RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/SG/Q1/JPN/4
23September 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-3743)
Original: English Committee onSafeguards
NOTIFICATION OFLAWS AND REGULATIONS UNDER
ARTICLE 12.6OFTHE AGREEMENT
Replies ofJAPAN1toquestions posed byINDIA2
Thefollowing communication, dated 11September 1996, hasbeenreceived fromthePermanent
Mission ofJapan.
_______________
Q1. Article12.3oftheAgreementonSafeguardsprovidesthataMemberproposingtoapplysafeguard
measures shall provide adequate opportunity forprior consultations withthose Members having
substantial interest asexporter oftheproduct concerned. Article 10-12 ofNotification No.715ofMIDI
doesnotprovide forsuchanotice totheMember concerned, thenotice being limited toInterested
Parties under Article 12.Itmaybeclarified whether there isanyother provision providing forthe
requirements ofArticle 12.3oftheAgreement onSafeguards.
A1. Matters withregard totherights andobligations between nations donotneedtobeincorporated
intothedomestic legislation suchastheRegulations. Ofcourse theJapanese Government provides
adequate opportunity forpriorconsultation withthoseMembers having asubstantial interest asexporting
countries oftheproduct concerned based ontheAgreement onSafeguards.
Q2. Article 3.1oftheAgreement onSafeguards provides, interalia,thatinvestigation shallinclude
anopportunity torespond tothepresentation ofother parties andtosubmit theirviews etc.Article 15
oftheMIDI Notification No.715doesnotreflect thispartofArticle 3.1.Itmaybeclarified whether
suchprovision exists elsewhere andifnothowdoestheJapanese competent authority intend toprovide
anopportunity tointerested parties torespond tothepresentations ofother parties.
A2. Interested parties mayinspect evidence etc.pursuant tobothArticle 13ofthe"Regulations"
andArticle 5ofthe"Cabinet Order Relating toEmergency Duties", andexpress theirviews pursuant
tobothArticle 14ofthe"Regulations" andArticle 6ofthe"Cabinet Order".
Q3. ThelastlineofArticle 7.4oftheAgreement onSafeguards provides thatasafeguard measure
extended beyond fouryears shallnotbemorerestrictive andshould continue tobeliberalized. Article 18
ofMIDINotificationNo.715allowstheMinisterofInternationalTradeandIndustrytoextendEmergency
1G/SG/N/1/JPN/2 +Corr.1
2G/SG/W/99
./.G/SG/Q1/JPN/4
Page2
Import Quota (ESQ) uptoaperiod ofeight years, presumably atthesame levelasduring theinitial
four-year period. Thisdoesnotappear tobeinconformity withtheAgreement. Thismaybeclarified.
A3. Paragraph 1ofArticle 18ofthe"Regulations" provides fortheconditions forextending the
duration ofsafeguard measures including amaximum duration ofeightyears. Paragraph 2ofthesaid
Article provides thatthemeasure shallbelessimport-restrictive during theextended duration than
thateffective immediately before suchextension.