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

4-(1) Clarify and internationally coordinate the certification procedures pertaining to engines used in shipping

1. Complainant: U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Japan

2. Ministry concerned: Ministry of Transport

3. Complaint:

Ministry of Transport and Japan Craft Inspection Organization regulations concerning certification for engines used in shipping are unclear and arbitrary. Particularly concerning what is necessary for the certification of shipping engines, whether internationally accepted documentation will be accepted, and if additional documentation, such as the manufacturer's report, are required, etc., the current regulations and their application to new products should be clarified. In keeping, internationally recognized standards should be accepted.

4. Corresponding Policy of the Ministries concerned:

Inspections for ship engines are conducted similarly for all engines, based on public regulations and inspection methods, with no internal-external distinctions. In fact, more than 20% of the engines inspected in fiscal year 1996 had been manufactured overseas. Since there are no uniform standard for engines based on international agreements or the like, at present, each country is inspecting engines in its own way.

However, based on the 3rd Report of the Market Access Ombudsman Council of March 18, 1996 and the March 17, 1997 report, rationalization of inspections with ISO9000 series has been implemented from March 1998.