①The Prime Minister, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, and Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications must establish guidelines on the formulation of the general employer action plan prescribed in paragraph (1) of the following Article and the specified employer action plan prescribed in Article 19, paragraph (1) (collectively referred to as the "employer action plan" in the following paragraph) (hereinafter referred to as "guidelines on the formulation of the employer action plan") in line with the basic policy in order to enable employers to comprehensively and effectively implement initiatives concerning the promotion of women's active engagement in professional life.

②The guidelines on the formulation of the employer action plan are to stipulate what should serve as a guide for the employer action plan with regard to the following particulars:

③When establishing or modifying the guidelines on the formulation of the employer action plan, the Prime Minister, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, and Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications must publicize this without delay.

①Employers other than the national government and local governments (hereinafter referred to as "general employers") with over 100 regularly employed workers must establish a general employer action plan (meaning a plan concerning initiatives for the promotion of women's active engagement in professional life implemented by general employers; hereinafter the same applies) in line with the guidelines on the formulation of the employer action plan, and notify the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The same applies upon making any modification to the plan.

②The general employer action plan is to prescribe the following particulars:

③When intending to establish or modify the general employer action plan, general employers prescribed in paragraph (1) must ascertain the ratio of the number of women workers to the total number of workers they hired, gender differences in the number of years of continuous employment, the state of working hours, the ratio of women workers in managerial positions, and other factors in relation to women's active engagement in professional life in their businesses, analyze what can be changed to improve the promotion of women's active engagement in professional life, and establish an action plan based on the analysis of the results, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. In this case, the goals set forth in item (ii) of the preceding paragraph must be quantitatively prescribed using the ratio of the number of women workers to the total number of workers they hire, the ratio of reduction of difference in the number of years of continuous employment based on gender, working hours, and the ratio of women workers in managerial positions and other figures.

④When establishing or modifying the general employer action plan, general employers prescribed in paragraph (1) must take measures to publicize this among workers pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

⑤When establishing or modifying the general employer action plan, general employers prescribed in paragraph (1) must publicize this pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

⑥General employers prescribed in paragraph (1) must implement initiatives based on the general employer action plan and endeavor to achieve the goals prescribed in the general employer action plan.

⑦General employers with 100 or less regularly employed workers must endeavor to establish a general employer action plan in line with the guidelines on the formulation of the employer action plan and notify the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The same applies upon making any modification to the plan.

⑧The provisions of paragraph (3) and the provisions of paragraphs (4) through (6) apply mutatis mutandis to cases in which general employers prescribed in the preceding paragraph intend to establish or modify the general employer action plan, and cases in which general employers prescribed in the preceding paragraph established or modified the general employer action plan, respectively.

Based on applications from general employers who notified the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare pursuant to the provisions of the preceding Article, paragraph (1) or paragraph (7), the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may certify those general employers as having implemented initiatives for the promotion of women's active engagement in professional life that are appropriate and conform to other standards specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

①General employers who obtained the approval referred to in the preceding Article (hereinafter referred to as "certified general employers") may affix a mark specified by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare to goods, items for the provision of services, advertisements of goods or services or documents used for transactions, or communication and other goods and services specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (referred to as the "goods, etc.," in the following paragraph and Article 14, paragraph (1)).

②No person must affix a mark prescribed in the preceding paragraph or any other misleading mark to the goods, etc., in addition to the cases under the provisions of the preceding paragraph.

The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may rescind approval as a general employer referred to in Article 9 if a certified general employer falls under any of the following items:

Based on an application from a certified general employer, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, may certify, with respect to initiatives for the promotion of women's active engagement in professional life, that the general employer has implemented initiatives under the general employer action plan formulated by the general employer and has achieved the goals set forth in that general employer action plan; that the general employer has published information on the measures it has taken under the provisions of Article 13, paragraph (1) of the Act on Equal Opportunity and Treatment between Men and Women in Employment (Act No. 113 of 1972); that the general employer has appointed persons who take charge of the duties prescribed in Article 19 of that Act and persons who take charge of duties prescribed in Article 29 of the Act on Childcare Leave, Caregiver Leave, and Other Measures for the Welfare of Workers Caring for Children or Other Family Members (Act No. 76 of 1991); and that the status of implementation of the relevant initiatives for the promotion of women's active engagement in professional life by the general employer is especially favorable and conforms to other standards specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

①The provisions of Article 8, paragraphs (1) and (7) do not apply to the general employers who obtained approval referred to in the preceding Article (hereinafter referred to as "specially certified general employers").

②Specially certified general employers must publicize the status of implementation of initiatives for promotion of women's active engagement in professional life at least once every year pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

①Specially certified general employers may affix a mark specified by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare on goods, etc.

②The provisions of Article 10, paragraph (2) apply mutatis mutandis to the markings referred to in the preceding paragraph.

If a specially certified general employer falls under any one of the following items, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may rescind the approval under Article 12: