①In cases where a small and medium sized enterprise who is a member of a certified association of small and medium sized enterprises intends to have the association recruit workers needed to handle business concerning persons who take childcare leave or caregiver leave (including leave equivalent to the leave above, the same applies hereinafter in this paragraph) during the period the persons take the childcare leave or caregiver leave, and then the association intends to engage in the recruitment, the provisions of Article 36, paragraphs (1) and (3) of the Employment Security Act (Act No. 141 of 1947) do not apply to the small and medium sized enterprise who is a member of the association.

②In this Article and the following Article, the meanings of the terms listed in the following items are as prescribed respectively in those items:

③If The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare finds that a certified association of small and medium sized enterprises has ceased to be appropriate as an entity that provides counseling services and support referred to in item (ii) of the preceding paragraph, the Minister may rescind the certification referred to in the same item..

④The certified association of small and medium sized enterprises referred to in paragraph (1) must, in intending to engage in the recruitment, then as prescribed by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, notify the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare of the recruitment period, the number of workers to be recruited, the recruitment area, and other particulars with regard to the recruitment of workers and which are specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

⑤The provisions of Article 37, paragraph (2) of the Employment Security Act apply mutatis mutandis to the case where the notification pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph is made; the provisions of paragraphs (1) and (4) of Article 5-3, Article 5-4, paragraphs (1) and (2), Article 5-5, Article 39, Article 41, paragraph (2), Article 42, Article 48-3, paragraph (1), Article 48-4, Article 50, paragraphs (1) and (2), and Article 51 of the same Act apply mutatis mutandis to a person that engages in recruitment of workers by making a notification pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph; the provisions of Article 40 of the same Act apply mutatis mutandis to the payment of remuneration to a person that engages in recruitment of workers by making a notification pursuant to the provisions of the same paragraph; and the provisions of Article 50, paragraphs (3) and (4) of the same Act apply mutatis mutandis to the case where an administrative agency exercises official authority prescribed in paragraph (2) of the same Article, as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to this paragraph. In this case, the term "a person that intends to carry out labor recruitment" in Article 37, paragraph (2) of the same Act is deemed to be replaced with "a person that intends to engage in recruitment of workers by making a notification referred to in Article 53, paragraph (4) of the Act on Childcare Leave, Caregiver Leave, and Other Measures for the Welfare of Workers Caring for Children or Other Family Members," and the term "order to abolish recruitment business with regard to the workers, or period" in Article 41, paragraph (2) of the same Act is deemed to be replaced with "period."

⑥With regard to the application of the provisions of Article 36, paragraph (2) and Article 42-2 of the Employment Security Act, the term "referred to in the preceding paragraph" in Article 36, paragraph (2) of the same Act is to be replaced with "which is to be paid by a person who intends to make people not under that person's employment engage in the recruitment of workers and is to be paid to those people"; the term "a recruitment contractor prescribed in Article 39" in Article 42-2 of the same Act is to be replaced with "a person which engages in the recruitment of workers by making a notification pursuant to the provisions of Article 53, paragraph (4) of the Act on Childcare Leave, Caregiver Leave, and Other Measures for the Welfare of Workers Caring for Children or Other Family Members"; and the term "the same paragraph" is to be replaced with "the following paragraph."

⑦The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may request a certified association of small and medium sized enterprises to submit a report with regard to the status of provision of counseling services and support referred to in item (ii) of paragraph (2).