For the purpose of facilitating or otherwise promoting the re-employment of elderly persons and others, the national government is to give consideration so that vocational guidance, employment placements, vocational training, and other measures concerning elderly persons and others can be implemented in an effective and coordinated way.

For the purpose of facilitating or otherwise promoting the re-employment of elderly persons, public employment security offices are to search for job openings in order to secure employment opportunities for elderly persons and others and are to also strive to collect information concerning job openings and job applications related to elderly persons and others and to provide such information to elderly persons and others seeking jobs and to employers.

①When deemed necessary in order to introduce elderly persons and others to employment that is compatible with their abilities, public employment security offices are to give guidance to recruiting employers on age and other conditions.

②Public employment security offices may give those that employ or seek to employ elderly persons and others the necessary advice and other support on technical particulars concerning the employment of elderly persons and others concerning such particulars as hiring, assignments, working equipment and the working environment.

①If an elderly person and other persons (limited to those specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) or other persons specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (hereinafter referred to as "elderly persons eligible for re-employment assistance and other assistance") are separated from employment due to being dismissed by their employer (excluding dismissal based on grounds attributable to those persons themselves) or due to any other reason specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and if the elderly persons eligible for re-employment assistance and other assistance wish to be re-employed, the employer must strive to search for job openings and take other necessary measures to support the elderly persons eligible for re-employment assistance and other assistance in their search for re-employment (hereinafter referred to as the "measures to support re-employment").

②Public employment security offices are to provide an employer with the necessary advice and other support for the measures to support re-employment that should be taken by the employer pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, at the request of the employer.

①In the event that elderly persons eligible for re-employment assistance and other assistance whose number is equal to or greater than the number specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare are separated from employment due to a reason specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as set forth in paragraph (1) of the preceding Article, the employer must notify the Chief of the Public Employment Security Office of this in advance, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

②The calculation of the number of workers separated from employment in the case referred to in the preceding paragraph is to be made by the calculation method specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

①When elderly persons and others (limited to those specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) who are to be separated from their employment due to dismissal (excluding dismissal based on grounds attributable to those persons themselves) or other reasons specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as being similar to dismissal (hereinafter referred to as "dismissal or other disposition" in this paragraph) wish to be re-employed, an employer must draft a document (hereinafter referred to as the " Support Plan for Job-Seeking") pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, regarding the particulars specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare concerning the work experience and occupational abilities of the elderly persons and others, and other particulars that will help them become re-employed (excluding the reasons for their dismissal or other disposition), and that also clarifies the measures to be taken by the employer to support their re-employment, and issue it to the elderly persons and others, in order to facilitate their re-employment.

②An employer who has drafted a Support Plan for Job-Seeking pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph is to appoint a person to be in charge of re-employment support from among the persons employed by the employer and have that person provide, in accordance with the Support Plan for Job-Seeking, support for the re-employment of elderly persons and others that are subjects of the Support Plan for Job-Seeking in cooperation with public employment security offices and pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

①The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may give necessary guidance and advice to an employer who violates the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article.

②If the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare finds that an employer still violates the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article, even after having received the guidance and advice as provided for in the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may recommend the employer prepare a Support Plan for Job-Seeking and issue it to the elderly persons and others that are the subjects of the Support Plan for Job-Seeking.

①Workers who have received a Support Plan for Job-Seeking may present the plan to public employment security offices when applying for employment there.

②When presented with a Support Plan for Job-Seeking pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, public employment security offices are to consider the content of the Support Plan for Job-Seeking and offer advice on how to prepare a document that clarifies the work experiences, etc. of the job seeker and provide other support to the job seeker.

③If deemed necessary when offering the advice and other support provided for in the preceding paragraph, the Chief of the Public Employment Security Office may request that the employer that prepared the Support Plan for Job-Seeking provide information and any other necessary cooperation.

①When an employer recruits or employs workers and sets an upper age limit for applicants (limited to age limits of not more than 65 years of age) due to compelling reasons, the employer must explain the reasons for the limitation to the job seekers, pursuant to a method specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

②If the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare deems it necessary, the Minister may request reports from an employer or give advice, guidance, or recommendations, with regard to providing grounds specified in the preceding paragraph or the content of the grounds.

After retirement of the elderly persons employed by the employer due to reaching the mandatory retirement age or for other similar reasons, the employer must strive to take measures to provide support to the elderly persons so that they can acquire the necessary knowledge concerning life after retirement and must take other measures in order to support the elderly persons in making the necessary preparations to facilitate their retirement from occupational life, in accordance with their wishes.

The Chief of the Public Employment Security Office is to issue job application pocketbooks for middle-aged and elderly unemployed persons and other persons (hereinafter referred to as a "Pocketbook") to middle-aged and elderly unemployed persons and other persons who fall under each of the following items, based on an application from the persons: