# This English translation of AN OUTLINE of the Basic Act for Housing (Effective June 8, 2006) has been prepared in compliance with the Standard Bilingual Dictionary March 2007 edition. This is an unofficial translation. Only the original Japanese texts of laws and regulations have legal effect, and the translations are to be used solely as reference material to aid in the understanding of Japanese laws and regulations. The Government of Japan shall not be responsible for the accuracy, reliability or currency of the legislative material provided in this Website, or for any consequence resulting from use of the information in this Website. For all purposes of interpreting and applying law to any legal issue or dispute, users should consult the original Japanese texts published in the Official Gazette.
Outline of Basic Act for Housing (Act No. 61 of 2006)
Article 1 (Purpose)
  The purpose of this Act is to stabilize and improve the lives of people and enhance social welfare as well as to contribute to the sound development of the national economy through establishing basic principles concerning policies to ensure and improve stable housing for people, clarifying responsibilities of the public sector including the National Government, and formulation basic plans for housing for people and other matters that serve as the platform for such plans so as to comprehensively and systematically promote the above-mentioned measures.
Articles 3 - 6 (Basic Philosophies)
  The Act shall provide for basic principles pertaining to the promotion of policies to ensure and improve stable housing for people (the policies are designed to maintain and improve such matters as building performance and living environment, to ensure appropriate transactions pertaining to such matters as housing supply, and to secure a stable supply of public and other housing, among other things).
Articles 7- 10 (Responsibilities, etc.)
The Act shall provide for responsibilities of the National Government, local governments and housing-related companies, based on the basic principles concerning the promotion of policies to ensure and improve stable housing for people.
Articles 11 - 14 (Basic Policies)
  The national government and local governments shall take policies to promote enhancement and improvement of stable housing for people.
Articles 15 - 20 (Basic Plans for Housing)
(1) With a view to comprehensively and systematically promote policies to ensure and improve stable housing for people, the National Government shall formulate national plans, based on which Prefectural Governments shall formulate their plans in accordance with the national plans.
(2) The Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism shall set forth the national plans to be formulated as a policy stipulated in the basic plan of the Act concerning evaluation of policies executed by the administrative organizations.
Article 1 of Supplementary Provisions (Effective Date)
  This Act shall come into effect as from June 8, 2006.