Article 1In light of the fact that, in recent years, death and injury from overwork, "karoshi, etc." has become more frequent and has grown into a significant societal concern in Japan, and given that they represent significant losses—not only to the victims and their families—but also to society, this Act aims to promote measures to prevent people from dying and becoming injured from overwork by providing research, studies, and information management concerning death and injury from overwork, thereby helping to bring about a society without death and injury from overwork in which people are able to keep working while maintaining a good work-life balance and remaining healthy and fulfilled.

Article 2In this Act, "death and injury from overwork" means death due to cerebrovascular disease or heart disease that is brought on by an overload of work; death by suicide due to a mental disorder that is brought on by an intense psychological burden at work; or cerebrovascular disease, heart disease, or a mental disorder brought on by such work-related causes.

Article 3(1)As the actual situation surrounding death and injury from overwork has not necessarily been sufficiently assessed, measures to prevent it must be undertaken by conducting research and studies to achieve a clear understanding of the actual situation surrounding it and forming the results into something that can be leveraged for use in efforts to effectively prevent it, as well as by encouraging public awareness of the importance of preventing death and injury from overwork and deepening public concern for and understanding of death and injury from overwork.

(2)Measures to prevent death and injury from overwork must be undertaken under close, mutual cooperation among the national government, local governments and related parties, such as a person in control of business.

Article 4(1)In accordance with the basic principles set forth in the preceding Article, the national government is responsible for effectively promoting measures to prevent death and injury from overwork.

(2)In accordance with the basic principles set forth in the preceding Article, local governments must endeavor to effectively promote measures to prevent death and injury from overwork, in cooperation with the national government.

(3)Persons in control of businesses are to endeavor to cooperate with the national government and local governments in promoting measures to prevent death and injury from overwork.

(4)The people are to endeavor to gain awareness of the importance of preventing death and injury from overwork, and to deepen their concern for and understanding of it.

Article 5(1)An enlightenment month to raise awareness for preventing death and injury from overwork is hereby established to encourage awareness of the importance of preventing death and injury from overwork widely among the people and to deepen their concern for and understanding of the same.

(2)The enlightenment month to raise awareness for preventing death and injury from overwork is November.

(3)The national government and local governments must endeavor to implement projects commensurate with the purpose of the enlightenment month to raise awareness for preventing death and injury from overwork.

Article 6Every year, the government must submit to the Diet a report giving a summary of death and injury from overwork in Japan and describing the implementation of measures that the government has taken to prevent it.

Article 7(1)The government must prescribe an outline of measures to prevent death and injury from overwork (hereinafter simply referred to as "the outline" in this Article) to efficiently promote measures to prevent death and injury from overwork.

(2)The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare must prepare a draft of the outline and ask for a decision at a cabinet meeting.

(3)When drafting the outline, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare is to consult with the heads of the relevant administrative organs and hear the opinions of the Council for the Promotion of Measures to Prevent Death and Injury from Overwork.

(4)When prescribing the outline, the government must report it to the Diet and publicize it online or by other appropriate means without delay.

(5)The provisions of the preceding three paragraphs apply mutatis mutandis to any change to the outline.

Article 8(1)The national government is to research the actual situation surrounding death and injury from overwork, study effective prevention of death and injury from overwork, and conduct other research and studies concerning death and injury from overwork; and is to collect, organize, analyze, and provide information concerning death and injury from overwork (hereinafter referred to as "research, studies, and information management concerning from overwork").

(2)When conducting research, studies, and information management concerning death and injury from overwork, the national government is to include a wide range of subjects into its research, studies, and information management, on deaths and injuries associated with work overload or intense psychological burden, including the deaths and injuries of individuals engaged in business, officers of corporations and others, from the perspective of gaining a comprehensive assessment of the background of death and injury from overwork.

Article 9The national government and local governments are to promote awareness among the people of the importance of preventing death and injury from overwork through educational and public relations activities, and are to take the necessary measures to deepen public concern for and understanding of this issue.

Article 10The national government and local governments are to respond rapidly to those at risk of death and injury from overwork and to take the necessary measures to improve and upgrade the system for appropriately handling prevention of death and injury from overwork, such as by securing opportunities for those at high risk of death and injury from overwork and their relatives to avail themselves of counseling services regarding death and injury from overwork, and by securing training opportunities for those who engage in such counseling services, such as industrial physicians.

Article 11The national government and local governments are to take the necessary measures to support private-sector activities related to the prevention of death and injury from overwork.

Article 12The Council for the Promotion of Measures to Prevent Death and Injury from Overwork (referred to as "the Council" in the following Article) is hereby established in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to handle what is prescribed in Article 7, paragraph (3) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 7, paragraph (5)).

Article 13(1)The Council is comprised of 20 or fewer members.

(2)The members of the Council are appointed by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare from among persons suffering from cerebrovascular or heart disease brought on by an overload of work, persons who have come to have a mental disorder due to an intense psychological burden at work, the family members of any of the foregoing persons, persons representing the bereaved families of persons who have died due to such a disease, persons representing the bereaved families of persons who have died by suicide brought on by the relevant disorder, persons representing workers, persons representing employers, and persons with expertise on death and injury from overwork

(3)The members of the Council serve on a part-time basis.

(4)Beyond what is prescribed in the preceding three paragraphs, Cabinet Order prescribes the necessary particulars related to the organization and management of the Council.

Article 14When finding it to be necessary to do so, the government is to take measures, such as legislative or fiscal measures, needed to prevent death and injury from overwork, based on the results of research, studies, and information management concerning death and injury from overwork.