posting that information at the place in question.

②To apply the provisions of the preceding paragraph to prescribed dispatched workers on fixed-term contracts (limited to those specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as those who desire to be continuously employed) who have a prospect of continuously engaging in assigned work for three years with regard to work in an organizational unit at a client's place of business or at the place for assigned work to be performed, the terms "worker dispatching" and "regular worker" in that paragraph are deemed to be replaced with "worker dispatching (excluding worker dispatching that falls under any of the items of Article 40-2, paragraph (1))" and "worker", respectively.

①When a person using staffing services (excluding organs of the national government (including agencies engaged in administrative execution (meaning an agency engaged in administrative execution defined in Article 2, paragraph (4) of the Act on General Rules for Incorporated Administrative Agencies (Act No. 103 of 1999)); the same applies in the following Article) and local governments (including specified local incorporated administrative agencies (referring to the specified local incorporated administrative agency defined in Article 2, paragraph (2) of the Local Incorporated Administrative Agency Act (Act No. 118 of 2003)); the same applies in the following Article); the same applies below in this Article) takes any of the actions stated in the following items, the person is deemed to have offered a labor contract to the dispatched worker who is subject to the worker dispatching arrangement, with the same working conditions as those applicable to the dispatched worker as of the time when the action is taken; provided, however, that this does not apply if the person using staffing services was unaware that the action taken falls under the category of an action stated in the following items, and was not negligent in failing to learn this:

②A person using staffing services that has been deemed to have offered a labor contract pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph may not terminate the offer within one year from the day on which the applicable act prescribed in that paragraph that resulted in the offer ends.

③If a person using staffing services that has been deemed to have offered a labor contract pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) does not receive the manifestation of intention to accept or not to accept the offer within the period stated in the preceding paragraph, the offer ceases to be effective.

④At the request of the person using staffing services, the business entity that provides worker dispatching involving a dispatched worker who is subject to a labor contract that is deemed to have been offered pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) must promptly notify the person of the working conditions of the dispatched worker as of the time when the labor contract is deemed to have been offered pursuant to the provisions of that paragraph.

①If a person using staffing services that is an organ of the national government or a local government takes an action that falls under any of the items of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article (other than in a case as referred to in the proviso to that paragraph), and if a dispatched worker subject to the worker dispatching arrangement requests, within one year from the day on which the relevant action has ended, that the dispatched worker be engaged in the same work as the work under the arrangement at the organ of the national or local government, the organ of the national or local government, in line with the purposes of the provisions of that paragraph and from the viewpoint of ensuring employment security for the dispatched worker, must hire that person based on the provisions of the National Public Service Act (Act No. 120 of 1947; including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to the Act on Temporary Measures concerning Court Officials (Act No. 299 of 1951)), the Diet Officers Act (Act No. 85 of 1947), the Self-Defense Forces Act (Act No. 165 of 1954), the Local Public Service Act (Act No. 261 of 1950), or other applicable laws and regulations, or must take other appropriate measures.

②At the request of the organ of the national or local government associated with the worker dispatching arrangement in question, the business entity that provides worker dispatching involving a dispatched worker who has made a request as prescribed in the preceding paragraph must promptly notify the organ of the national or local government of the working conditions of the dispatched worker as of the time when the relevant organ of the national or local government committed an act that falls under any of the items of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article.