In the field of Workers’Compensation Law, new guidelines were issued by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare（Circular 26 Dec. 2011）. This article briefly explains its content and function.
 Compared with medical insurance, a worker’s compensation solely covers the diseases arising “out of employment”, and the guidelines prescribe the criteria in order to decide on a causal relationship（nessocausale）between work and a mental disorder. By doing so, the guidelines aim to secure the fair and appropriate administration of compensation.
 The guidelines set the“Table”by which the events at the workplace are evaluated.When the event is “strong”, the compensation is to be given. There are several other events which are, by themselves, “strong”（ex., work-related death）. In parallel with the events, the working time（especially overtime）is also measured as a factor showing the heaviness of the work.