WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/JPN/31
31 December 2001
(01-6459)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   JAPAN
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:           
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [    ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   Sweet corn
(0712.90.031, 039) and maize (corn) (1005.10)
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Regulation* relating
to the production, coordination, stock and package of the designated seeds and seedlings
(3 pages, in Japanese)
*Seeds and seedlings companies and related parties shall obey.
6. Description of content:   Amendment of "Regulation relating to the production,
coordination, stock and package of the designated seeds and seedlings" to introduce aprovision that genetically modified varieties which are not certified as safe under the Food
Sanitation Law shall not be contained both in that processing stage and final products.
Target species:  sweet corn and maize (corn)
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
Ensuring the quality of distributed designated seeds and seedlings.
8. Relevant documents:   The Seeds and Seedlings Law (1998 Law No. 83)
9. Proposed date of adoption:  1st or 2nd quarter 2002 (to be announced in the official gazette)
Proposed date of entry into force:  To be announced in the official gazette.
10. Final date for comments:   8 March 2002
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ X] or address, telephone and fax
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:           