[Chapter 4] Section 1 ①

1. The Japanese legal system consists of three levels.

The Constitution of Japan exists to guide the country and its people in the proper direction. Various laws are established to realize the constitution.

Laws:
Legal norms enacted by a decision of the Diet. Specify basic content.

Cabinet orders:
Established by the Cabinet. Usually, has “order for enforcement” at the end.

Ministerial ordinances:
Established by a Minister. The “Order on ______” indicates specific standards.

Public notices:
established by a Minister. Often have mainly technical content. Provide information.

Notifications:
These are instructions issued from a higher-level government office to a lower-level government office. They indicate matters concerning the interpretation of laws and regulations, operational policies, etc., and instructions for safety and health education, etc.

2. How to read the provisions of laws and regulations

(* As a general rule, the numbers in legal provision are written as Arabic numerals.)

At the top level, there are articles, such as “Article ___-2”.

Articles are composed of paragraphs. The “1” is omitted for Paragraph 1, and numbering begins with 2.

Paragraphs may have numbered items for specifying order in more detail. (➡ Item numbers start from 1)

※ (Parentheses) in the middle of a provision indicate supplemental information or exceptions to the main text, so these parts are read later.

[Reference sites]

・Japan Advanced Information Center of Safety and Health – Legal, statistical, and other information

・Workplace Safety: Statistics, accident examples, and other information

・Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare website (home page) – laws, regulations, notifications, public notices, etc.
➡ Laws and regulations, etc. under ministry jurisdiction ➡ Laws and regulations, public notices, notifications, etc. under ministry jurisdiction