OTO No.623

$B#O(BTO No.	623	Classification	MHW-258
Date of Acceptance	October 31, 2000	Respective Office Receiving Complaint	Cabinet Office (Economic Planning Agency)
Responsible Ministries	Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Ministry of Health and Welfare)	Related Laws	Food Sanitation Law
Complainant	Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Proxy complaint)	Exporting Countries	Sweden
Subject	Improvement of the exporting country public testing organization system
Description of Complaint	Those who are to import foods or instruments for sale or commercial use must notify the minister of health, labour and welfare of each import under the Food Sanitation Law. The import notification procedures are taken at quarantine offices. The offices examine import notifications and conduct inspection if necessary. Importers may voluntarily have imports inspected at inspection agencies as designated by the minister of health, labour and welfare and submit inspection results concluding that no problem exists with the Food Sanitation Law, however, inspection is not required upon importation in principle. Products for import into Japan may undergo inspection upon exporting by testing and inspecting organizations that are certified by governments of exporting countries as capable of conducting certain levels of inspection. If the Japan's minister of health, labour and welfare is notified of such certification in advance and the imports are accompanied by inspection results, inspection of imports regarding matters subject to the results are omitted in Japan in order to simplify import inspection procedures (the exporting country public testing organization system). However, importers have never been recommended by quarantine offices to take advantage of this system, but have always been required to have imports undergo inspection. In industry, the general view is that this system has failed to be used in reality and to work well. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare should be aware of the fact that quarantine offices always require importers to have imports undergo inspection and are failing to use the exporting country public testing organization system, and it should take due improvement measures.
Details of Measures	The ministry replied as follows: As for the effective use of overseas inspection results, Japan introduced the exporting country public testing organization system in March 1982 to omit import inspection if imports are inspected before exporting by public testing organizations that have been registered by exporting country governments with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in advance, if written inspection results are submitted upon importing, and if the results meet the Food Sanitation Law. As of September 6, 2000, 2,832 organizations of 53 countries were registered with the ministry. Information on the system has been given to embassies and made available at food-monitoring counters of quarantine offices and on the Internet home page of the ministry. In consideration of this complaint, the ministry will make full efforts to diffuse and promote this system for food-monitoring counters of quarantine offices through liaison conferences.
Status of Processing	Processed (January 25, 2001)	Classification of Action	A
Remarks	A written reply was made on November 14, 2000. An additional written reply was made on January 23, 2001.