This Act comes into force on April 1, 2000; provided, however, that the provisions set forth in the following items come into force on the dates prescribed therein:

Beyond as prescribed in the relevant Acts before their amendment under this Act, after this Act comes into force, a local government is to handle, as its own administrative processes, the administrative processes of the national government, of local governments other than itself, and of other public entities (referred to as "administrative processes of the national government and other public entities" in Article 161 of the Supplementary Provisions) which, before this Act comes into force, an entity of that local government manages or performs pursuant to an Act or pursuant to a Cabinet Order based on an Act, and is to do so pursuant to that Act or pursuant to a Cabinet Order based on an Act.

①To apply the relevant Acts after their amendment on or after the effective date of this Act, except for Article 2 of the Supplementary Provisions through the preceding Article and the provisions on transitional measures in the relevant Acts after their amendment (including orders thereunder), a measure or any other such action regarding something such as permission that is taken, pursuant to one of the relevant Acts before its amendment, before this Act comes into force (for the provisions set forth in the items of Article 1 of the Supplementary Provisions, this means before those provisions come into force; the same applies hereinafter in this Article and Article 163 of the Supplementary Provisions) (hereinafter referred to in this Article as a "measure or other such action") or an application or any other such action regarding something such as permission that is undertaken, pursuant to one of the relevant Acts before its amendment, by the time this Act comes into force (hereinafter referred to as an "application or other such action") which involves an administrative process that will start to be carried out by a different person on the day on which this Act comes into force, is deemed to be a measure or other such action or an application or other such action that is taken or undertaken pursuant to the corresponding provisions of the relevant Act after its amendment.

②Beyond as otherwise provided for in this Act and Cabinet Order based hereupon, information that, before this Act comes into force, a person must report to, file with, submit to, or otherwise process with the national government or a local government entity pursuant to the relevant Acts before their amendment, but that has not been processed before the date on which this Act comes into force, is deemed to be information that a person must report to, file with, submit to, or otherwise process with the national government or corresponding entity of the local government pursuant to the corresponding provisions of the relevant Acts after their amendment but that has not been processed, and the relevant Acts after their amendment by this Act apply.

①For an appeal under the Administrative Appeals Act against a measure that has been taken, before the effective date and in connection with an administrative process of the national government or another public entity, by an administrative agency (hereinafter referred to in this Article as an "issuing agency") that answered to a higher administrative agency as prescribed in that Act (hereinafter referred to in this Article as a "higher administrative agency") prior to the effective date, the issuing agency is deemed to continue to answer to a higher administrative agency even after the effective date, and the Administrative Appeals Act applies. In such a case, the agency deemed to be the higher administrative agency to which the issuing agency answers is that to which it answered before the effective date.

②In a case as referred to in the preceding paragraph, if the agency that is deemed to be the higher administrative agency is a local government entity, the administrative processes to be handled by the entity pursuant to the Administrative Appeals Act constitute item (i) statutorily entrusted functions as prescribed in Article 2, paragraph (9), item (i) of the New Local Autonomy Act.

Beyond what is otherwise provided for in this Act and in Cabinet Orders based hereupon, prior laws continue to govern the fees payable under the relevant Acts (including orders based on the same) before their amendment under this Act prior to the effective date.

Prior laws continue to govern the applicability of penal provisions to conduct in which a person engages before this Act comes into force.

Beyond what is prescribed in these Supplementary Provisions, Cabinet Order provides for the necessary transitional measures associated with bringing this Act into force (including transitional measures for penal provisions).

As well as reviews being made of item (i) statutorily entrusted administrative functions as prescribed in Article 2, paragraph (9), item (i) of the New Local Autonomy Act from the perspective of ensuring, to the greatest extent possible, that no new functions are created, reviews are also made of the functions set forth in Appended Table I of the New Local Autonomy Act and functions provided for by Cabinet Order based on the New Local Autonomy Act from the perspective of promoting decentralization of authority, and these functions are to be amended as appropriate.

The government is to examine how to secure adequate sources of local tax revenue based on the sharing of roles between the national government and local governments in consideration of the prevailing economic trends, and take the necessary measures based on the results of its examination, in order to enable local governments to perform their administrative functions and undertakings autonomously and independently.