WORLD TRADE G/STR/N/3/JPN
13November 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-4974)
Original: English Working Party on
State Trading Enterprises
STATE TRADING
Updating Notification Pursuant toArticle XVII:4(a) oftheGATT andParagraph 1
oftheUnderstanding ontheInterpretation ofArticle XVII
JAPAN
Thefollowing communication, dated 4November 1997, hasbeenreceived fromthePermanent
Mission ofJapan.
_______________
TheSaltMonopoly Lawwasrepealed andinstead theSaltBusiness Lawcame intoforce on
1April 1997. Asaresult theimport ofsalttoJapan, formerly monopolized bytheState Trading
Enterprise (Japan Tobacco Inc.), hasbeenderegulated. Thereproduction, processing, andsalesof
imported salt,which werealsounder thecontrol ofJapan Tobacco Inc.,havebecome possible through
registration withtheMinister ofFinance.
Deregulation ofthesaltbusiness isscheduled for1April 2002. Transitional measures are
being taken inpartinterms oftheadministration ofimported saltforcommon use;until31March
2002, theSaltIndustry Centre ofJapan, designated bytheMinister ofFinance, willcontrol the
distribution. Meanwhile, thedistribution ofsaltasmaterial forthesodaindustry, which accounts for
themajority ofimported salt,wasderegulated inApril 1997.
Thetransitional measures areaimed atalleviating possible adverse effects onconsumers and
domestic saltmanufacturers which would arisefrom thederegulation.