Proposed designation of organisms that need notification prior to its  
importation  in Japan  
 
 
Overview  
 The Article 16 of the  Act on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity 
through Regulations on the Use of Living Modified Organisms (Act No. 97 of 2003) prescribed 
that “When there is a high likelihood that living modified organisms that could not be considere d not to give rise to Adverse Effect on Biological Diversity are imported without 
knowledge of that fact, in view of the situation of the producing area or other circumstances, or when corresponding to other similar cases, that have been designated by the competent 
minister, a person who wishes to make imports pertaining to the designation must notify the competent minister to that effect on each occasion, as stipulated in the ordinance of the 
competent ministries.” The notification should be made by the da te which the competent 
minister sets separately, based on the Article 17 of the ordinance  (※). 
 
We are planning to designate the plant species from certain producing area that need 
notification prior to each planned importation, taking into account the results of inspection 
on plant seed and/or seedling imported for cultivation conducted in accordance with the 
Article 31 of the Act - the results indicates that unauthorized genetically modified trai ts 
have been detected repeatedly  in shipments imported fr om specific producing area. We also 
specified the date for the notification.   
※ the Regulations related to the Enforcement of the Law concerning the Conservation and Sustainable Use of 
Biological Diversity through Regulations on the Use of Living Modified  Organisms ( Ordinance of the 
Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Ministry of  
Health, Labour and Welfare, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Economy, 
Trade and Indust ry, the Ministry of Environment, No. 1 of November 21, 2003)  
 
Subject  
1. The notification will be requested when a person is planning to import the  plant seed 
and/or seedling for cultivation listed in the following table.    
Plant Species  Producing Area  Intended Use  
Papaya Seed and Seedling  Kingdom of Thailand  Cultivation  
 
2. The no tification should be made by the 10  working days  prior to the planned 
importation on each occasion.  
 