Article 1The purpose of this Act is to promote the objective and rigorous implementation of policy evaluation and to reflect the results of this evaluation in the planning and development of policy, and to make information on policy evaluation public by providing for basic matters regarding policy evaluation carried out by administrative organs, with a view to promoting effective and efficient administration, and ensuring the government's proper discharge of its responsibility to remain accountable to the people for its operations.

Article 2(1)The term "administrative organ" as used in this Act means the following organs:

(2)The term "policy" as used in this Act means the policies, measures, and the like with respect to a set of activities planned and developed by an administrative organ to achieve a certain objective within the scope of its duties or functions under its jurisdiction.

Article 3(1)An administrative organ must study and acquire information on the effects of policy (meaning the effect which a set of activities it carried out or intends to carry out has or is expected to have on the lives of people or society and the economy; the same applies hereinafter) under its jurisdiction at the appropriate time, and on the basis of that study, evaluate own policy from the standpoints of necessity, efficiency, effectiveness, or other standpoints as special characteristics that the policy may require, and appropriately reflect the results of that evaluation in the planning and development of the policy.

(2)Evaluation pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph (hereinafter referred to as "policy evaluation") must be carried out in accordance with what is set forth in the following to ensure objective and rigorous conduct of evaluation:

Article 4The government must, beyond what is prescribed in paragraph (1) of the preceding Article, strive to appropriately utilize the results of policy evaluation for the preparation of budgets and the planning and development of policies relating to the jurisdiction of two or more administrative organs and requiring their comprehensive promotion.

Article 5(1)The government must establish Basic Guidelines for Implementing Policy Evaluation (hereinafter referred to as "Basic Guidelines") for the systematic and steady implementation of policy evaluation.

(2)The Basic Guidelines are to prescribe guidelines for the basic plan referred to in the following Article, paragraph (1) covering the following matters:

(3)The Basic Guidelines are to prescribe beyond the matters prescribed in the preceding paragraph, matters related to measures that have been implemented or are going to be implemented pursuant to the provisions of Article 20 through Article 22, and other measures required for the smooth and steady implementation of policy evaluation.

(4)The Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications must prepare a draft of the Basic Guidelines after asking for the opinions of a council, etc. (meaning one of the organs prescribed in Article 8 of the National Government Organization Act and to be determined by Cabinet Order), and request the decision of the Cabinet.

(5)When the decision of the Cabinet under the preceding paragraph is made, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications must make public the Basic Guidelines without delay.

(6)The provisions of the preceding two paragraphs apply mutatis mutandis to the revision of the Basic Guidelines.

Article 6(1)The Head of an administrative organ (when the organ is the Fair Trade Commission, National Public Safety Commission, Personal Information Protection Commission, Japan Casino Regulatory Commission, Environmental Dispute Coordination Commission or Nuclear Regulation Authority, it is the respective commission or authority; the same applies hereinafter) must draw up a basic plan for policy evaluation (hereinafter referred to as "basic plan") based on the Basic Guidelines for a term longer than three years but not more than five years for policies under the jurisdiction of the administrative organ.

(2)The basic plan is to prescribe the following matters:

(3)The Head of an administrative organ is to prescribe as the policies referred to in the preceding paragraph, item (vi), those that serve as principal organizational objectives to be realized in response to social and economic circumstances, under its organizational missions.

(4)When the Head of an administrative organ has decided on the basic plan, the Head must notify the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications of the plan and make it public without delay.

(5)The provisions of the preceding two paragraphs apply mutatis mutandis to the revision of the basic plan.

Article 7(1)The Head of an administrative organ must decide on the plan for the conduct of ex-post evaluation (hereinafter referred to as "operational plan") for each year.

(2)The operational plan must specify the planning period, the following policies to be subjected to evaluation, and specific methods to be applied to the ex-post evaluation of the policies:

(3)When the Head of an administrative organ has decided on the operational plan, or revised it, they must notify the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications of that plan and make it public without delay.

Article 8The Head of an administrative organ must carry out the ex-post evaluation based on the basic plan and the operational plan.

Article 9The Head of an administrative organ must carry out the ex-ante evaluation about affairs under their jurisdiction when they intend to make a decision on policy pertaining to an individual project of research and development, public works, or official development assistance, or any other policy that meets the following conditions, and to be specified by Cabinet Order:

Article 10(1)When the Head of an administrative organ has conducted the policy evaluation, they must prepare a report containing the following items:

(2)When the Head of an administrative organ has prepared a report on the evaluation pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the Head must promptly send the report to the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications and make the report and its summary public.

Article 11The Head of an administrative organ must inform the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications of how the results of policy evaluation have been reflected in the policy planning and development in the administrative organ, and make this information public at least once a year.

Article 12(1)The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is to carry out evaluation of a government policy with a view to ensuring its coherent or comprehensive implementation with regard to a policy that is commonly adopted by two or more administrative organs and its evaluation is found to be necessary for the purpose of ensuring their government-wide coherence, or a policy of relating to jurisdiction of two or more administrative organs and its evaluation is found to be necessary for the purpose of its comprehensive promotion.

(2)If the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications finds, taking into account the conduct and progress of policy evaluation of an administrative organ, that the conduct of policy evaluation is not assured by the administrative organ despite the Ministry's findings that the re-conduct of evaluation is necessary or that policy evaluation needs to be conducted in response to changes in the social and economic conditions, or that when it finds it necessary to carry out policy evaluation jointly with an administrative organ upon request of the administrative organ, it is to conduct evaluation of the policy of the administrative organ for the purpose of ensuring objective and rigorous implementation of policy evaluation in the government.

(3)The evaluation under the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs is to be conducted by studying and acquiring information on the effects of policy to be subjected to evaluation, and from the standpoints of its necessity, efficiency, effectiveness, or other standpoints as the special characteristics of the policy may require.

Article 13(1)The Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications must draw up each year a plan related to the evaluation under the provisions of the preceding Article, paragraphs (1) and (2) for a term of three years.

(2)The plan referred to in the preceding paragraph must prescribe the following matters:

(3)When the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications has decided on or revised the plan referred to in paragraph (1), the Minister must make it public without delay.

Article 14The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications must carry out evaluation of the policy under the provisions of Article 12, paragraphs (1) and (2), in accordance with the plan referred to in the preceding Article, paragraph (1).

Article 15(1)The Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications may call on the Head of an administrative organ for the submission of materials as well as explanations, or may inspect operations of an administrative organ on the spot to the extent that it is necessary to conduct evaluation under the provisions of Article 12, paragraphs (1) and (2)

(2)The Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications may investigate the following operations, through inspecting documents or making on-the-spot inspection, in connection with the evaluation under the provisions of Article 12, paragraphs (1) and (2).In this case, those subjected to investigation must not refuse it:

(3)The Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications may investigate through inspecting documents or making on-the-spot inspection of operations of local public entities, provided that those operations fall within No. 1 statutory entrusted functions prescribed in Article 2, paragraph (9), item (i) of the Local Autonomy Act (Act No. 67 of 1947) (limited to those which are required to be studied as an integral part of investigation of the operation of an administrative organ and excluding those set forth in item (iv) of the preceding paragraph), to the minimum extent necessary for the attainment of objectives of the evaluation under the provisions of Article 12, paragraphs (1) and (2).In this case, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications is to ask the local public entities concerned for their opinions in advance.

(4)The Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications may ask public or private organizations as well as other persons concerned to cooperate in submitting materials as the Minister may deem necessary for the conduct of evaluation under the provisions of Article 12, paragraphs (1) and (2).

Article 16(1)The Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications must prepare a report on the evaluation containing the particulars set forth in each of the items in Article 10, paragraph (1), when the Minister has conducted the evaluation under the provisions of Article 12, paragraphs (1) and (2).

(2)When the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications has prepared a report on the evaluation under the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the Minister must promptly send the report to heads of related administrative organs with necessary opinions attached, and make the report, its summary and the opinions public.

Article 17(1)The Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications must recommend that heads of related administrative organs take necessary measures to reflect the results of the evaluation in policy planning and development when the Minister finds it necessary as a result of the evaluation under the provisions of Article 12, paragraphs (1) and (2), and must make the recommendations public.

(2)When the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications makes recommendations under the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the Minister may ask the heads of administrative organs to report on measures taken pursuant to the recommendations.

(3)The Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, when finding it particularly necessary, is to offer an opinion for the Prime Minister to take necessary measures under the provisions of Article 6 of the Cabinet Act (Act No. 5 of 1947), with regard to reflecting the results of the evaluation under the provisions of Article 12, paragraphs (1) and (2) in the Policy planning and development.

Article 18When the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications carries out the evaluation under the provisions of Article 12, paragraphs (1) and (2), the Minister must strive to ensure that appropriate links be maintained between the evaluation and monitoring under the provisions of Article 4, paragraph (1), item (xii) of the Act for Establishment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Article 19The government must prepare each year a report on the status of policy evaluation and the evaluation under the provisions of Article 12, paragraphs (1) and (2) (hereinafter referred to as "policy evaluation, etc.") and on how the results of the evaluation have been reflected in policy planning and development, submit the report to the Diet and make it public.

Article 20The government must promote studies on methods of policy evaluation, etc., and take necessary measures, including training, to ensure the acquisition of capable personnel as policy evaluation staff and the enhancement of staff capabilities.

Article 21The Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications is to take necessary measures in relation to the sharing of information and data required for the conduct of policy evaluation, etc., among administrative organs to facilitate the efficient and smooth implementation of policy evaluation, etc.

Article 22The Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications is to take the necessary measures to provide guidance on the location of information related to policy evaluation, etc., including the results of policy evaluation, to assist those persons wishing to obtain that information.