On July 26, 2017, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare ("MHLW") disclosed the status of the implementation of the stress check test program, which was introduced in December 2015 pursuant to an amendment to the Industrial Safety and Health Act. According to the information disclosed by the MHLW, approximately 83 percent of workplaces where employers were legally obliged to carry out stress check tests (workplaces continuously employing 50 or more employees) had conducted stress check tests. In announcing the status of the implementation, the MHLW is signaling its intention to fully implement the stress check test program. For details, please see the December 2015/January 2016 issue of this newsletter.

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