Ministry of Labor - Labor

It is a national administrative agency established by the Ministry of Labor Establishment Act based on the National Administrative Organization Act (Act No. 120 of 1948). In the central government reorganization in January 2001, it was merged with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to form the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

The Ministry of Labor was responsible for the unified execution of certain national administrative affairs and businesses in order to ensure the welfare and job security of workers, thereby contributing to economic growth and the stability of the people's lives. These administrative affairs and businesses included affairs related to labor unions, the improvement of working conditions and protection of workers, ensuring the safety and health of workers, improving the status of women and other research and coordination on women's issues, job introductions and guidance and other adjustments to labor supply and demand, unemployment countermeasures, affairs related to vocational training and skills tests, labor statistics surveys, other promotion of workers' welfare and job security, workers' accident compensation insurance business, and employment insurance business.

The Ministry of Labor had the Minister's Secretariat, Labor Policy Bureau, Labor Standards Bureau, Women's Bureau, Employment Security Bureau, and Human Resources Development Bureau as internal bureaus. In addition, there were facilities and organizations such as the Institute of Industrial Safety and Health, the National Institute of Industrial Health, and the Labor Training Institute, as well as councils such as the Employment Council, Labor Insurance Examination Board, Central Labor Standards Council, Workers' Accident Compensation Insurance Council, Central Minimum Wage Council, Council for Women and Youth Issues, Central Employment Security Council, and Disabled Employment Council. As local branch bureaus, there were Prefectural Labor Standards Bureaus (47), Labor Standards Inspection Offices (343), Prefectural Women and Youth Affairs Divisions (47), Public Employment Security Offices (478), and their branch offices (109). In addition, there was the Central Labor Relations Commission as an external bureau.

Due to the reorganization of central ministries and agencies, the organization of the Ministry of Labor has been restructured as follows since 2001. With regard to internal bureaus, most of the functions of the Minister's Secretariat have been taken over by the Minister's Secretariat of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, but some of them have been taken over by the Director-General for Policy and the Labor Standards Bureau, which are internal bureaus of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The Labor Policy Bureau has been taken over by the Director-General for Policy, the Labor Standards Bureau, and the Human Resources Development Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, while the Labor Standards Bureau, Employment Security Bureau, and Human Resources Development Bureau have been taken over by the Labor Standards Bureau, Employment Security Bureau, and Human Resources Development Bureau, which are internal bureaus of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The Women's Bureau has been integrated with the Child and Family Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and taken over by the Employment Equality and Child and Family Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. With regard to councils, the Employment Council has been taken over by the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy established in the Cabinet Office, the Central Labor Standards Council, the Workers' Accident Compensation Insurance Council, the Central Employment Security Council, the Employment Council for Disabled Persons, and the Council for Women and Youth Issues by the Labor Policy Council established in the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and the Central Minimum Wage Council has been taken over by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The Central Labor Relations Commission, an external bureau of the Ministry of Labor, was established as an external bureau of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and continued to carry on its previous functions.

[Toshiro Fuka and Kengo Yamada]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

国家行政組織法（昭和23年法律120号）に基づき、労働省設置法によって設置された国の行政機関。2001年（平成13）1月の中央省庁再編で、厚生省と統合して厚生労働省に再編された。

　労働省は、労働者の福祉と職業の確保とを図り、もって経済の興隆と国民生活の安定とに寄与するために、所定の国の行政事務および事業を一体的に遂行する責任を負っていた。これらの行政事務および事業は、労働組合に関する事務をはじめ、労働条件の向上および労働者の保護、労働者の安全および衛生の確保、女性の地位の向上その他女性問題の調査および連絡調整、職業の紹介・指導その他労務需給の調整、失業対策、職業訓練に関する事務および技能検定、労働統計調査、その他労働者の福祉の増進および職業の確保、労働者災害補償保険事業、雇用保険事業などであった。

　労働省の組織は、内部部局として、大臣官房のほか、労政局、労働基準局、女性局、職業安定局、職業能力開発局が置かれていた。そのほか、産業安全研究所、産業医学総合研究所、労働研修所などの施設等機関、雇用審議会、労働保険審査会、中央労働基準審議会、労働者災害補償保険審議会、中央最低賃金審議会、女性少年問題審議会、中央職業安定審議会、障害者雇用審議会などの審議会等が設置されていた。地方支分部局として、都道府県労働基準局（47）、労働基準監督署（343）、都道府県女性少年室（47）、公共職業安定所（478）およびその出張所（109）などがあった。また、外局として、中央労働委員会が置かれていた。

　中央省庁再編により、2001年以降、労働省の組織は次のように再編された。内部部局に関して、大臣官房の有する機能のほとんどは、厚生労働省の大臣官房に引き継がれたが、その一部は厚生労働省の内部部局である政策統括官や労働基準局に引き継がれた。労政局については、厚生労働省の政策統括官、労働基準局および職業能力開発局に、労働基準局、職業安定局、職業能力開発局については、厚生労働省の内部部局である労働基準局、職業安定局、職業能力開発局にそのまま引き継がれ、女性局については、厚生省の児童家庭局と統合され、厚生労働省の雇用均等・児童家庭局に引き継がれた。審議会等に関しては、雇用審議会は、内閣府に設置された経済財政諮問会議に、中央労働基準審議会、労働者災害補償保険審議会、中央職業安定審議会、障害者雇用審議会、女性少年問題審議会は、厚生労働省に設置された労働政策審議会に、中央最低賃金審議会は、そのまま厚生労働省に引き継がれた。労働省の外局である中央労働委員会は、厚生労働省の外局として置かれ、従来の機能をそのまま引き継いだ。

［福家俊朗・山田健吾］

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