①When the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare has designated a specified industry, a preparatory committee is established in the Organization in order to make the preparations necessary for the commencement of the operations listed in Article 70, paragraph (1), item (i) relating to that specified industry.

②A preparatory committee is organized by the president and by members appointed by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare from among small and medium-sized enterprises that carry on businesses belonging to the specified industry concerned (where the enterprise is a corporation, its representative) and persons with the knowledge and experience necessary for the proper operation of the Organization's retirement allowance mutual aid operations relating to that specified industry (referred to as "preparatory committee members" in the following paragraph).

③The Organization must, after deliberation by the preparatory committee, amend the specified-industry retirement allowance mutual aid rules in order to commence the operations listed in Article 70, paragraph (1), item (i) relating to the specified industry concerned, and obtain the authorization under Article 71, paragraph (2).

④The Organization must, after deliberation by the preparatory committee, amend the annual plan for the business year in which it will commence the operations listed in Article 70, paragraph (1), item (i) relating to the specified industry concerned, in order to commence those operations.

⑤When the Organization has amended the annual plan pursuant to the preceding paragraph and has notified the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare pursuant to Article 31, paragraph (1) of the General Rules Act, it must solicit, from among the small and medium-sized enterprises that carry on businesses belonging to the specified industry concerned, those who wish to become mutual aid policyholders.

⑥When the number of persons who have responded to the solicitation under the preceding paragraph reaches the number obtained by multiplying the number of small and medium-sized enterprises that carry on businesses belonging to the specified industry concerned by the rate specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Organization must apply to the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare for authorization to commence the operations listed in Article 70, paragraph (1), item (i) relating to that specified industry.

⑦A specified-industry retirement allowance mutual aid contract relating to the specified industry concerned is deemed to have been concluded between a person who responded to the solicitation under paragraph (5) and the Organization at the time of the authorization under the preceding paragraph.

⑧The specified-industry retirement allowance mutual aid contract referred to in the preceding paragraph is to take effect on the day on which the Organization commences the operations listed in Article 70, paragraph (1), item (i) relating to the specified industry concerned.

①The Organization must separate its accounting for each of the following operations (for the operations listed in item (ii), for the operations relating to each specified industry), and keep its accounts by establishing an account for each.

②Except where a transfer is made pursuant to Article 46, paragraph (1) or Article 55, paragraph (1) or (4), the Organization must not accommodate funds from one account established pursuant to the preceding paragraph to another account.

①After the Organization has made the settlement under Article 44, paragraph (1) or (2) of the General Rules Act for the last business year of the period of the medium-term objectives prescribed in Article 29, paragraph (2), item (i) of the General Rules Act (referred to as the "period of the medium-term objectives" in this paragraph), if there is a reserve fund under Article 44, paragraph (1) of the General Rules Act, the Organization may apply the portion of the amount corresponding to that reserve fund that has been approved by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare to the financial resources for the operations prescribed in Article 70 in the period of the medium-term objectives following that period of the medium-term objectives, as provided in the medium-term plan authorized under Article 30, paragraph (1) of the General Rules Act for that following period (where authorization of a change under the latter part of that paragraph has been obtained, the plan as changed).

②Where, after deducting the amount approved under the preceding paragraph from the amount corresponding to the reserve fund prescribed in that paragraph, there is still a remainder, the Organization must pay to the national treasury, out of that remaining amount, the amount calculated as provided by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

③In addition to what is provided for in the preceding two paragraphs, the procedures for paying the amount to be paid and other matters necessary for the disposition of reserve funds are specified by Cabinet Order.

①The Organization may, with the authorization of the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, take out long-term loans or issue property accumulation housing bonds in order to cover the expenses necessary for the operations listed in Article 70, paragraph (2), item (i).

②When the Organization takes out short-term loans in order to cover the expenses necessary for the operations listed in Article 70, paragraph (2), item (i), it must obtain the authorization of the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, notwithstanding Article 45, paragraph (1) of the General Rules Act.

③A creditor of property accumulation housing bonds under paragraph (1) has the right to receive payment of their claim in preference to other creditors out of the property of the Organization.

④The order of statutory lien as set forth in the preceding paragraph is to be in the first subordinate position of priority to a general statutory lien pursuant to the provisions of the Civil Code (Act No. 89 of 1896).

⑤The Organization may, with the authorization of the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, entrust all or part of the administrative work relating to taking out long-term loans to a financial institution specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and all or part of the administrative work relating to the issuance of property accumulation housing bonds to a bank, a trust company or a person who conducts financial instruments business.

⑥The provisions of Article 705, paragraphs (1) and (2) and Article 709 of the Companies Act apply mutatis mutandis to a bank, trust company or person who conducts financial instruments business that has been entrusted with administrative work relating to the issuance of property accumulation housing bonds pursuant to the preceding paragraph.

⑦In addition to what is provided for in the preceding paragraphs (excluding paragraph (2)), matters necessary concerning property accumulation housing bonds are specified by Cabinet Order.

The Organization must, for each business year, draw up a redemption plan for long-term loans and property accumulation housing bonds and obtain the authorization of the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare.

With regard to property that an employer of a business belonging to a specified industry has contributed otherwise than under a specified-industry retirement allowance mutual aid contract, the Organization must keep it separate from other property, and manage and invest it so as to contribute to the sound development of the businesses relating to the Organization's retirement allowance mutual aid operations that relate to that specified industry.

①In investing surplus funds arising in the course of retirement allowance mutual aid operations, the Organization must not use any method other than the following:

②Trust property (excluding money and the securities prescribed in item (i) of the preceding paragraph) that comes to belong to the Organization upon the termination or partial cancellation of a trust under the provisions of item (iii) of the preceding paragraph must be invested immediately by the method listed in item (iii) of the preceding paragraph.

③In investing surplus funds arising in the course of retirement allowance mutual aid operations, consideration must be given to ensuring, to the extent that safe and efficient investment is not impaired, that the funds are lent as far as possible as business funds for small and medium-sized enterprises or as funds for promoting the welfare of their employees.

④The provisions of Article 47 of the General Rules Act do not apply to the retirement allowance mutual aid operations of the Organization.

⑤The Organization may, as provided for by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, pool and invest the surplus funds arising in the course of general small and medium-sized enterprise retirement allowance mutual aid operations and specified-industry retirement allowance mutual aid operations.

①With regard to the investment of surplus funds arising in the course of retirement allowance mutual aid operations, the Organization must prepare a basic policy stating the purpose of the investment and other matters specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and must invest in accordance with that basic policy.

②The basic policy under the provisions of the preceding paragraph must not contravene this Act (including orders issued under it) or other laws and regulations.

③When investing by the methods listed in items (iii) and (v) of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article (excluding the payment of insurance premiums specified by Cabinet Order), the Organization must, as provided for by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, indicate to the counterparty to the contract concerning that investment that it is to invest, based on consultation, in line with the purport of the basic policy under the provisions of paragraph (1).

①When the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare finds it necessary in order to enforce the provisions of this Chapter, the Minister may have a property accumulation entrusted financial institution submit reports concerning the operations entrusted to it, or have officials enter the offices of a property accumulation entrusted financial institution and inspect the state of its operations or its books, documents and other articles concerning the operations entrusted to it.

②An official who conducts an on-site inspection under the provisions of the preceding paragraph must carry a certificate showing the official's status and present it to the persons concerned.

③The authority to conduct on-site inspections under paragraph (1) must not be construed as being vested for criminal investigation.

①The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare must consult the Minister of Finance in the following cases:

②When the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare intends to give authorization under Article 28, paragraph (1) of the General Rules Act with regard to the operations listed in Article 70, paragraph (2), item (i), the Minister must consult the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

The competent minister and order of the competent ministry under the General Rules Act with regard to the Organization are the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, respectively.

The provisions of the National Public Officers' Housing Act (Act No. 117 of 1949) do not apply to officers and employees of the Organization.