RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/SG/Q1/JPN/5
23September 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-3756)
Original: English Committee onSafeguards
NOTIFICATION OFLAWS AND REGULATIONS UNDER
ARTICLE 12.6OFTHE AGREEMENT
Replies ofJAPAN1toquestions posed byKOREA2
Thefollowing communication, dated 11September 1996, hasbeenreceived fromthePermanent
Mission ofJapan.
_______________
Q1. Safeguard measures arenotspecifically mentioned inArticle 52ofthe"Foreign Exchange and
Foreign Trade Control Law", norinArticle 3ofthe"Import Trade Control Order". Isthere any
domestic legal problem intheenforcement of"Regulations toGovern Emergency Measures" dueto
thelackofbasis inhigher laws?
A1. Import restrictions forasafeguard measure areimposed incompliance withthe"Regulations"
which wereenacted asasecondary legislation under Article 52ofthe"Foreign Exchange andForeign
Trade Control Law" andArticle 3oftheImport Control Order toensure consistency withtheAgreement
onSafeguards.Thus,thereexistnodomesticlegalproblemsindomesticenforcementoftheRegulations.
Q2. According tothenotified lawsandregulations, thesafeguard measures ofJapan arelimited
toonlytwotypes, thatistariff measures andquantitative restrictions. Isitcorrect tounderstand that
Japan willnottakesafeguard measures ofanyother type?
A2. Inourlegislation,therearetwotypesofsafeguardmeasures,oneisanimportrestrictionmeasure
based onthe"Foreign Exchange andForeign Trade Control Law", theother isatariff measure based
onthe"Customs Tariff Law".
Japan doesnotintend totakesafeguard measures inthedifferent form other thanthose two.
Q3. TheMinister ofInternational Trade andIndustry conducts aninvestigation forquantitative
restrictions, andtheMinistry ofFinance doesthesamefortariffmeasures. Howdothese twoseparate
investigations actually work? Forexample, pending oneMinister 'sinvestigation foraspecific product,
willtheother Minister refrain fromhisinvestigation forthesameproduct? Orcanthetwoinvestigations
becarried outsimultaneously? Cantariff measures betaken asaresult oftheMITI'sinvestigation
forquantitative restrictions ortheother wayaround?
1G/SG/N/1/JPN/2 +Corr.1
2G/SG/W/83
./.G/SG/Q1/JPN/5
Page2
A3. TheMinistry ofInternational Trade andIndustry (MITI), theMinistry ofFinance (MOF) and
theMinistry having jurisdiction overtheproduct concerned willmake ajointdecision toinitiate an
investigation, andtheyshallconduct theinvestigations jointly andcollectively.
When, asaresult oftheinvestigations, safeguard measures areconsidered necessary tobe
taken, either animport restriction measure oratariff measure ischosen bytheconsensus ofMOF,
MITI andtheMinistry having jurisdiction overtheproduct concerned.
Q4. Cantheinvestigation beinitiated byapetition filedbydomestic producers?
A4. According totheprovisions ofdomestic legislation, investigations forsafeguards willonly
beinitiated exofficio .Accordingly, thepetition bythedomestic industry doesnotnecessarily lead
tothecommencement oftheinvestigation.
Q5. Article 2oftheRegulation andArticle 9oftheCustoms Tariff Lawprovide for"increased
quantities duetoadecrease inthemarket priceoranyother unforeseen change inthecircumstances".
Does thisprovision imply thatwhen theincrease inimports iscaused byanyother reason thanthose
specified intheprovision, Japan willnottakesafeguard measures?
A. Japan mayinvoke asafeguard measure inthecasewhere aparticular product isbeing imported
intoJapan inincreased quantities duetoadecrease inthemarket priceinforeign markets oranyother
unforeseen change inthecircumstances andsuchincrease inimports causes orthreatens tocause serious
injury.