This Act comes into effect on the date of promulgation and applies from May 1, 1954.

The Special Provisions of the Employees' Pension Insurance Act (Act No. 38 of 1951) are abolished.

With regard to a place of business that is not treated as an applicable place of business of employees' pension insurance because it does not regularly employ five or more persons, the government is to investigate and research efficient measures for making it an applicable place of business, taking into account its relationship with other social insurance systems, and is to promptly take the necessary measures based on the results.

①A person who establishes a private kindergarten that is deemed to be a school corporation pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (10) of the Supplementary Provisions of the Private School Personnel Mutual Aid Association Act, a person who establishes a deemed integrated center for early childhood education and care prescribed in that paragraph, or a person who establishes a specially established integrated center for early childhood education and care (meaning an integrated center for early childhood education and care (meaning an integrated center for early childhood education and care prescribed in Article 2, paragraph (7) of the Act on Advancement of Comprehensive Service Related to Education, Child Care, etc. of Preschool Children (Act No. 77 of 2006)) established pursuant to the provisions of Article 4, paragraph (1) of the Supplementary Provisions of the Act Partially Amending the Act on Advancement of Comprehensive Service Related to Education, Child Care, etc. of Preschool Children (Act No. 66 of 2012); the same applies hereinafter in this paragraph) (excluding a corporation, and limited to a person for whom the number of persons regularly employed at the one kindergarten, deemed integrated center for early childhood education and care, or specially established integrated center for early childhood education and care that the person establishes is less than five) is deemed, for the purpose of application of this Act, to be a corporation prescribed in Article 6, paragraph (1), item (ii), for the time being.

②A person under 70 years of age who is not employed at an applicable place of business and who is a member prescribed in Article 2-5, paragraph (1), item (ii) or item (iii) is deemed, for the purpose of application of this Act, to be a person under 70 years of age who is employed at an applicable place of business prescribed in Article 9, for the time being.

③An employer of a place of business that employs a person deemed under the preceding paragraph to be a person under 70 years of age who is employed at an applicable place of business is deemed, for the purpose of application of this Act, to be an employer with an applicable place of business prescribed in Article 6.

In the case where a person who, as of May 1, 1954, is actually an insured under the former Employees' Pension Insurance Act (hereinafter referred to as the "Former Act") continues to become an insured under this Act, confirmation by the prefectural governor under the provisions of Article 18, paragraph (1) is not required for the acquisition of that continuing status.

The period during which a person was an insured under the Former Act is deemed to be a period during which the person was an insured under this Act; provided, however, that this does not apply to a period that served as the basis for calculating a withdrawal allowance under the Former Act (including a withdrawal allowance under the Former Act paid pursuant to the provisions of Article 16, paragraph (4) of the Supplementary Provisions).

①An employee prescribed in Article 72, paragraph (2) of the National Public Officers Mutual Aid Association Act to whom the provisions on long-term benefits under that Act do not apply pursuant to the provisions of that paragraph is not to be a category II EPI insured.

②An employee prescribed in Article 74, paragraph (2) of the Local Public Officers, etc. Mutual Aid Association Act to whom the provisions on long-term benefits under that Act do not apply pursuant to the provisions of that paragraph is not to be a category III EPI insured.

①A person 70 years of age or older who is employed at an applicable place of business and does not hold the right to receive an employees' old-age pension, an old-age basic pension under the National Pension Act, or any other benefit in the form of a pension that has old age or retirement as the grounds for payment and that is specified by Cabinet Order (excluding a person who falls under any item of Article 12) may, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 9, make a request to an implementing organization and become an insured.

②When the request is accepted, a person who has made the request under the preceding paragraph acquires status as an insured on that day.

③If a person prescribed in the preceding paragraph is in arrears on the insurance premiums to be paid for the first time and does not pay those insurance premiums by the designated due date under the provisions of Article 86, paragraph (1), the person is deemed not to have become an insured under the provisions of paragraph (1); provided, however, that this does not apply if the employer has given the consent prescribed in the proviso to paragraph (7).

④An insured under the provisions of paragraph (1) may, at any time, make a request to an implementing organization and lose status as an insured.

⑤An insured under the provisions of paragraph (1) loses status as an insured on the day following the day on which the insured comes to fall under Article 14, item (i), item (ii), or item (iv), or any of the following items (or, if the insured acquires status as an insured again on the day of that fact, on that day).

⑥If an insured under the provisions of paragraph (1) is in arrears on insurance premiums (excluding the insurance premiums to be paid for the first time) and does not pay those insurance premiums by the designated due date under the provisions of Article 86, paragraph (1) (excluding the case where the employer has given the consent prescribed in the proviso to the following paragraph), the insured loses status as an insured, notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph, on the last day of the month preceding the month that includes the due date for payment of those insurance premiums prescribed in Article 83, paragraph (1).

⑦Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 82, paragraphs (1) and (2), an insured under the provisions of paragraph (1) is to bear the full amount of the insurance premiums and has the obligation to pay the insurance premiums that the insured bears, and the provisions of Article 84 do not apply to that person; provided, however, that this does not apply if the employer of that person has consented to bear half of those insurance premiums and to have the obligation to pay the insurance premiums of that insured and those that the employer bears itself.

⑧An employer may, with the consent of an insured under the provisions of paragraph (1), withdraw prospectively the consent prescribed in the proviso to the preceding paragraph.

⑨In addition to what is prescribed in paragraphs (1) through (6), matters necessary for the acquisition and loss of status as an insured under the provisions of paragraph (1) are specified by Cabinet Order.

⑩The provisions of paragraph (3) and paragraphs (6) through (8) do not apply to an employer of a category II EPI insured or a category III EPI insured.

①Among the insureds employed at an applicable place of business, an insured under the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article for whom there is no consent of the employer prescribed in the proviso to paragraph (7) of that Article with regard to the bearing and payment of the insurance premiums for that insured is deemed not to be an insured, for the purpose of application of the provisions of Articles 110 and 144 as they were prior to the amendment by Article 1 of the Act Partially Amending the Employees' Pension Insurance Act, etc. for Ensuring the Soundness and Reliability of the Public Pension System (Act No. 63 of 2013; hereinafter referred to as the "2013 Amendment Act"), which are to remain in force pursuant to the provisions of Article 5, paragraph (1) of the Supplementary Provisions of the 2013 Amendment Act.

②Among the insureds employed at an establishing place of business of a surviving employees' pension Fund prescribed in Article 3, item (xi) of the Supplementary Provisions of the 2013 Amendment Act (hereinafter referred to as a "Fund"), an insured under the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article for whom there is no consent of the employer prescribed in the proviso to paragraph (7) of that Article with regard to the bearing and payment of the insurance premiums for that insured is not to be a member of that Fund, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 122 as it was prior to the amendment by Article 1 of the 2013 Amendment Act, which is to remain in force pursuant to the provisions of Article 5, paragraph (1) of the Supplementary Provisions of the 2013 Amendment Act.

③A member who is an insured under the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article (limited to a person for whom there is the consent of the employer prescribed in the proviso to paragraph (7) of that Article) acquires status as a member on the later of the day on which that employer's consent was given and the day on which the place of business at which the person is employed became an establishing place of business.

④A person who has acquired status as a member pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph loses status as a member on the day following the day on which the person comes to fall under any of Article 124, items (i) through (iv) as it was prior to the amendment by Article 1 of the 2013 Amendment Act, which remains in force pursuant to the provisions of Article 5, paragraph (1) of the Supplementary Provisions of the 2013 Amendment Act, or paragraph (5), item (ii) or item (iii) of the preceding Article, or on which the consent of the employer prescribed in the proviso to paragraph (7) of the preceding Article was withdrawn (or, if the person comes to fall under the preceding paragraph on the day of that fact, on that day).

①A person 70 years of age or older who is employed at a place of business other than an applicable place of business and does not hold the right to receive a benefit specified by Cabinet Order prescribed in Article 4-3, paragraph (1) of the Supplementary Provisions may become an insured with the approval of the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare. In this case, the provisions of Article 10, paragraph (2), Article 11, Article 12, Article 13, paragraph (2), Article 14, the proviso to Article 18, paragraph (1), Article 27, Article 29, Article 30, Article 102, paragraph (1) (limited to items (i) and (ii)), and Article 104 apply mutatis mutandis.

②A person who has become an insured pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph loses status as an insured, in addition to pursuant to the provisions of Article 14 as applied mutatis mutandis in that paragraph, on the day following the day on which the person acquires the right to receive a benefit specified by Cabinet Order prescribed in Article 4-3, paragraph (1) of the Supplementary Provisions.