| TOP |
| 5th Report of Market Access Ombudsman Council (March 17, 1998) |
1. Complainant: Tokyo Chamber of Commerce
2. Ministry concerned: Ministry of Home Affairs
3. Complaint:
(1) Because the definition of dangerous goods under the Fire Service Law is unique to Japan and different from that of the E.U., North America and other advanced countries, Japanese regulations for storage and transportation on dangerous goods have been incurring additional costs, etc. The regulations targeting all liquids with a flash point, in particular, should be revised.
(2) Unified standards should be created quickly in discussion with advanced Western countries and Japanese own classification should be restructured.
4. Corresponding Policy of the Ministries concerned:
Reconsideration of the regulations on dangerous goods with a high flash point has been incorporated in the program to promote deregulation. Since March 1997, the Dangerous Goods Committee of the Fire and Disaster Management Agency has been conducting investigations in order to make a conclusion in fiscal year 1999.
As a substructure of the Committee, working group that includes representatives from industries concerned (investigative working group on dangerous goods with a high flash point) has been established.
The aforementioned investigative work is expected to proceed as follows.
* Fiscal year 1997:" Analysis of accidents"," an investigation of the status of overseas regulations, etc.".
* Fiscal year 1998:"Performing hazard evaluating tests for analysis of ignition and flame expansion characteristics of dangerous goods due to the difference in flash points", and "discussion about various regulations on dangerous goods".
* Fiscal year 1999: Deliberation about "testing methods and criteria", "regulations concerning position, structure and equipment of dangerous goods facilities", "storage, handling, and transportation of dangerous goods".
5. Remarks
The complainant's opinion is as follows.
"I understand that this is the policy as it now stands."