Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announces that from September 1, 2026 it will revise consultation and support on overtime work and the supervisory guidance given by Labour Standards Inspection Offices (労働基準監督署) — dedicated consultation desks for Article 36 agreements (36協定), and a review of the uniform guidance based on 45 hours a month
Source material is a Japanese government announcement (in Japanese); this page is a summary.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has announced that from September 1, 2026 it will set up dedicated consultation desks at Work Style Reform Promotion Support Centers nationwide to support the conclusion of Article 36 agreements (36協定) and related matters, and that the Labour Standards Inspection Offices will review the uniform guidance that looked only at the number of overtime and holiday working hours and called for a reduction to within 45 hours in 1 month, switching to focusing on how the health and welfare measures set out in the Article 36 agreement are being implemented. It also stated that where there is a high risk of health problems arising from excessive work, necessary guidance will continue to be given.
Key facts
| Announcement date / scheduled start date (★not yet in effect at the time of writing) | Announcement — press release of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare dated August 19, 2026 (Reiwa 8). Implementation — 「本年９月１日より」, that is, from September 1, 2026 (令和8年9月1日) the measures are scheduled to be carried out at Work Style Reform Promotion Support Centers and Labour Standards Inspection Offices nationwide. |
|---|---|
| ① Enhanced consultation and support on concluding Article 36 agreements (36協定) and related matters | A “dedicated consultation desk” supporting the conclusion of Article 36 agreements and special clauses and the use of flexible working-hour systems will be set up at Work Style Reform Promotion Support Centers nationwide. In addition, teams made up of the Support Centers and the Labour Standards Inspection Offices (working-hours consultation and support units) will provide outreach-style visiting support, and cooperation with Yorozu Support Centers, chambers of commerce and industry and others will be strengthened so as to build a system able to handle not only labour-affairs consultations but also consultations on management issues. |
| ② Review of how Labour Standards Inspection Offices respond — the general rule ★check together with the exception | The uniform guidance that looks only at the number of overtime and holiday working hours and calls for a reduction to within 45 hours in 1 month will be reviewed; instead, inspectors will focus on checking how each workplace is implementing the measures for securing health and welfare set out in its Article 36 agreement, and will give the guidance necessary in light of what they find. |
| ② Review of how Labour Standards Inspection Offices respond — the exception ★check together with the general rule | The source states 「なお、個々の事業場の実態を踏まえて、過重労働による健康障害が生じるおそれが高い場合には、引き続き必要な指導を行います。」 — that is, in view of the actual circumstances of an individual workplace, necessary guidance will continue to be given where there is a high risk of health problems arising from excessive work. |
| Background cited in the announcement | It cites the fact that the Japan Growth Strategy (Cabinet decision of July 21, Reiwa 8 / 令和8年7月21日) and the Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform 2026 (Cabinet decision of the same day) state that, as regards the conclusion of Article 36 agreements and the use of flexible working-hour systems, consultation support by the 「働き方改革推進支援センター」 and the Labour Standards Inspection Offices is to be enhanced promptly while strengthening cooperation with Yorozu Support Centers and others, and that the Labour Standards Inspection Offices are to promptly review their approach so that, while dealing strictly with serious and malicious cases, guidance is given in line with what labour and management have agreed on working hours and on measures to secure workers' health. |
| Scope of this entry (★based on the source) | This announcement contains no statement that the upper-limit regulations on overtime work themselves are being changed. What was announced is two things: the enhancement of consultation and support arrangements, and the review of how the Labour Standards Inspection Offices give guidance. |
Last checked:
In a press release dated August 19, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省) stated that from September 1 of the same year, Work Style Reform Promotion Support Centers (働き方改革推進支援センター) nationwide and Labour Standards Inspection Offices will carry out two measures. First, the Support Centers nationwide will set up a “dedicated consultation desk” (専門相談窓口) that supports the conclusion of Article 36 agreements (36協定) and special clauses (特別条項) and the use of flexible working-hour systems. Teams made up of the Support Centers and the Labour Standards Inspection Offices (working-hours consultation and support units) will also provide outreach-style visiting support on the conclusion of Article 36 agreements and special clauses, and cooperation with Yorozu Support Centers (よろず支援拠点), chambers of commerce and industry and others will be strengthened so as to build a system able to handle not only labour-affairs consultations but also consultations on management issues. Second, the Labour Standards Inspection Offices will review the uniform guidance that looks only at the number of overtime and holiday working hours and calls for a reduction to within 45 hours in 1 month, and will instead focus on checking how each workplace is implementing the measures for securing health and welfare set out in its Article 36 agreement, giving the guidance necessary in light of what they find. The source states alongside this, however, that where, in view of the actual circumstances of an individual workplace, there is a high risk of health problems arising from excessive work, necessary guidance will continue to be given. As the background to these measures, the announcement cites descriptions in the Japan Growth Strategy (日本成長戦略, Cabinet decision of July 21, Reiwa 8) and the Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform 2026 (Cabinet decision of the same day). As of the time this entry was written (August 20, 2026), the measures have not yet taken effect; what is described here is what has been announced.
Summaries below are factual notes based on government announcements and primary sources — not evaluations or opinions.
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FAQ
Are the upper-limit regulations on overtime work changing?
This announcement contains no statement about a change to the upper-limit regulations themselves. What was announced is two things: ① enhancing consultation and support — for example setting up dedicated consultation desks at Work Style Reform Promotion Support Centers to support the conclusion of Article 36 agreements and special clauses and the use of flexible working-hour systems — and ② reviewing how the Labour Standards Inspection Offices give guidance.
Does this mean a Labour Standards Inspection Office will no longer give guidance even if overtime exceeds 45 hours a month?
The source states that the 「uniform guidance that looks only at the number of overtime and holiday working hours and calls for a reduction to within 45 hours in 1 month」 will be reviewed, and that inspectors will focus on checking how each workplace is implementing the measures for securing health and welfare set out in its Article 36 agreement and give the guidance necessary in light of that situation. At the same time, it explicitly states that, in view of the actual circumstances of an individual workplace, necessary guidance will continue to be given where there is a high risk of health problems arising from excessive work.