Major Responsibilities
The Statistics and Information Department is responsible for the planning, implementing and
analyzing various statistics on health, social welfare, employment, wages/working hours etc., which are
required for the business of Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The planning and development of
information systems to deploy IT oriented business in the Ministry is also part of its work.
I. Statistical surveys
With rapid changes in the environment surrounding our society and the economy necessitating us to
respond effectively to the changing times and meet new needs, the revised Statistics Act, which was
promulgated in 2007 and came into full effect on April 1, 2009, aims
to transform “statistics for the
administration” into “statistics as an information infrastructure for society.”
For development of sound policies, moreover, it is essential that discussions are carried out based on
statistics.
The Statistics and Information Department, which conducts large-scale national surveys on
demographics, healthcare, social welfare, employment, and wages and other surveys, has a major role
in the policymaking process of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. At the same time, the
statistics are published to the general public and made widely available for use in various fields.
Survey system and statistical surveys
The Statistics and Information Department carries out some 40 statistical surveys under its jurisdiction.
The main surveys are shown below, categorized according to the lines of survey. Based on the
definitions of the Statistics Act, the surveys can also be categorized into Fundamental Statistics and
1. Survey of Medical Institutions (dynamic survey), Report on Public Health Administration and
Services
2. Vital Statistics, Survey of Medical Institutions (static survey), Patient Survey, Report on Regional
Public Health Services and Health Promotion Services, Survey of Physicians, Dentists and
Pharmacists, Hospital Report
3. Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions (household questionnaire, health questionnaire,
long-term care questionnaire), Patient's Behavior Survey
4. Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions (income questionnaire, savings questionnaire)
5. Report on Social Welfare Administration and Services
6. Monthly Labour Survey (Survey on Type I Establishments with 30 employees or over)
7. Monthly Labour Survey (Survey on Type II Establishments with 5-29 employees, Special Survey:
Establishments with 1-4 employees)
8. General Survey on Labour Relations
9. Survey on Labour Disputes
10. Survey on Employment Trends
11. Basic Survey on Wage Structure
12. Survey of Social Welfare Institutions (Questionnaire of Social Welfare Institution, Questionnaire of
Establishment), Survey of Long-term Care Benefit Expenditures, Survey of Institutions and
Establishments for Long-term Care, Survey of Medical Care Activities in Public Health Insurance,
Longitudinal Survey of Babies in 21st Century, Longitudinal Survey of Adults in 21st Century,
Longitudinal Survey of Middle and Elderly Persons, Survey on Employment Structure (Survey on
Employment of Young People), Survey on Labour Economy Trend, Survey on Wage Increase,
General Survey on Working Conditions, Survey on Industrial Accidents
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Government’s local branches, bureaus, and departments (prefectural labour bureaus) Prefecture
Labour relations division Statistics
division Prefecture (city, special ward), etc.
Social welfare statistics division Health statistics division Labour policy office Public employment security office Labour standards inspection office Enumerators Enumerators Social welfare office Public health center Enumerators Subject of survey (Respondents)
Title Description Frequency Demographics Vital Statistics Survey on births, deaths, fetal deaths,
marriages, and divorces by sex, age, region, etc. Monthly
Healthcare Survey of Medical Institutions
Survey on the distribution and healthcare functions of hospitals, medical clinics, and dental clinics in Japan Monthly(dynamic survey), Triennial(static survey) Patient Survey
Survey on the number of patients examined or treated at medical institutions, names of diseases and injuries, hospitalization, and methods of payment of healthcare expenses
Triennial
Social welfare
Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions
General household survey on health, medical care, welfare, pension, income, and other basic questions related to living conditions
Annual
Employment Monthly Labour Survey
Survey on the number of regular employees, cash earnings, hours worked, etc. taken monthly for establishments employing five or more regular employees and in July each year for establishments employing one to four employees
Monthly
Wages Basic Survey on Wage Structure
Survey on the wages of workers employed in major industries by type of employment, work, occupation, sex, age, school career, length of service, etc.
Annual
Fundamental Statistics
Title Description Frequency Demographics Life Tables
Life Tables show life expectancies calculated based on the mortality conditions of a given year.
Annual (Abridged Life Tables),
Quinquennial(Complete Life Tables)
Healthcare Patient's Behavior Survey
Survey on patients' use of medical institutions, level of satisfaction with medical services, and awareness and behavior related to medical services
Triennial
Hospital Report Report on patients' use of hospitals and clinics with beds for long-term care and on hospital employees Monthly Annual Survey of Physicians, Dentists and Pharmacists
Survey on the practice and distribution of physicians, dentists, and pharmacists in Japan Biennial Report on Public Health Administration and Services
Report on administrative performance related to health policies, healthcare, environmental health, pharmaceutical affairs, and maternity protection in prefectures, designated cities, and core cities Annual, Biennial (practicing health workforce) Report on Regional Public Health Services and Health Promotion Services
Report on the performance of healthcare projects designed to maintain and improve local people’s health, categorized by project manager
Annual
Estimates of
National Medical Care Expenditure
Estimates of expenditures for treatment of
diseases and injuries at medical institutions Annual Social welfare Survey of Medical
Care Activities in Public Health Insurance
Survey on Act of medical care, dispensing and administration of drugs based on the health insurance claims for medical care and dispensing, submitted to Japan Health Insurance Association-managed health insurance, association-managed health insurance, national health insurance and medical care system for elderly in the latter stage of life
Annual
Survey of Social
Welfare Institutions
Survey on the number of social welfare institutions, number of residents and employees in social welfare institutions, etc. Annual Report on Social Welfare Administration and Services
Report on administrative performance related to public assictance, welfare for the physically disabled, the elderly, and children, etc. in prefectures, designated cities, and core cities
Monthly Annual Survey of Institutions and Establishments for Long-term Care
Survey on the arrangements for providing long-term care, the services provided, etc. of facilities covered by long-term care insurance, in-home service providers, and care management service providers
Annual
Survey of Long-term Care Benefit Expenditures
Survey on long-term care expenditures
covered by long-term care insurance Monthly
General Statistics
Title Description Frequency (Social welfare) Longitudinal Survey of
Babies in 21st Century
Continuous survey on the process of growth and development of children born in the early 21st century
Annual
Longitudinal Survey of
Adults in 21st Century
Continuous survey on the marriage, childbirth, employment, etc., of men and women nationwide aged 20 to 34 (as of the end of October 2002) and their spouses and on secular changes in their awareness
Annual
Longitudinal Survey of
Middle and Elderly Persons
Continuous survey on the process of change in the health, employment, and social activities of men and women nationwide aged 50 to 59 (as of the end of October 2005), including the baby boomers, and on the changes in their awareness
Annual
Employment Survey on Labour Economy Trend
Survey on the effect of changing economic conditions, labour supply and demand, etc. on companies' employment, working hours, wages, etc. and on companies' measures against those changes
Quarterly
Survey on
Employment Structure
Survey on a specific topic determined each year in
relation to employment structure Annual
Survey on
Employment Trends
Survey on the employed labour force in industries, size of enterprises, occupation, and regional turnovers, etc., based on data on employment and separation of workers at business establishments
Semiannual
Wages Survey on Wage Increase
Survey on the amount and ratio of revised wages, the method used in revising wages, and the structure of wage revision, as well as on negotiations for wage revision
Annual
General Survey on
Working Conditions
General survey on the wage system, working hours system, labour costs, welfare facilities and system, retirement allowance system, and mandatory retirement age system of enterprises in major industries
Annual
General Survey on
Labour Relations Comprised of the Basic Survey on Labour Unions to grasp the number of labour unions and members, etc., and General Survey which is conducted on a different topic determined each year
Annual
Survey on Industrial
Accidents
Survey on the annual occurrence of industrial accidents in major industries by size of establishment and severity of accidents
Annual
Special Survey on
Industrial Safety and Health
Survey on a specific topic determined each year
related to industrial safety and health Annual
Survey on Labour
Disputes Survey on employees affected by or involved in
II. Promoting informatization of administration
We provide technical support to general adjustments that affect administrative information, the planning and development of information systems, and the maintenance of a certain information security level at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) for efficient and simple administration and improvements in administrative service for people using information technology (IT).
To be concrete, we started using the MHLW’s Integrated Network in April 2008 for the integration and unified operational management of the MHLW’s conventional wide-area networks. Besides, we utilize interagency networks (the Kasumigaseki WAN and LGWAN), thus reinforcing information linkage with other ministerial administrative agencies and local public entities (see figure below).
Moreover, we are implementing various measures to reduce the burden on people and improve
government services for people through the informatization of administration. For example, except for some procedures that require applicants to visit governmental offices, we are making efforts towards ease of making most online applications and notifications necessary for people’s daily lives, such as social insurance and labor insurance applications and notifications, though the e-government portal site (e-Gov) electrically. In addition, we use the MHLW’s website (http://www.mhlw.go.jp/) to provide important information, such as information on countermeasures against new-type influenza, matters closely connected to people’s daily lives.
Presently, as a PMO*1 under the supervision of the CIO*2 and with the assistance and advice of deputy CIOs, we are conducting a comprehensive review of the ministry’s major operations and systems (see the table below) for the optimization of work and systems presently installed and used separately. By coordinating this project with our effort to promote the use of online applications described above, we are working on the improvement of efficiency, speed, and accuracy of administrative operations and services through the use of IT.
*1. PMO stands for Program Management Office and refers to a ministerial comprehensive administrative organization. *2. CIO stands for Chief Information Officer and refers to a ministerial information administrator. In the case of the
MHLW, the Director-General of the Secretariat acts as CIO.
Table. Operations and Systems Subject to Optimization (as of July 2010)
Category Operation/System Ministry of Health, Labour and welfare’s independent operations and systems Large-scale operations and systems
• Social insurance operations
• Operations related to employment security administration • Operations related to labour insurance and collection of labour
insurance premiums
• Operations related to payment of workers’ compensation insurance benefits
• Operations related to labour standards inspection and industrial safety and health
Other operations and systems
• The Wide-area Information-exchange System for MHLW (WISH)
• Operations for the management of the National Peace Memorial Halls for the Atomic Bomb Victims
• Operations related to equal employment opportunities • Operations of the Cancer Information Center
Ministries and agencies’ common operations and systems
• MHLW’s networks (common systems)
• Operations related to notification of imports of foods, etc. (operations related to exports and imports and harbor and airport procedures)
• Quarantine operations (operations related to exports and imports and harbor and airport procedures)
People, companies, etc.
e-Gov
* One-stop government site operated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs
and Communications
MHLW Internet System
An Internet-based information network system for exchange of information among the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, people, companies, etc., and for providing information through
the ministry’s website
Local governments, etc. MHLW Network System
An information network system providing e-mail services, electronic
bulletin boards, etc. for in-house computers, with one computer supplied to each staff member
Ministry A Ministry B Ministry C ………. ・ ・ Internet Kasumigaseki WAN
Shared use of the system with other ministries and agencies
Local Government Wide Area Network
(LGWAN)
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Institutions and facilities Local branch offices External bureaus MHLW Electronic Application and Notification SystemA system for processing the portion of applications, notifications, etc. made by people, companies, etc.
through the one-stop e-government portal site (e-Gov) on the Internet that is related to the Ministry