5th Report of Market Access Ombudsman Council (March 17, 1998)

3-(7) Deregulate import of electrical appliances meeting U.S. standards

1. Complainant: Tokyo Chamber of Commerce

2. Ministry concerned: Ministry of International Trade and Industry

3. Complaint:

In the import and sale of stands, dimmer switches, etc., that bear the U.S. standard UL mark, there is a regulation that prohibits sales unless that "T" mark is obtained. However, if voltage conversion can be done by means of a transformer, import should be recognized.

4. Corresponding Policy of the Ministries concerned:

(1) In terms of the safety standards for electrical goods, we consider the coordination of each country's standards with the IEC standards, which are international, to be important. In Japan, since Showa 58, the IEC standards have been adopted as the technical standards for electrical goods, and further coordination with the IEC standards is being planned until the end of fiscal year 1997. In keeping, there will be no problem if the U.S. standards have been coordinated with the IEC standards.

(2) Appliances using a light source like the electrical stands mentioned in this request are classified as a category B electrical appliance and material, for which a report will suffice.

5. Remarks
The complainant's opinion is as follows:
"The corresponding policy is satisfactory."