The effective date of this Act is specified by Imperial Order.

The Factory Act, Act on the Minimum Age of Industrial Workers, Workers' Compensation Act, Shop Act, Act on the Prohibition of Manufacturing Yellow Phosphorus Matches, and Act No. 87 of 1939 are repealed.

Accident compensation for a worker's injury, illness, or death at work, occurring before the enforcement of this Act, continues to be governed by the provisions of the former Act concerning support.

①To apply the provisions of Article 32, paragraph (1) (excluding the cases as applied by replacing terms pursuant to Article 60, paragraph (2)) to businesses not larger than the scale specified by an order or businesses of the categories specified by an order, the term "40 hours" in Article 32, paragraph (1) is deemed to be replaced with "hours specified by an order within the range exceeding 40 hours but not more than 44 hours" until March 31, 1997.

②The order referred to in Article 32, paragraph (1), as applied by replacing terms pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, is established taking into consideration workers' welfare, trends in working hours, and other circumstances.

③If an order referred to in Article 32, paragraph (1), as applied by replacing terms pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1), is established or amended, transitional measures (including transitional measures for penal provisions) to the effect that the rules before the establishment or amendment of the order continue to govern businesses not larger than a certain scale, or businesses of a certain category, only for a certain period, may be prescribed by that order.

④The Minister of Labor must hear the opinions of the Central Labor Standards Council, before planning the establishment or amendment of the order referred to in Article 32, paragraph (1), as applied by replacing terms pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1).

①To apply the provisions of Article 32-4, paragraph (1) to a business prescribed in paragraph (1) of the preceding Article while the provisions of that paragraph apply, the wording in the parts of paragraph (1) of Article 32-4 other than the items is deemed to be replaced with "Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 32, if the employer has established the following matters and the average working hours per week for the period determined as the applicable period referred to in item (ii) are within 40 hours (or within the number of hours specified by an order within the range exceeding 40 hours but not more than 42 hours for businesses not larger than the scale specified by an order) and premium wages are to be paid for the hours worked (excluding hours subject to the provisions of Article 37, paragraph (1)) in excess of the working hours in accordance with the provisions of that Article, pursuant to a written agreement with the labor union that is organized by a majority of the workers at that workplace, if there is one, or with a person representing a majority of the workers at that workplace, if there is no such union, the employer may have a worker work in excess of the working hours referred to in Article 32, paragraph (1) in a specified week or weeks, and have a worker work in excess of the working hours referred to in paragraph (2) of that Article on a specified day or days in accordance with that written agreement (including what has been prescribed under the provisions of the following paragraph, if applicable), within a range that does not cause the weekly average working hours for the period established in that agreement as the applicable period referred to in item (ii) to exceed the working hours stated in paragraph (1) of that Article. In this case, if the employer has a worker work in excess of 40 hours (or hours specified by the order referred to in the first sentence for businesses not larger than the scale specified by the order referred to in the first sentence) as the average working hours per week for the above period, the employer must pay the worker premium wages for the overtime hours worked (excluding hours subject to the provisions of Article 37, paragraph (1)) in accordance with the provisions of Article 37.", and the wording "40 hours" in item (ii) of that paragraph is deemed to be replaced with "the working hours referred to in Article 32, paragraph (1)".

②To apply the provisions of Article 32-5, paragraph (1) to a business provided for in paragraph (1) of the preceding Article while the provisions of that paragraph apply, in Article 32-5, paragraph (1), the phrase "if there is a written agreement with the labor union that is organized by a majority of the workers at that workplace, if there is one, or with a person representing a majority of the workers at that workplace" is deemed to be replaced with " if the employer has established that the working hours per week are within 40 hours (or hours specified by an order within the range exceeding 40 hours but not more than 42 hours for businesses not larger than the scale specified by an order) and premium wages are paid for hours worked (excluding hours subject to the provisions of paragraph (1) of Article 37) in excess of those working hours in accordance with the provisions of that Article, in a written agreement with the labor union that is organized by a majority of the workers at that workplace, if there is one, or with a person representing a majority of the workers at that workplace, if there is no such union", and the phrase "per day if that worker is employed in a business prescribed by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in which there is frequently substantial fluctuation in daily business, in which, since this is anticipated, it is found to be difficult to fix daily working hours through rules of employment or their equivalent, and in which the number of regular employees is below the number prescribed by Order of the Ministry of the Health, Labour and Welfare" is deemed to be replaced with "per day within the working hours referred to in paragraph (1) of that Article per week if that worker is employed in a business prescribed by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in which there is frequently substantial fluctuation in daily business, in which, since this is anticipated, it is found to be difficult to fix daily working hours through rules of employment or their equivalent, and in which the number of regular employees is below the number prescribed by Order of the Ministry of the Health, Labour and Welfare, I this case, if the employer has a worker work in excess of 40 hours (or hours specified by an order referred to in the first sentence for businesses not larger than the scale specified by an order referred to in the first sentence) per week, the employer must pay the worker premium wages for the overtime hours worked (excluding hours subject to the provisions of Article 37, paragraph (1)) in accordance with the provisions of Article 37".

③The provisions of paragraph (4) of the preceding Article apply mutatis mutandis to the orders referred to in Article 32-4, paragraph (1) and Article 32-5, paragraph (1) (limited to the part subject to replacement pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (2)), as applied by replacing the terms pursuant to the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs.

Taking into consideration that the provisions of Article 64-2, paragraph (1) and paragraph (2) before amendment under Article 4 of the Act on Arrangement of Related Acts to the Ministry of Labour for Securing Equal Opportunity, Treatment between Men and Women in Employment (Act No. 92 of 1997) ceased to apply on April 1, 1999 to women 18 years of age or over who did not fall under the category of persons provided by the order prescribed in Article 64-2, paragraph (4) before that amendment, and also taking into consideration that the impact which significant changes in the vocational life of the women in question, who constitute workers taking care of their children or other family members (limited to women prescribed by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare; referred to as "specified workers " below in this Article) will bring on their family life, when the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare establishes the standards referred to in Article 36, paragraph (2) of this Act, the Minister is to establish the standards for the specified workers (limited to those who notify their employers of their intention to shorten their overtime work) separately from the standards for those other than specified workers, regarding the limits on the extension of working hours provided for in the agreement in Article 36, paragraph (1) of this Act, and establish them so that the working hour extension limit is shorter than that of the standards for those other than specified workers, for the period prescribed by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. In this case, the standard regarding the limit on the extension of working hours per year must be established in order to not exceed 150 hours.

To apply the provisions of Article 39 to a business that continuously employs 300 workers or less, the term "10 working days" in paragraph (1) of that Article is deemed to be replaced with "six working days" until March 31, 1991, and the term "10 working days" in that paragraph is deemed to be replaced with "eight working days" from April 1, 1991 until March 31, 1994.

③The provisions of the preceding two paragraphs do not apply to the minors provided for in Article 72.

An employer must not reduce the wages of a worker who has taken paid leave under the provisions of Article 39, paragraphs (1) through (4) , or treat that worker in any other disadvantageous manner.