Minutes: 212th Working Conditions Subcommittee (October 14, 2026)
Overview
At the 212th meeting of the Labor Policy Council’s Working Conditions Subcommittee, members discussed digitizing notices and other documents under the Act on Succession to Labor Contracts, rest intervals between work periods, the “right to disconnect,” and tracking working hours. On digitizing notices and other documents, the subcommittee chair asked the secretariat to consider the issue in light of the discussion. On the other three topics, members exchanged views calling for regulation, including mandates and penalties, and views emphasizing flexible responses suited to workplace realities and awareness of existing systems.
Key points
- Digitization of notices and other documents should be considered with attention to reliable delivery, worker protection, and substantive communication.
- On rest intervals between work periods, views split between calls for a mandate and an 11-hour interval, and calls for flexible system design.
- Some called for legislation on the “right to disconnect” and mandatory employer measures, while others favored prioritizing awareness and outreach.
- Views included calls for a mandate to track working hours backed by penalties, and views emphasizing thorough implementation of the current system.
Overview
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s Labor Policy Council Working Conditions Subcommittee held its 212th meeting on October 14, 2026. The agenda covered digitizing notices and other documents under the Act on Succession to Labor Contracts and legislation related to labor standards.
The subcommittee chair asked the secretariat to prepare materials for the next meeting and subsequent meetings in light of the discussion on the three topics.
Impact
Employer-side members said they expected digitizing notices to reduce the risk of loss, streamline procedures, and free up time for discussions with workers.
Details
For digitizing notices and other documents, one issue was a proposal to set the method through labor-management agreement while accommodating a worker’s preferred method if they requested another option. Other views called for written notices as the rule, retention and printing of electronic notices, and discussions or explanations about notification methods.
On rest intervals between work periods, labor-side members called for a mandate covering all workers and penalties, while employer-side members argued for exceptions and flexible operation suited to actual business conditions. On the “right to disconnect,” views ranged from legislating rules for after-hours contact and requiring labor-management discussions to emphasizing awareness through guidelines and other means, and a review of business practices.
On tracking working hours, labor-side members called for a mandate with penalties under the Labor Standards Act to ensure the effectiveness of limits and address unpaid overtime. Employer-side members cited provisions of the Industrial Safety and Health Act and wage ledgers, as well as outreach on the guidelines for properly ascertaining working hours, and called for careful consideration of any new duty.