Provisional Translation
| OTO No. | 366 | Classification | MHW-183 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of Acceptance | October 26, 1988 | Ministry/Agency Receiving Complaint | Economic Planning Agency |
| Responsible Ministries | Ministry of Health and Welfare | Related Laws | Food Sanitation Law |
| Complainant | Swiss firm | Exporting Countries | Switzerland |
| Subject | Prompt procedure for importing mineral water imports. | ||
| Details of Measures | Given the difficulty of controlling microorganisms in the production process and the need to maintain very sophisticated cleanliness in the production plant, for natural mineral water with low carbon dioxide pressure and not sterilized manufacturing standards, have been set and after Ministry of Health and Welfare officials have conducted prior inspections, and it has been ascertained that the production process satisfies these standards, its import is allowed. It was thus explained that in this case too, the import of natural mineral water with low carbon dioxide pressure and not sterilized would be allowed after the officials had conducted their on-site inspection, certified that the production process meets the manufacturing standards and it has been ascertained that it satisfies specifications of composition at the quarantine station. However, because such on-site inspections take time that can cause delays in starting imports, and given the expansion in international trade in mineral water, negotiations had been going on with EC for some time on the possibility of EC certification that could replace on-site inspections. After comparing the regulations and the standards of the EC with those of Japanese, Japanese Government concluded that a certain certification by the responsible authorities of the member states of EC could replace the on-site inspections and EC and Japanese government agreed on this in July. In parallel with the negotiations with the government of Switzerland through its Embassy in Tokyo to see if such certification might be possible, and Ministry of Health and Welfare has been requiring documents on the Swiss regulations and standards for mineral water. The Swiss Embassy provided documents on the Swiss methodology for inspecting mineral water for microorganisms in August 1989, and on the Swiss regulations and standards for mineral water in October 1989. The Swiss Embassy having asked that any questions about these documents be submitted in writing, Ministry of Health and Welfare submitted some questions in writing on the same month. And the Ministry received the answer to these questions on November from the Swiss Embassy. It has been ascertained from the information and replies submitted thus far that Swiss hygiene and sanitation standards for the production of natural mineral water are in some aspects laxer than Japanese or EC standards. In December that year, Ministry of Health and Welfare replied to the Swiss Government that if they present a draft of the certificate guaranteeing that the mineral water at issue can meet the Japanese standards including the items for which the standards differ between both countries, the Japanese Government will be ready to examine it. (Later, the Swiss side notified OTO and Ministry of Health and Welfare that they hope to put an end to this case as they decided to stop the export plan to Japan since the production of mineral water is small and almost all is consumed in Switzerland and surrounding countries.) |
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| Classification of Processing | D | Directions | I-b II-a |
| Remarks | |||