The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has opened a public comment period on a draft policy titled the Basic Policy on Measures for Equal Employment Opportunity Between Men and Women, according to an official notice published through Japan's e-Gov public comment system ^[1]. The policy is being developed under the authority of Article 4, Paragraph 1 of the Act on Securing, Equal Opportunity and Treatment between Men and Women in Employment, a law dating from 1972 ^[1].

The comment period began accepting submissions at 3:00 p.m. on October 9, 2026, and will close at 23:59 on November 7, 2026 ^[1]. The notice specifies that this is a voluntary call for opinions rather than a procedure mandated under the Administrative Procedure Act ^[1]. The ministry has not given a reason for a shortened comment period, as the standard submission window is being used ^[1].

Those wishing to submit comments are instructed to first review the full public comment guidelines, which include submission details, as well as the complete text of the draft policy, both of which are available as PDF documents through the official notice ^[1]. The notice includes a checkbox confirming that submitters have reviewed both the comment guidelines and the full draft document before submitting feedback, intended to prevent erroneous submissions ^[1].

For inquiries, the ministry has listed a contact number for the Equal Employment Opportunity Division: 03-5253-1111, extension 7846 ^[1]. The notice does not provide additional details on the content of the draft policy itself beyond its title and the legal basis for its creation, nor does it specify what changes or new measures the policy may introduce ^[1].

Foreign residents working in Japan, particularly those employed by Japanese companies or navigating workplace protections, may wish to review the draft policy directly, as it could affect how equal employment protections between men and women are implemented going forward ^[1]. However, since this is currently only a draft open for public input and not a finalized policy, no specific changes to workplace rules have yet been confirmed ^[1]. Those interested in commenting should consult the official e-Gov notice for full submission instructions before the November 7 deadline ^[1].

Source credit 出典：「「男女雇用機会均等対策基本方針（案）」に関する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=495260217&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.