Japon Y Reglationes

Required Report - public distribution

Date: 8/19/2009 GAIN Report Number:

Japan Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards Narrative FAIRS Country Report
Approved By: Stephen Wixom Prepared By: Yuichi Hayashi, Suguru Sato, Kakuyu Obara, and Kenzo Ito Report Highlights: Updated Sections: I. Food Laws; II. Labeling Requirements; IV. Food Additives Regulations; V. Pesticides andOther Contaminants; VII. Other Specific Standards

Section I. Food Laws: Note: This report was prepared by the Office of Agricultural Affairs of the USDA/Foreign Agricultural Service at the U.S. Embassy/Tokyo for exporters of U.S. agricultural products. While great care was taken in preparation of this report, information provided may not be completely accurate due to either changes in policiessince its preparation, or because clear and consistent information about these policies was not available at the time of publication. It is highly recommended that U.S. exporters verify the relevant import requirements with their foreign customers, who normally have the most updated information on local requirements

and can research such matters with local authorities, prior to exportation.FINAL IMPORT APPROVAL OF ANY PRODUCT IS SUBJECT TO THE IMPORTING COUNTRY’S RULES AND REGULATIONS AS INTERPRETED BY BORDER OFFICIALS AT THE TIME OF PRODUCT ENTRY. There are four major laws in Japan pertaining to food safety and standards; the Food Safety Basic Law, Food Sanitation Law, Japan Agricultural Standards Law, and Health Promotion law. The Food Safety Basic Law set the principles fordeveloping a food safety regime and also set up the role of the Food Safety Commission, a food related risk assessment body. The Food Sanitation Law ensures the safety and sanitation of foods through the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW), a food risk management agency. The law prohibits the sale of foods containing harmful substances. It also prescribes the standards for foods, additives, foodcontainers and packages. The law is available in English on the following Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) website: http://www.jetro.go.jp/en/market/regulations/. The general requirements and standards are set by MHLW and apply to all types of foods including imported foods. Imported foods that do not meet these requirements will not be allowed entry. These requirements and standardsplace the primary emphasis on ingredient and manufacturing standards. The Import Notification form should indicate additives, preservatives, coloring, spices or flavorings. In addition, a certificate with detailed descriptions of the ingredients (names of the chemical compounds, chemical names and international index numbers of the colors, etc.) and brief processing outline can be attached to eachshipment in order to expedite import procedures. Details of food importing procedure may be viewed on the MHLW website at: http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/topics/importedfoods/1.html. Before shipping a new or unknown product to Japan, MHLW suggests that the Japanese importer deliver a small sample of the product to be imported to the Japanese customs and MHLW port inspectors‟ office with a certificateguaranteeing compliance with required product regulations. These samples should be inspected to ensure that no importation problems exist before the actual product is commercially exported to Japan. It is strongly recommended that products not be shipped until product compliance has been verified. Another option is to have a sample of the product tested by one of the MHLW official or registeredlaboratories located in the United States. A full list of the registered laboratories is found on the following MHLW website: http://www.mhlw.go.jp/topics/yunyu/5/dl/a3.pdf. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) is also involved in food safety risk management, mainly in the area of food labeling through the Japan Agricultural Standards (JAS) Law, and animal and plant health...