What changes
On 19 October 2026 the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare published a revised Guideline for Maintaining and Promoting Workers' Health in the Workplace (public notice No. 13), issued under Article 70-2 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act. It applies from the same day.
Until now the guideline focused on prevention through lifestyle: exercise, diet and health guidance aimed at heading off lifestyle-related disease. The revision adds early detection. Encouraging employees to take screenings and detailed examinations, and to get treatment early, is now part of what the guideline treats as health promotion.
It names the conditions to cover: cancer, health issues specific to women, such as menstrual disorders, premenstrual syndrome and menopausal symptoms, dental disease, osteoporosis and eye disease. It also asks employers to work with the health insurers that cover their staff and other medical bodies, and links health promotion to support for employees who continue working while being treated for an illness.
Who it applies to
Every employer in Japan, foreign subsidiaries and branches included. Under Article 69 of the Act, employers must make an effort to take continuous, systematic measures to maintain and promote employee health. That is an effort duty with no penalty, and the guideline describes how to meet it. It sits alongside the mandatory annual health check, which is unchanged.
Action for employers
- Add follow-up to the health check process. Track whether employees flagged for a detailed examination actually take it, and remind them through the occupational physician or HR.
- Cover women's health explicitly. Review whether your health programme, leave rules and manager training deal with menstrual and menopausal symptoms, not only lifestyle disease.
- Talk to your health insurance society. Many already fund cancer and dental screening; joint programmes and data sharing are what the guideline now expects.
- Write down how you support treatment and work. A clear route for adjusted hours or duties during treatment helps keep experienced staff who would otherwise leave.
- Use it in health and productivity management applications. Companies seeking the government's health management certification can point to these measures.
Sources
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, public notice on the Guideline for Maintaining and Promoting Workers' Health in the Workplace (notice No. 13, 19 October 2026), with the guideline text and old-and-new comparison table.
- Industrial Safety and Health Act, Articles 69 and 70-2.
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