. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/JPN/74
17 February 2003
(03-0974)
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 Economy, Trade and Industry
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Ministry of the Environment
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):
- Chemical substances newly produced or imported in Japan
- Persistent and eco-toxic chemical substances
- Persistent and bio-accumulative chemical substances already in existence.
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Revision of the Law
Concerning the Examination and Regulation of Manufacture, etc., of Chemical Substances
(3 pages, in English)
6. Description of content:
- To extend preliminary examination system for new chemical substances to include
eco-toxicity evaluation;
- To introduce surveillance system for pre-existing persistent bio-accumulative
chemical substances through obligation to report etc.;
- To modify preliminary examination system for new chemical substances, taking
into account their possibilities of exposure;
- To require producers and importers of chemicals to report hazard data to the
agencies responsible, when they voluntarily obtain such data.G/TBT/N/JPN/74
Page 2
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
Our aim is to extend our chemical management system to include ecosystem protection, and
to further improve its effectiveness and efficiency, as was pointed out in the OECD's
recommendations in the Environmental Performance Review in 2002.
8. Relevant documents:   The revision of the Law Concerning the Examination and
Regulation of Manufacture, etc., of Chemical Substances will appear in "KAMPO" (Official
Government Gazette) when adopted.
9. Proposed date of adoption:  Not yet determined
Proposed date of entry into force:  in 2004
10. Final date for comments:   10 March 2003
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:           