Report of the OTO Advisory Council (April 12, 1993)

3-(5) Relaxing requirement to submit original parameter sheets when exporting defective products to return to manufacturer

1. Complainant: Keidanren

2. Ministry concerned: Ministry of Finance

3. Complaint:

When exporting defective products to return to manufacturer, and when it is unclear whether the said products are considered strategic materials, domestic manufacturers are required to submit to the customs authorities parameter sheets certifying that the items are not strategic materials.

The complainant states that the customs authorities, when requesting parameter sheets, require that these be originals. But when identical products are being returned, this necessitates making up an original for each, which creates a heavy office workload, and the complainant believes that copies should be considered acceptable.

4. Results of deliberation:

This complaint was resolved by making it acceptable to submit copies of parameter sheets and not the originals, as the complainant had stated. However, only copies certified by an official of the exporter with representative capacities to be copies of the original will be accepted.

Government decision (May 27, 1993)

When exporting defective products to be returned to the manufacturer, copies of the parameter sheets should be considered acceptable under certain conditions.