Supplementary Provisions

This Act comes into effect as of the day specified by Cabinet Order within a period not exceeding one year from the date of promulgation; provided, however, that the provisions set forth in the following items come into effect as of the days specified in those items.

The provisions of Article 6-4-2 of the Medical Care Act as amended by the provisions of Article 1 (referred to as the "item (ii) New Medical Care Act" in this Article) apply to cases where, on or after the day of enforcement of the provisions set forth in item (ii) of the preceding Article (referred to as the "item (ii) Effective Date" in Article 7, paragraph (1) and Article 8, paragraph (1) of the Supplementary Provisions), the administrator of a birthing center prescribed in Article 6-4-2, paragraph (1) of the item (ii) New Medical Care Act has agreed to provide midwifery.

With regard to the drafting of an Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare under Article 6-5, paragraph (2), item (iv) or paragraph (3) of the Medical Care Act as amended by the provisions of Article 2 (hereinafter referred to as the "New Medical Care Act") and the preparation of drafts of the matters set forth in item (viii) or items (xii) through (xiv) of that paragraph, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may hear the opinions of groups of persons with the relevant knowledge and experience in medical practice even before the day this Act comes into effect (referred to as the "Effective Date" in Article 4, paragraph (2) and Article 5 of the Supplementary Provisions).

①Permission that, at the time this Act comes into effect, has been granted pursuant to the provisions of Article 6-6, paragraph (1) of the Medical Care Act prior to amendment by the provisions of Article 2 (referred to as the "Former Medical Care Act" in the following paragraph and Article 6, paragraph (2) of the Supplementary Provisions) is deemed to be permission under Article 6-6, paragraph (1) of the New Medical Care Act.

②An order to cease an advertisement or to correct its content pursuant to the provisions of Article 6-8, paragraph (2) of the Former Medical Care Act that was issued before the Effective Date (limited to one for which the time limit for the cessation or correction falls on or after the Effective Date) is deemed to be an order to cease the advertisement prescribed in that paragraph or to correct its content pursuant to the provisions of Article 6-8, paragraph (2) of the New Medical Care Act.

The provisions of Article 10-2 of the New Medical Care Act apply to cases where the establisher of an advanced treatment hospital prescribed in Article 4-2, paragraph (1) of the Medical Care Act appoints the administrator of that advanced treatment hospital on or after the Effective Date.

①The provisions of Article 15-2 of the New Medical Care Act apply to the operation of specimen testing prescribed in Article 15-2 of the New Medical Care Act (referred to as "new specimen testing" in the following paragraph) conducted on or after the day of enforcement of the provisions set forth in Article 1, item (iii) of the Supplementary Provisions (referred to as the "item (iii) Effective Date" in the following paragraph).

②The provisions of Article 15-3, paragraph (1) of the New Medical Care Act apply to the operation of new specimen testing entrusted on or after the item (iii) Effective Date, and with regard to the operation of microbiological examination, serological examination, hematological examination, pathological examination, parasitological examination or biochemical examination of specimens discharged or collected from the human body that was entrusted before the item (iii) Effective Date pursuant to the provisions of Article 15-2 of the Former Medical Care Act, the provisions then in force continue to govern.

①With regard to the application of Article 10-4, paragraph (5) of the Supplementary Provisions of the 2006 Amendment Act in the case where, on or after the item (ii) Effective Date, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare grants the certification under paragraph (1) of that Article for a change to the transition plan certified before the item (ii) Effective Date (meaning the transition plan relating to the certification before the item (ii) Effective Date (meaning the transition plan prescribed in Article 10-3, paragraph (1) of the Supplementary Provisions of the 2006 Amendment Act; the same applies in paragraph (3) of the following Article); the same applies in paragraphs (1) and (2) of that Article) of a medical corporation certified before the item (ii) Effective Date (meaning a transitional medical corporation prescribed in Article 10-2 of the Supplementary Provisions of the 2006 Amendment Act that received certification before the item (ii) Effective Date (meaning certification under Article 10-3, paragraph (1) of the Supplementary Provisions of the 2006 Amendment Act that was granted before the item (ii) Effective Date; hereinafter the same in this paragraph and paragraphs (1) and (2) of the following Article); the same applies in the following paragraph and paragraphs (1) and (2) of the following Article), the phrase "paragraph (4) of the preceding Article" in that paragraph is deemed to be replaced with "paragraph (4) of the preceding Article (excluding item (iv))".

②With respect to a medical corporation certified before the item (ii) Effective Date, the provisions of Articles 10-6 through 10-8 of the Supplementary Provisions of the 2006 Amendment Act as amended by the provisions of Article 4 (referred to as the "New 2006 Amendment Act" in paragraphs (1) and (3) of the following Article) do not apply, and the provisions of Articles 10-6 through 10-8 of the Supplementary Provisions of the 2006 Amendment Act prior to amendment by the provisions of Article 4 remain in force.

①A medical corporation certified before the item (ii) Effective Date that is within the period from the date it received the certification before the item (ii) Effective Date until the transition deadline (meaning the deadline for the transition set forth in Article 10-3, paragraph (2), item (iv) of the Supplementary Provisions of the 2006 Amendment Act, as stated in the transition plan certified before the item (ii) Effective Date; hereinafter referred to as the "transition deadline" in this paragraph) may receive the certification under paragraph (1) of that Article on any day from the item (ii) Effective Date until that transition deadline. In this case, with regard to the application of Article 10-3, paragraph (4) of the Supplementary Provisions of the New 2006 Amendment Act, the phrase "the date of the certification under paragraph (1)" in item (iii) of that paragraph is deemed to be replaced with "the date on which it received the certification before the item (ii) Effective Date prescribed in Article 7, paragraph (1) of the Supplementary Provisions of the Act Partially Amending the Medical Care Act, etc. (Act No. 57 of 2017)".

②When a medical corporation certified before the item (ii) Effective Date has received the certification under Article 10-3, paragraph (1) of the Supplementary Provisions of the 2006 Amendment Act pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph (referred to as "special certification" in this paragraph and the following paragraph), the certification before the item (ii) Effective Date that the medical corporation certified before the item (ii) Effective Date received (including the certification under Article 10-4, paragraph (1) of the Supplementary Provisions of the 2006 Amendment Act for the transition plan certified before the item (ii) Effective Date) ceases to be effective prospectively from the date on which it received the special certification.

③With regard to the application of Article 10-3, paragraph (4) of the Supplementary Provisions of the New 2006 Amendment Act as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to paragraph (5) of that Article in the case where the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare grants the certification under Article 10-4, paragraph (1) of the Supplementary Provisions of the 2006 Amendment Act for a change to the transition plan relating to special certification, the phrase "the date of the certification under paragraph (1)" in item (iii) of that paragraph is deemed to be replaced with "the date on which it received the certification before the item (ii) Effective Date prescribed in Article 7, paragraph (1) of the Supplementary Provisions of the Act Partially Amending the Medical Care Act, etc. (Act No. 57 of 2017)".

When approximately five years have passed after this Act comes into effect, the government is to review the status of enforcement of the provisions as amended by the provisions of this Act and, if it finds it necessary, is to take the required measures based on the results.

With regard to the application of penal provisions to acts committed before the enforcement of this Act (for the provisions set forth in Article 1, items (ii) and (iii) of the Supplementary Provisions, those respective provisions), the provisions then in force continue to govern.

Beyond what is provided for in these Supplementary Provisions, transitional measures necessary in connection with the enforcement of this Act (including transitional measures concerning penal provisions) are specified by Cabinet Order.