Civil Aeronautics Law

(1) PURPOSE OF THE LAW AND SYSTEM

The purpose of this law is to promote the development of civil and general aviation by providing for methods to ensure the safety of and the prevention of trouble arising from navigation of such aircraft in conformity with provisions of the Convention on International Civil Aviation.

(2) OUTLINE OF THE LAW AND SYSTEM

The law ensures the safety of operation of aircraft by providing for operation standards (Chapter VI).
In order for the Minister of Transport to ensure aircraft airworthiness and environmental protection, aircraft airworthiness certification is carried out. Certification will be granted only to aircraft conforming to the relevant technical standards. The use of aircraft having no airworthiness certification is prohibited. Spare part certification shall be issued for equipment essential to the safety of the aircraft. Repairs using equipment to which replacement parts certification is issued do not require inspection by the Minister of Transport after repairs and/or modifications (Paragraph 1 of Article 10, Paragraph 1 of Article 16 and Paragraph 1 of Article 17).

(3) CABINET ORDER AND MINISTERIAL ORDINANCES

(4) OUTLINE OF THE CONTROL

1) Items Covered
Aircraft and its equipment/part

2) Outline of Specifications, Standards and Inspections, etc.

i. Content of the Control
Japanese operation standards for aircraft are conform to both the provisions of the Convention on International Civil Aviation and the standards and procedures adopted as Annexes hereto.
An airworthiness certification is granted following inspection of each aircraft after confirming that it conforms with technical standards regarding safety airworthiness, noise and engine emission. Airworthiness standards are equivalent to Federal Aviation Regulations (USA) which have been adopted worldwide. Standards for noise and engine emissions are equivalent to Annex to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (ICAO Annex). Inspections are conducted for the design, manufacturing process and current condition. However, procedures for inspections on the design and manufacturing process are omitted or simplified for imported aircraft for which documents certifying airworthiness, and environmental quality are issued by Contracting states of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. Furthermore, procedures for inspection of the current conditions are omitted or simplified for imported aircraft for which documents certifying airworthiness and environmental quality are issued by Contracting states of the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
Spare part certification is granted, after inspecting individual equipment/part and confirming that they conform to technical standards regarding safety. Standards are equivalent to safety of an airworthiness certification. Imported parts for which documents are certified by Contracting states of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, and imported parts for which documents are certified by an organization approved by foreign state (whose organization approval system is equivalent to or more than Japan's) are regarded as spare part certified.

ii. Procedure for Application
Applicants file their applications together with the necessary documents to the Minister of Transport or the Directors of the Regional Civil Aviation Bureaus.
Procedures for application and the content of the necessary documents are prescribed by ministerial ordinance.

(5) HIGHLIGHTS OF THE RECENT AMENDMENT

The licensing system for each route will shift to a permission system for each project mainly for examination from a safety point of view with the abolishment of the demand-supply adjustment system (Article 100, enforcement from February 2000).

(6) REFERENCE INFORMATION

(Liaison Offices for Further Information)
Flight Standards Division, Engineering Department, Civil Aviation Bureau, Ministry of Transport
Tel: 03-3580-7115http://www.motnet.go.jp
Airworthiness Division, Engineering Department, Civil Aviation Bureau,
Ministry of Transport
Tel: 03-3592-1362

(Reference Materials)
"Collected Laws and Orders Regarding Civil Aviation" Hobun Shorin Shuppan