Provisional Translation
| OTO No. | 457 | Classification | MOT-41 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of Acceptance | July 18, 1991 | Ministry/Agency Receiving Complaint | Economic Planning Agency |
| Responsible Ministries | Ministry of Transport | Related Laws | Road Vehicles Law |
| Complainant | The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (proxy complaint) | Exporting Countries | USA |
| Subject | Elimination of requirement for automobile catalyst overheat warning systems | ||
| Details of Measures | The Road Vehicles Law sets down standards for the safety of the structure and equipment of road vehicles and anti-pollution measures, and specific testing requirements and evaluation criteria for technical matters are laid down in the "Testing Methods for New Vehicles." Vehicles which fail to meet these standards may not be operated. Catalyst overheat warning systems are required under the safety standards for road vehicles. Catalyst overheat warning systems are necessary, given that in the United States and other countries, there have been recalls of vehicles, which are not equipped with catalyst overheat warning systems because of the risk of fire due to the lack of adequate protection against overheating, therefore this requirement cannot be eliminated. The Ministry of Transport considers this matter extremely important from the viewpoint of ensuring safety. The ministry replied that specialized technical discussions would continue, taking into consideration actual activation of overheat warning systems. In January 1992, the Ministry of Transport replied to the United States Government that this requirement cannot be eliminated, since overheated catalytic converters work less efficiently to clean emissions and because of the need to prevent vehicle fires (an estimated 130,000 vehicles a year are brought in for servicing because the catalyst overheat warning system was activated). Technical discussions on this matter were held with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and others in March 1992. |
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| Classification of Processing | D | Directions | I-a |
| Remarks | |||