The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has published a draft ministerial ordinance that would revise the enforcement regulations of the Act on Prevention of Infectious Diseases and Medical Care for Patients with Infectious Diseases, and is now seeking public comments through Japan's e-Gov Public Comment portal ^[1]. The notice was posted on October 10, 2026, and the comment period runs until 9:00 a.m. on November 9, 2026 ^[1]. The case is listed under file number 495260216 in the "health" (厚生) category of the e-Gov system ^[1]. According to the notice, the draft ordinance is based on Articles 53-9 and 53-13 of the Act on Prevention of Infectious Diseases and Medical Care for Patients with Infectious Diseases (Act No. 114 of 1998), and the procedure is being carried out under the framework of the Administrative Procedure Act ^[1]. The ministry's Infectious Disease Control Division, within the Health and Public Hygiene Bureau's Infectious Disease Control Department, is handling inquiries, and can be reached at 03-5253-1111, extension 8055 ^[1]. The official notice does not provide further detail in the snippet reviewed about the specific substantive changes the ordinance would make to the enforcement rules; those details are contained in separate Word-format documents described as the "outline of the draft order" and related materials, which the ministry instructs commenters to review in full before submitting feedback ^[1]. Anyone wishing to submit an opinion is advised by the ministry to first confirm both the "public comment guidelines (including where to submit)" and the complete text of the draft order, to avoid misdirected submissions ^[1]. For foreign residents, this stage represents only a proposal open for public input, not a finalized change to the law or its procedures; nothing in the notice indicates the amendment has been adopted or will take effect on any set date ^[1]. Those interested in how the revision might affect infectious disease response, quarantine, or medical care procedures in Japan should consult the full draft documents on the e-Gov portal directly, since the publicly available summary does not specify the content of the proposed changes ^[1].

Source credit 出典：「感染症の予防及び感染症の患者に対する医療に関する法律施行規則の一部を改正する省令案に関する御意見の募集について」（e-Govパブリックコメント）（https://public-comment.e-gov.go.jp/servlet/Public?CLASSNAME=PCMMSTDETAIL&id=495260216&Mode=0）、PDL1.0（https://www.digital.go.jp/resources/open_data/public_data_license_v1.0）を加工してJapan News (j.apan.news)が作成 This article is Japan News's own English summary of the Japanese original. It has been translated and edited by Japan News; it is not an official translation, and the e-Gov Public Comment did not write or review it.