G/SPS/N/JPN/1238  
22 November 2023  
(23-7878) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES  
1. Notifying Member:  JAPAN  
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF)  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, 
where applicable):  Underground parts of the live plants being capable of planting for 
cultivation (excluding live plants that are aseptically c ultured, sealed in test tubes, flasks, 
etc., and imported being free from the quarantine pest) of Euphorbia prostrata,  
Euphorbia  tirucalli  and Euphorbia trigona  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[ ] All trading partners   
[X] Specific regions or countries:  Antigua and Barbuda; Barbados, including the United 
States Virgin Islands; Benin; Brazil; Burkina Faso; China; Costa Rica; Côte d'Ivoire; 
Cuba; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Grenada;  Guatemala; Haiti; India; Jamaica; 
Kenya; Malawi; Mexico; Mozambique; Niger; Nigeria; Portugal; Saint Kitts and Nevis; 
Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Senegal; South Africa; Sri Lanka; 
Switzerland; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; Togo; Trinidad and Tobago; United States 
of America, excluding the Hawaiian Islands; Venezuela; Viet Nam; West Indies 
(Anguilla; Aruba; Bahamas; Bonaire; British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; 
Curacao; Guadeloupe; Martinique; Montserrat; Puerto Rico; Saint Barthelemy; 
Saint Martin; Sint Eustatius and Saba; Turks and Caicos Islands)  
5. Title of the notified document:  Emergency measures to  mitigate the risk of introducing 
Meloidogyne enterolobii . Language(s):  English . Number of pages:  
6. Description of content:  To prevent the introduction of Meloidogyne enterolobii into Japan, 
the MAFF will require National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPO) of exporting countries 
to certify that:  
For Underground parts of the live plants being capable of planting for cultivation of plants 
listed in item 3:  
1. The plants are grown at a place of production or a production site (including a plan t 
growth facility) where M. enterolobii  has not been known to occur or was known to occur 
previously but has been eradicated; and  
2. The plants are inspected at the place of production or the production site during the 
growing season, and the growing medium a nd the underground parts of the plants are 
examined by an appropriate nematological test and found to be free from M. enterolobii . 
Therefore, the NPPO of exporting countries will be required to include an additional 
declaration stating that " Fulfills item 13 of the Annexed Table 2 -2 of the Ordinance for 
Enforcement of the Plant Protection Act (MAF Ordinance No. 73/1950) ". 
7. Objective and rationale: [  ] food safety, [  ] animal health, [X]  plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   G/SPS/N/JPN/1238  
 
- 2 - 
 
  8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reason for urgent action:   
M. enterolobii  potentially poses a significant risk to agriculture in Japan. To prevent the 
introduction of M. enterolobii  into Japan, the emergency measures before the enforcement 
of the revision of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Plant Protection Act are to be 
applied to the import of  the plants as described in item 3 based on following newly 
information;  
− M. enterolobii  was isolated from underground parts, including nematode galls of 
E. trigona  live plants during the import inspection. The nematode was identified as 
M. enterolobii  using molecular and morphological method.  
− E. prostrata  and E. tirucalli could be determined as host plants for M. enterolobii (Lima et al.,  
2003; Souza et al., 2006).  
9. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Cod ex 
standard or related text) :  
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) :  
[X] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) :  
 IPPC Article 7, ISPM 1 and ISPM 20  
[ ] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[X] Yes   [  ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:   
10. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:   
− Table 2 -2, MAF Ordinance No. 73/1950 (online), available from 
https://www.maff.go.jp/pps/j/law/houki/shorei/E_Annexed_Table2 -2.html  
− Lima IM, Dolinski CM, Souza RM (2003) Dispersao de Meloidogyne mayaguensis em 
goiabais de Sao Joao da Barraq e relato de novos hospedeiros dentre plantas invasoras 
e cultivadas (Dispersal of Meloidogyne mayaguensis in guava orchards in the city of Sao 
Joao da Barra, Brazil, and new hosts amongst cultivated plant species and weeds). 
Nematologia Brasileira 27(2), 257 -258. 
− Souza RM, Nogueira MS, Lima IM, Melarto M, Dolinski CM (2006) Manejo de nematoides 
das galhas da goiabeira em Sao Joao da Barra (RJ) e relato de novos hospedeiros. 
Nematologia Brasileira 30, 165 -169.  
11. Date of entry into force ( dd/mm/yy )/period of application (as applicable):  
4 January 2024  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Agency or authority designated  to handle comments: [  ] National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if 
available) of other body:   
Standards Information Service  
International Trade Division  
Economic Affairs Bureau  
Ministry of Foreign Affairs  
2-2-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda -ku 
Tokyo 100 -8919, Japan  
Tel: +(81 3) 5501 8344  
Fax: +(81 3) 5501 8343  
E-mail: enquiry@mofa.go.jp  G/SPS/N/JPN/1238  
 
- 3 - 
 
  13. Text(s) available from: [  ] Natio nal Notification Authority, [X]  National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
Standards Information Service  
International Trade Division  
Economic Affairs Bureau  
Ministry of Foreign Affairs  
2-2-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda -ku 
Tokyo 100 -8919, Japan  
Tel: +(81 3) 5501 8344  
Fax: +(81 3) 5501 8343  
E-mail: enquiry@mofa.go.jp