G/TBT/N/JPN/668  
20 August 2020  
(20-5667) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  JAPAN   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above :  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Fertilizer 
(HS: 3101, 3102, 3103, 3104, 3105)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Revision of the 
fertilizer standards and rules  
6. Description of content:  In order to promote utilization of compost and fertilizers made 
of industrial by -products, the MAFF will amend the Ordinance for the Enforcement of the 
Fertilizer Regulation Act and the administrative rules as follows:  
1. Designation of the "designated mi xed fertilizers", as an additional category, which may 
be produced in and imported to Japan only requiring notification to the MAFF or to one of 
the Japanese prefectural governments.  
(1) Fertilizers which fall into the following categories I to III are considered as "designated 
mixed fertilizers" as far as their mixing processes (including granulation: same as in 
hereafter) do not have possibility to deteriorate the quality (e.g. chemical changes).  
I   mixed fertilizers produced only from registered norm al fertilizers1  
II mixed fertilizers produced from registered normal fertilizers and registered special 
fertilizers2  
III mixed fertilizers produced from registered normal fertilizers and/or special fertilizers 
and soil amendments  
Followings are examples of fertilizers which are not considered as the "designated mixed 
fertilizers".  
• mixed fertilizers produced from compost (or sewage sludge) which contains 
50% or more water  
• fertilizers produced from the   (A) and (B) bellow (unless their mixing processes 
deteriorate the quality)  
(A) alkaline fertilizers  
(B) non -alkaline fertilizers or sulfur  G/TBT/N/JPN/668  
 
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  1,2  The "normal fertilizers" and "special fertilizers" are defined in the Fertilizer Regulation 
Act. The Act is available from the following link: 
http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail/?ft=1&re=2&dn=1&x=57&y=16&co
=01&ia=03&ja=04&ky=fertilizer&page=18   
(2) The soil amendments li sted below may be used for producing the "designated mixed 
fertilizers" specified in III of 1.(1):  
peat, humic acid, woody peat, granulated calcined diatomaceous earth, zeolite, 
vermiculite, perlite, bentonite and vesicular -arbuscular mycorrhiza  
(3) Mixed  "special fertilizers" are defined as below:  
"Mixed fertilizers produced exclusively from special fertilizers" is additionally designated 
as special fertilizers. The mixed special fertilizers may be produced in and imported to 
Japan under the same notifica tion procedure as "special fertilizer".  
Similar labelling requirements to those for compost is stipulated for the mixed special 
fertilizers. The labelling requirements include the name of main raw materials, amount of 
ingredient, production date, the name  of producers among others.  
(4) The assurance label for "designated mixed fertilizer" is required to indicate the 
following information:  
• description which proves that the label is  "producer assurance label" or 
"importer assurance label";  
• name of the ferti lizers 
• guaranteed component amount (or the amount of the major components for the 
fertilizer corresponding to 1.(1) II and III)  
• name and address of the producer or importer;  
• year and month of production or import;  
• (in the case of producer) name and locatio n of the workplace for the production;  
• net weight;  
• (in the case of designated mixed fertilizer) discription that the fertilizer is a 
designated mixed fertilizer;  
• (in the case of designated mixed fertilizer which contains special 
fertilizer(s))  type/name and proportion of normal fertilizer(s) and/or special 
fertilizer(s)  
• (in the case of designated mixed fertilizer which contains soil 
amendment(s))   type/name and p roportion of normal fertilizer(s), special 
fertilizer(s) and soil amendment(s)  
• type/name of the raw materials  
2. Relaxation of the requirements for the assurance labelling  
(1) Minimum amount of the major components which is required to be indicated on the  
assurance label is lowered.  
The required minimum amount for alkalinity (AL) and Acid -silicon (SiO 2) is lowered to 5% 
or more of the product weight (currently 10% or more).  
(2) Regarding the assurance labels, the current requirement of size (bigger than 10.8cm 
long and 7.2cm wide) is abandoned while the font size requirement is introduced so that 
it should not be smaller than 8 point (Japanese Industrial Standards Z8305).  
3. Amendment of the labelling requirements for mixed organic fertilizers  
Mixed organic fertilizers are, similarly to other mixed fertilizers, required to indicate all 
the raw materials that contain nitrogen on their labels.  G/TBT/N/JPN/668  
 
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  Although in the current regulation , it is required to indicate all the raw materials in 
descending order according to the percentage weight in the product, the following 
description will be also allowed after the amendment:  
I Five or more raw materials, or raw materials consisting eighty p ercent or more of the 
fertilizers should be listed first in descending order of weight ratio, followed by "others" 
in which the remaining raw materials shall be listed with parenthesis ("no particular order" 
required in the parenthesis).  
II If the actual o rder of the two adjacent raw materials may be changed depending on 
the lots, the possibility of the change may be described. However, the "others" should 
always stay at the end of the list.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  Consumer information, labelling; Reducing trade barriers and facilitating 
trade; Cost saving and productivity enhancement  
8. Relevant documents:   
This is to be publicised in the Official Gazette, "KAMPO". (Available in Japanese)  
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force:  December 2020  
10. Final date for comments:  30 days from notification  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
International Trade Division  
Economic Affairs Bureau  
Ministry of Foreign Affairs  
Fax: (+81 3) 5501 8343  
E-mail: enquiry@mofa.go.jp