The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has issued a public notice revising its guidelines for employers on maintaining and promoting the health of workers at their workplaces, based on Article 70-2, Paragraph 1 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act ^[1]. The notice, published October 19, 2026 and signed by Health, Labour and Welfare Minister Kenichiro Ueno, is identified as Health Promotion Guideline Notice No. 13 and took effect the same day ^[1].

According to the ministry, worker health can be protected by combining "primary prevention" — preventing disease onset through lifestyle improvements — with "secondary prevention," which means detecting and treating disease early through health checkups, thereby preventing illness, its worsening, or death ^[1]. The ministry also stressed the importance of creating workplace environments where employees with illnesses can continue working while undergoing treatment ^[1].

The revision expands the guidelines beyond their previous focus on preventing lifestyle-related diseases through primary prevention ^[1]. It now explicitly positions secondary prevention measures — such as encouraging workers to undergo screening and follow-up detailed examinations — for cancer, women-specific health issues including menstrual irregularities, dysmenorrhea, heavy menstrual bleeding, premenstrual syndrome and menopausal disorders, as well as dental diseases, osteoporosis and eye diseases, as part of employers' health promotion measures ^[1]. The notice also newly specifies cooperation with health insurers and other bodies, as well as support for employees balancing medical treatment with continued employment ^[1].

The ministry has published the full text of the revised guidelines and a comparison table showing the changes from the previous version as downloadable documents alongside the notice ^[1].

For foreign residents working in Japan, this update means that workplace health promotion programs run by employers may increasingly include screening recommendations for cancer, dental health, bone density, eye conditions, and women's health issues, in addition to the general lifestyle-disease checks many workplaces already offer ^[1]. The guidelines also point to a greater expected role for support systems that help employees continue working while receiving treatment ^[1]. Workers wanting specifics on how their own employer plans to implement these guidelines, including any new screening offers, should check with their workplace or refer to the ministry's published documents directly, as the notice does not set out company-level implementation details ^[1].

Source credit 出典：「「事業場における労働者の健康保持増進のための指針」について（公示）」（厚生労働省）（https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_76807.html）、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 Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare did not write or review it.