Notices

Local Government Labor Inspectors to Inspect Workplaces with Fewer Than 30 Employees Starting December 2026:

Until now, labor inspections have mainly been conducted by labor inspectors under the central government. In the future, some of these labor inspection duties will also be carried out by labor inspectors belonging to local governments. Local government labor inspectors will primarily inspect workplaces with fewer than 30 employees. Labor inspections can generally be divided into preventive inspections and special inspections. Preventive inspections focus on on-site guidance and improvement. Therefore, even when violations are identified, employers are generally given an opportunity to correct them. In contrast, special inspections focus on investigating violations of labor laws and may lead to penalties when violations are confirmed. As local governments are expected to conduct labor inspections of small workplaces on a regular basis, preventive labor inspections are likely to become more active in the future.