National Public Service Ethics Code
Cabinet Order No. 101 of March 28, 2000
The Cabinet hereby enacts this Cabinet Order based on the provisions of Article 5, paragraph (1), Article 6, paragraph (1) and Article 45 of the National Public Service Ethics Act (Act No.129 of 1999).
(Standards for Ethical Conduct)
Article 1Officials (meaning officials provided for in Article 2, paragraph (1) of the National Public Service Ethics Act (hereinafter referred to as the "Act"); the same applies hereinafter) must have pride as national public officers and be conscious of their mission, and conduct themselves in accordance with the ethical principles set forth in Article 3 of the Act listed in items (i) through (iii) as well as the matters listed in items (iv) and (v), as the standards officials should observe for the maintenance of ethics pertaining to their duties:
(i)officials must be conscious that they are public servants of all citizens and not just some citizens, must not give unjust and discriminatory treatment to citizens such as handling information that is available in the course of duties for the mere benefit of only some citizens, and must always execute the duties fairly;
(ii)officials must always make a proper distinction between the public and private, and must not utilize their duties or positions for private interests of their own or of an organization to which they belong;
(iii)in exercising the authority granted by laws, officials must not conduct any acts that may bring about suspicion or distrust from the citizens such as receiving any gifts, etc. from any person upon whom the officials exercise their authority;
(iv)officials must devote their utmost effort in the performance of their duties with the aim of promoting public interest; and
(v)officials must conduct themselves, with always being aware that their acts may have an influence on the trust in public service even while off-duty.
(Interested Parties)
Article 2(1)In this Cabinet Order, the term "interested parties" means persons specified respectively in the following items for the categories of duties that officials engage in provided for respectively in those items as their affairs; provided, however, that, excluding those who have only potential interest in duties of officials, those who engage in duties with few discretion designated by the heads of each ministry and agency (meaning those provided for in Article 5, paragraph (3) of the Act; the same applies hereinafter) specified by the officials directives (meaning those provided for in the same paragraph; the same applies hereinafter), those who engage in duties with few discretion designated by the heads of agencies engaged in administrative execution provided for in Article 2, paragraph (4) of the Act on General Rules for Incorporated Administrative Agency (Act No. 103 of 1999) (hereinafter referred to as "agencies engaged in administrative execution") by the codes (meaning those provided for in the Article 5, paragraph (4) of the Act; the same applies hereinafter), and those who work in foreign government, international organization, or any other equivalent organization (limited to those who work if they conduct acts for the interest of the foreign government, the international organization, or any other equivalent organization):
(i)affairs concerning permission, etc. (meaning permission, etc. provided for in Article 2, item (iii) of the Administrative Procedure Act (Act No. 88 of 1993)):business operators, etc. (meaning those provided for in Article 2, paragraph (5) of the Act and those deemed to be business operators, etc. pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (6) of the same Article; the same applies hereinafter) who engage in business with the permission, etc., business operators, etc. or individuals (excluding those deemed to be business operators, etc. pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (6) of the same Article; hereinafter referred to as "specified individuals") who are applying for the permission, etc., and business operators, etc. or specified individuals who clearly intend to apply for the permission, etc.;
(ii)affairs concerning granting subsidies, etc. (meaning subsidies, etc. provided for in Article 2, paragraph (1) of the Act on Regulation of Execution of Budget Pertaining to Subsidies (Act No. 179 of 1955); the same applies hereinafter):business operators, etc. or specified individuals who have been granted the subsidies, etc. (including indirect subsidies, etc. which are directly financed in whole or part from the subsidies, etc. among those listed in item (i) of paragraph (4) of the same Article) and engage in the affairs or business subject to the grant, business operators, etc. or specified individuals who are applying for the grant of the subsidies, etc. and business operators, etc. or specified individuals who clearly intend to apply for the grant of the subsidies, etc.;
(iii)affairs concerning on-site inspection, audit or inspection (limited to those conducted based on the provisions of laws and regulations; hereinafter referred to as "inspection, etc." in this item):business operators, etc. or specified individuals subject to the inspection, etc.;
(iv)affairs concerning adverse dispositions (meaning those provided for in Article 2, item (iv) of the Administrative Procedure Act):business operators, etc. or specified individuals who are to be subject to the adverse disposition in the case where the authority intends to make the adverse disposition;
(v)affairs concerning administrative guidance (meaning those provided for in Article 2, item (vi) of the Administrative Procedure Act):business operators, etc. or specified individuals who are actually required a certain action or inaction by the administrative guidance;
(vi)affairs concerning development, improvement and coordination of business among those under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet Office or each ministry (excluding affairs listed respectively in the preceding items):business operators, etc. who engage in the business;
(vii)affairs concerning contracts which are the cause of expenditure of the national government, affairs concerning contracts provided for in Article 29 of the Public Accounting Act (Act No.35 of 1947), or affairs concerning contracts equivalent to these pertaining to duties of agencies engaged in administrative execution:business operators, etc. who have concluded these contracts, those who are offering these contracts and those who clearly intend to offer these contracts;
(viii)affairs concerning necessary coordination pursuant to the provisions of Article 18, paragraph (1) of the Public Finance Act (Act No.34 of 1947):national organs subject to the coordination;
(ix)affairs concerning deciding or revising of the fixed numbers of officials in each grade of the salary schedules provided for in Article 8, paragraph (1) of the Act on Remuneration of Officials in the Regular Service (Act No. 95 of 1950)), affairs concerning stating opinions regarding the deciding or revising provided for in the same paragraph, or affairs concerning deciding or revising of the fixed numbers of officials in each grade of the salary schedules provided for in paragraph (2) of the same Article:national organs subject to these deciding or revising; and
(x)affairs concerning examination of establishment, increase, decrease and abolition of the ceiling of the number of officials pursuant to the provisions of Article 12, paragraph (2), item (xiv) of the Cabinet Act (Act No. 5 of 1947):national organs subject to the examination.
(2)When an official is assigned to another position, if an interested party of the official pertaining to the position before the assignment remains an interested party of another official pertaining to the position, the interested party is deemed to be an interested party of the assigned official for three years after the date of the assignment (or until the date when the interested party ceases to be the interested party of another official pertaining to the position within that period).
(3)If it is clear that the interested party of another official contacts an official so as to gain the other official's interest by getting the official to exercise influence derived from that official's own position on the other official, the interested party of the other official is also deemed to be the interested party of the official.
(Prohibited Acts)
Article 3(1)Officials must not conduct acts listed below:
(i)receiving gifts of money, article or real properties (including farewell gifts, congratulatory gifts, condolence money, offering of flowers and any other items equivalent thereto) from interested parties;
(ii)receiving money loans (in cases of banking business, limited to those without interest or with significantly low interest) from interested parties;
(iii)leasing goods or real properties from or at the expense of interested parties without providing compensation;
(iv)receiving the provision of services from or at the expense of interested parties without providing compensation;
(v)receiving unlisted shares (meaning shares not listed on the Financial Instruments Exchange provided for in Article 2, paragraph (16) of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (Act No.25 of 1948), and not registered in over-the-counter traded securities register provided for in Article 67-11, paragraph(1) of the Act) from interested parties;
(vi)receiving an entertainment or a treat from interested parties;
(vii)playing games or golf with interested parties;
(viii)taking a trip (excluding business trip for the purpose of public service) with interested parties; and
(ix)having interested parties conduct acts listed in the preceding items to third parties.
(2)Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph, officials may conduct acts listed below:
(i)receiving gifts of advertising materials or souvenirs to be widely and generally distributed from interested parties;
(ii)receiving gifts of souvenirs from interested parties at a buffet-style party that many persons attend (meaning a gathering serving food and drink in a stand-up style; the same applies hereinafter);
(iii)when visiting an interested party as duties of that official, using goods provided by the interested party;
(iv)when visiting an interested party as duties of that official, using a car (limited to that the interested party uses daily in its business, etc.) provided by the interested party (limited to those cases where using the car is considered appropriate in light of circumstances of transportation around the office, etc. of the interested party and other reasons);
(v)receiving refreshments from an interested party at a meeting or at any other gathering that an official attends as duties of that official;
(vi)receiving food and drink served from an interested party at a buffet-style party that many persons attend; and
(vii)receiving simple food and drink served from an interested party at a meeting that an official attends as duties of that official.
(3)With regard to the application of the provisions of paragraph (1), if officials (in the case of acts listed in item (ix) of the same paragraph, the third parties provided for in the same item; hereinafter the same applies in this paragraph), from interested parties, purchased goods or real properties, leased goods or real properties, or received the provision of services, if the selling price of those goods, etc. were extremely lower than the market prices when those acts were done, the official is deemed to have received gifts of money equivalent to difference between the selling price and the market prices.
(Exceptions to Prohibited Acts)
Article 4(1)Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article, officials may conduct acts listed in the items of the same paragraph (excluding item (ix)), with those whom officials have a private relationship with (meaning relation that is irrelevant to their status as officials; the same applies hereinafter) and who fall under interested parties, only when these acts are considered not to bring about any suspicion or distrust from the citizens with regards to the fairness of execution of duty in light of the situation of interests in the course of their duties, the circumstance and the current situation of the private relationship and the manner of acts that officials intend to conduct.
(2)If officials may not judge whether their acts may bring about any suspicion or distrust from the citizens with regards to the fairness of execution of duty set forth in the preceding paragraph, officials are to consult with an ethics supervisory officer (meaning an ethics supervisory officer set forth in Article 39, paragraph (1) of the Act; the same applies hereinafter) and follow instruction of that officer.
(3)"Their status as officials" set forth in paragraph (1) includes the status as a national public employee in the special service, etc. (meaning a national public employee in the special service, etc. provided for in Article 82, paragraph (2) of the National Public Service Act (Act No.120 of 1947) the same applies hereinafter) in the cases where an official retired, upon the request of an appointer to become a national public employee in the special service, etc., was continuously appointed as a national public employee in the special service, etc., and then was continuously appointed as an official on the premise of that retirement (including cases where an official who held the position of a national public employee in the special service, etc., continuously held one or more government positions in the special service, etc., and was continuously appointed as an official on the premise of that retirement).
(Prohibited Acts between Those Who Are Other than Interested Parties)
Article 5(1)Officials must not receive an entertainment or a treat, or property benefits exceeding the limit of socially accepted conventions such as receiving an entertainment or a treat repeatedly from business operators, etc. even if those business operators, etc. do not fall under interested parties.
(2)Officials must not have the value of goods or real properties they purchased or leased, or of services they received paid by business operators, etc. who were not present at the time of those actions, regardless of whether or not these business operators, etc. are interested parties.
(Prohibition of Receiving Reward for Supervising of Specific Books)
Article 6(1)Officials must not receive a reward for supervising or compiling books, etc. (meaning printed materials such as books, magazines, etc. or recorded materials of characters, diagrams, sounds, images or programs used for computers in an electronic form, a magnetic form, or any other form not recognizable to human perception; the same applies hereinafter) listed below:
(i)books, etc. prepared at the cost of subsidies, etc. or expense the national government disburses directly (in the case of an official of an agency engaged in administrative execution, benefits (limited to those to which the provisions of the Act on Regulation of Execution of Budget Pertaining to Subsidies, etc. apply mutatis mutandis; the same applies hereinafter) that the agency engaged in administrative execution to which official belongs disburses or expense that the agency disburses directly) (in the case of an official of a national organ (meaning the Cabinet Secretariat, the Cabinet Legislation Bureau, the National Personnel Authority, the Cabinet Office, the Imperial Household Agency, the Fair Trade Commission, the National Police Agency, the Personal Information Protection Commission, the Financial Services Agency, the Consumer Affairs Agency, each ministry and the Board of Audit; hereinafter the same applies in this paragraph and paragraph (1) of the next Article), including books, etc. prepared at the cost of benefits or expense that the agencies engaged in administrative execution under the jurisdiction of the national organ to which the official belongs disburses or expense that the agency disburses directly; in the case of an official of an agency engaged in administrative execution, including books, etc. prepared at the cost of subsidies, etc. disbursed by the national organ which supervises the agency engaged in administrative execution or expense that the national organ disburses directly, or prepared at the cost of benefits that the agencies engaged in administrative execution other than the agency engaged in administrative execution under the jurisdiction of the national organ disburse or expense these agencies disburse directly.); and
(ii)books, etc. more than half of those prepared are purchased by the national organ or the agency engaged in administrative execution to which the official belongs (in the case of an official of a national organ, including books, etc. the total number of those purchased by the national organ to which the official belongs and the agencies engaged in administrative execution under the jurisdiction of the national organ exceeds half of those prepared; in the case of an official of an agency engaged in administrative execution, including books, etc. the total number of those purchased by the national organ which supervises the agency engaged in administrative execution and the agencies engaged in administrative execution under the jurisdiction of the national organ exceeds half of those prepared.).
(2)With regard to the application of the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the National Archives of Japan, Incorporated Administrative Agency is to be deemed to be under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet Office.
(Prohibition of Acts Obstructing Maintenance of Ethics Pertaining to the Duties of Officials)
Article 7(1)An official must not receive or enjoy all or part of the interest, knowing that the interest is the property benefits which another official of the national organ or the agency engaged in administrative execution to which official belongs (in case of an act in violation of the provisions of Article 3, paragraph (1), item (ix), a third party provided for in the same item) has obtained in violation of the provisions of Article 3 or the preceding two Articles.
(2)An official, to the National Public Service Ethics Board, or to the appointer of the official, ethics supervisory officer of the official, another official who is responsible for maintenance of ethics pertaining to the duties of officials in the administrative organ, etc. (meaning administrative organ, etc. set forth in Article 39, paragraph (1) of the Act; the same applies hereinafter) to which the official belongs, or to the superior of the official, must not make a false statement or conceal the facts that the official suspects that the official or another official of the administrative organ, etc. to which the official belongs has committed an act that violates the Act or orders (including official directives and codes; the same applies hereinafter) based on the Act.
(3)When an official of designated service or higher provided for in Article 2, paragraph (3) of the Act, an official who receives the special holiday work allowance for managerial officials provided for in Article 19-3, paragraph (1) of the Act on Remuneration of Officials in the Regular Service and the managerial allowance provided for in Article 10-2, paragraph (1) of the Act, and an official whose ethics supervisory officer specifies as having duties and responsibilities equivalent to those of the above-mentioned officials suspects that an official whom the official manages or supervises has committed an act that violates the Act or orders based on the Act, the official must not disregard the suspicion.
(Notification in Case of Eating and Drinking with Interested Parties)
Article 8When an official eats and drinks with interested parties without the expenses required for the official's own eating and drinking being born by the interested parties, and the expenses required for the official's own eating and drinking exceeds 10,000 yen, the official must notify the official's ethics supervisory officer of matters specified by the officer in advance, except for the following cases; provided, however, that if the official was unable to notify in advance due to unavoidable reasons, the official must notify the matters subsequently and promptly:
(i)when eating and drinking with interested parties at a buffet-style party that many persons attend; or
(ii)when eating and drinking with interested parties with whom the official has a private relationship with the expenses required for the official's own eating and drinking being born by the parties or with a person with whom the official has a private relationship and who is not an interested party.
(Restriction on Lectures)
Article 9(1)When an official intends, in response to requests with a reward from an interested party, to give lectures, make discussions, give guidance or pass on knowledge at classes or training, write, supervise or compile books, or appear in broadcast programs of radio broadcasting or television broadcasting (excluding acts with the permission under Article 104 of the National Public Service Act; hereinafter referred to as "lectures, etc."), the official must obtain approval of ethics supervisory officer of that official in advance.
(2)Concerning the reward from an interested party set forth in the preceding paragraph, an ethics supervisory officer is to specify the standards to which officials are to refer depending on the type or the content of duties of officials.
(Consultation with an Ethics Supervisory Officer)
Article 10If an official may not judge whether the counterparty of acts of that official falls under an interested party, or whether acts that official conducts between that official and an interested party fall under those listed in the items of Article 3, paragraph (1), the official is to consult with the ethics supervisory officer.
(Reports of Gifts, etc.)
Article 11(1)A reward provided for in the National Public Service Ethics Code referred to in Article 6, paragraph (1) of the Act is to be the reward which falls under any of the following items:
(i)a reward for lectures, etc. paid by a business operator, etc. who falls under an interested party; or
(ii)a reward for lectures, etc. concerning matters related to present or past duties of an official among those for lectures, etc. paid by business operators, etc. who do not fall under interested parties.
(2)The matters provided for in the National Public Service Ethics Code set forth in Article 6, paragraph (1), item (iv) of the Act are to be matters listed below:
(i)the content of gifts, etc. (meaning gifts, etc. provided for in Article 6, paragraph (1) of the Act; the same applies hereinafter) or the content of reward (meaning reward provided for in the same paragraph; same applies hereinafter);
(ii)relation between the business operator, etc. who gave gifts, etc. or paid a reward and the duties of the official who received the gifts, etc. or the reward, and relation between the business operator, etc. and the administrative organ, etc. the official belongs to;
(iii)if estimated amount is stated as the value set forth in Article 6, paragraph (1), item (i) of the Act, grounds of the estimation;
(iv)if an official received an entertainment or a treat, the name and address of the place where the official received the relevant entertainment or treat, and the number and occupation of persons who were present at the place of that entertainment or treat (in cases of entertainment or treat received at a buffet-style party that many persons attended, the round number of persons who were present at the place of that entertainment or treat); and
(v)if an officer, an employee, a representative or another person (hereinafter referred to as an "officer, etc.") to whom the provisions of Article 2, paragraph (6) of the Act apply have given gifts, etc., the title or position and the name of the officer, etc. (if the officers, etc. are multiple, the title or position and the name of the person who represents the officers, etc.).
(Time Limit for Sending Reports)
Article 12The sending pursuant to the provisions of Article 6, paragraph (2), Article 7, paragraph (2) or Article 8, paragraph (3) of the Act must be conducted within 30 days from the day following the date of time limit for submission respectively.
(Inspection of Reports of Gifts, etc.)
Article 13(1)Inspection of the reports of gifts, etc. (meaning reports of gifts, etc. provided for in Article 6, paragraph (1) of the Act; the same applies hereinafter) pursuant to the provisions of Article 9, paragraph (2) of the Act (hereinafter referred to as an "inspection of the reports of gifts, etc.") may be requested on and after 60 days from the day following the date of time limit for submission of the report of gifts, etc.
(2)Inspection of reports of gifts, etc. must be conducted at a place designated by the heads of each ministry and agency, etc. (meaning the heads of each ministry and agency, etc. pursuant to the provisions of Article 6, paragraph (1) of the Act; the same applies hereinafter) or a person who is delegated by them pursuant to the provisions of Article 9, paragraph (2) of the Act.
(3)Beyond the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs, necessary matters concerning inspection of reports of gifts, etc. are to be determined by the heads of each ministry and agency, etc. with the consent of the National Public Service Ethics Board.
(4)The application for approval of the National Public Service Ethics Board pursuant to the provisions of Article 9, paragraph (2) of the Act must be filed in writing by the heads of each ministry and agency, etc. or a person who is delegated by them pursuant to the provisions of the same paragraph.
(Responsibilities of the Heads of Each Ministry and Agency, etc.)
Article 14Concerning implementing of the matters specified by the Act or this Cabinet Order, the heads of each ministry and agency, etc. are to have the responsibilities listed below:
(i)establishing official directives or codes as needed based on the provisions of Article 5, paragraphs (3), or (4) of the Act;
(ii)arranging a system for the maintenance of ethics pertaining to the duties of officials of the ministry or agency, or the agency engaged in administrative execution, including arrangement of a system for receipt, examination and preservation of reports of gifts, etc., reports of share dealings, etc. provided for in Article 7, paragraph (1) of the Act and reports of income, etc. provided for in Article 8, paragraph (3) of the Act (hereinafter referred to as an "reports, etc."), sending copies of reports, etc. to the National Public Service Ethics Board, and inspection of reports of gifts, etc.;
(iii)responding strictly to the cases where an official of the ministry or agency, or the agency engaged in administrative execution has violated the Act or orders based on the Act;
(iv)giving due consideration so that an official of the ministry or agency, or the agency engaged in administrative execution is not to receive disadvantageous treatment on the ground that the official has notified the ethics supervisory officer or another appropriate institution of the act that violates the Act or orders based on the Act; and
(v)endeavoring to cultivate and maintain the sense of ethics of officials of the ministry or agency, or the agency engaged in administrative execution through training or other measures.
(Responsibilities of Ethics Supervisory Officer)
Article 15(1)Concerning execution of the matters specified by the Act or this Cabinet Order, an ethics supervisory officer has the responsibilities listed below:
(i)providing consultations provided for in Article 4, paragraph (2) or Article 10 from officials of the administrative organ, etc. to which the ethics supervisory officer belongs, and providing necessary guidance and advice;
(ii)endeavoring to ascertain whether officials of the administrative organ, etc. to which the ethics supervisory officer belongs have any relationship which may bring about any suspicion or distrust from the citizens with a specific person, and providing necessary guidance and advice regarding the maintenance of ethics pertaining to the duties of officials based on the result of ascertaining;
(iii)assisting the heads of each ministry and agency, etc. to which the ethics supervisory officer belongs, and arranging a system for the maintenance of ethics pertaining to the duties of officials of the administrative organ, etc. to which the ethics supervisory officer belongs; and
(iv)when there is an act that violates the Act or orders based on the Act, reporting the act to the competent minister as referred to in the Cabinet Act pertaining to the administrative organ, etc. to which the ethics supervisory officer belongs (to the Chairperson in the case where the ethics supervisory officer belongs to the Commission whose head is to be appointed from among the Ministers of State as provided for by law; to the President of the Board of Audit or the President of the National Personnel Authority in the case where the ethics supervisory officer belongs to each the Board of Audit or the National Personnel Authority,; to the competent minister of the agency engaged in administrative execution (meaning the competent minister provided for in Article 68 of the Act on General Rules for Incorporated Administrative Agency) in the case where the ethics supervisory officer belongs to the agency engaged in administrative execution).
(2)An ethics supervisory officer may have officials of the administrative organ, etc. to which the ethics supervisory officer belongs conduct some of this officer's duties specified by the Act or this Cabinet Order.
(Special Provisions Concerning Local Police Officers)
Article 16(1)When applying the provisions of the Act and this Cabinet Order to local police officers provided for in Article 56, paragraph (1) of the Police Act (Act No. 162, 1954) (hereinafter simply referred to as "local police officers"), the term "the heads of each ministry and agency" means the National Public Safety Commission, the term "the official directives" means the Rules of the National Public Safety Commission, and the term "ethics supervisory officer" means the person designated pursuant to the next paragraph.
(2)In order to maintain ethics pertaining to the duties of local police officers, the National Public Safety Commission is to designate one official among officials belonging to the National Police Agency as the person who is to conduct the duties of the ethics supervisory officer provided for in the Act and this Cabinet Order pertaining to local police officers.
(3)Beyond the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs, with regard to the application of the provisions of the Act pertaining to local police officers, the phrase "officials who belong to the relevant ministry or agency" in Article 5, paragraph (3) of the Act, the phrase "officials who belong to the administrative organs, etc." and the phrase "officials of the administrative organs, etc." in Article 39, paragraph (2) of the Act are deemed to be replaced with "local police officers".
(4)Beyond the provisions of paragraphs (1) and (2), with regard to the application of the provisions of Article 6, paragraph (1) and Article 7, paragraphs (1) and (2) pertaining to local police officers, local police officers are deemed to be officials of the National Police Agency.
(5)Beyond the provisions of paragraphs (1) and (2), and the preceding paragraph, with regard to the application of the provisions of this Cabinet Order pertaining to local police officers, the phrase "subsidies, etc. (meaning subsidies, etc. provided for in Article 2, paragraph (1) of the Act on Regulation of Execution of Budget Pertaining to Subsidies, etc. (Act No. 179 of 1955); the same applies hereinafter)" in Article 2, paragraph (1), item (ii) is deemed to be replaced with "subsidies (meaning subsidies paid by ordinary local public entities pursuant to Article 232-2 of the Local Autonomy Act (Act No. 67 of 1947))", the phrase "subsidies, etc. (including indirect subsidies, etc. which are directly financed in whole or part from the subsidies, etc. among those listed in item (i) of paragraph (4) of the same Article)" and the phrase "subsidies, etc." are deemed to be replaced with "subsidies", the phrase "affairs concerning contracts provided for in Article 29 of the Public Accounting Act (Act No.35 of 1947), or affairs concerning contracts equivalent to these pertaining to duties of agencies engaged in administrative execution" in item (vii) of the same paragraph is deemed to be replaced with " affairs concerning contracts provided for in Article 29 of the Public Accounting Act (Act No.35 of 1947), or affairs concerning contracts provided for in Article 234, paragraph (1) of the Local Autonomy Act", the phrase "subsidies, etc. or" in Article 6, paragraph (1), item (i) is deemed to be replaced with "subsidies, etc. (meaning subsidies, etc. provided for in Article 2, paragraph (1) of the Act on Regulation of Execution of Budget Pertaining to Subsidies, etc. (Act No. 179 of 1955); the same applies hereinafter) or", the phrase "the Act on Regulation of Execution of Budget Pertaining to Subsidies, etc." is deemed to be replaced with " the Act", the phrase "officials of the ministry or agency, or the agency engaged in administrative execution" in Article 14, items (ii) through (v), and the phrase "officials of the administrative organ, etc. to which the ethics supervisory officer belongs" in paragraph (1), items (i) through (iii), and paragraph (2) of the preceding Article are deemed to be replaced with "local police officers", and the phrase "assisting the heads of each ministry and agency, etc. to which the ethics supervisory officer belongs" in paragraph (1), item (iii) of the same Article is deemed to be replaced with "assisting the National Public Safety Commission".