OTO No.625

OTO No.	625	Classification	MHW-260
Date of Acceptance	November 1, 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	United States Embassy (Proxy complaint)	Exporting Countries	USA
Subject	Engagement with the Nutritional Supplements Working Group
Description of Complaint	The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare inaugurated a "Panel on Treatment of So-Called Nutritional Supplements" in December 1998 and the panel compiled a final report in March 2000. In response to the report, the ministry set up a "Working Group on Nutritional Supplements" (a subcommittee of the Food Sanitation Investigation Council) in June 2000 to consider details of the nutritional supplements and the working group has been proceeding with deliberations on the matter. However, meetings of the working group have been closed. Meeting schedules and details of discussions at meetings have remained unknown to the complainant. Furthermore, industrial organizations and other stakeholders are barred from being engaged with the policymaking process of the working group. The working group meetings should be opened to stakeholders and opportunities should be given to stakeholders to give their opinions at the meetings of the working group.
Details of Measures	1. The ministry replied as follows: The Working Group on Nutritional Supplements has been inaugurated under five subcommittees of the Food Sanitation Investigation Council on food standards, milk, meat and fishery products, labeling, toxicity and additives, in order to classify technical problems for discussions at subcommittees. A joint meeting of the five subcommittees on November 18, 2000 was opened to the public. When details of discussions at the working group were given to representatives of embassies in Japan on the day, industrial organizations and other stakeholders were given opportunities to present their opinions. Immediately after the joint meeting, relevant information was published with public comments requested at home and from abroad. On November 20, 2000, the subcommittees held an open joint meeting. Later, public comments were requested. In this way, opportunities have been given to industrial organizations and other stakeholders to present their opinions. 2. In the future, the ministry will publish its views on public comments and brief the Pharmaceutical Affairs and Food Sanitation Council on these public comments.
Status of Processing	Processed (February 14, 2001)	Classification of Action	Cc
Remarks	A written reply was made on November 14, 2000.