G/TBT/N/JPN/647  
6 January 2020  
(20-0005) Page: 1/2 
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:  Considering technical advancement and recent needs for 
fertilizers, the Ordinance for the Enforcement of the Fertilizer Regulation Act and other 
rules are revised as follows:  
1. Lifting of the ban on fertilizer use of materials derived from sheep and goats  
As part of BSE -related feed ban, materials derived from sheep and goats have been 
prohibited to be used for producing fertilizers. Based on the result of the risk assessment 
conducted by the Food Safety Commission of Japan, materials derived from sheep and 
goats are permitted to be used for producing fertilizers under the appropriate condition 
for management of BSE specified in the administrative rules related to the Fertilizer 
Regulation Act.  
2. Use of granular fertilizers made of fossil seashell and seashell for preparing 
compound fertilizers  
Fertilizer producers which notified MAFF of their product plan are permitted to use 
granular fertilizers made of fossil seashell or seashe ll to be used as materials for preparing 
compound fertilizers.   
3. New testing manual for quantitative analysis of nutrient contents  
Guideline for qualitative analysis of nutrient contents for fertilizer registration shall be 
conducted by the testing manua l edited by Food and Agricultural Materials Inspection 
Center.  
4. Revision of the labeling rule concerning fertilizers derived from livestock  
There will be a change in the format of labels for fertilizers containing materials derived 
from livestock to indi cate species of livestock which the materials are derived from. It is 
not required to attach a label to indicate that the process of the production of the fertilizers 
has been confirmed by the minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.  G/TBT/N/JPN/647  
 
- 2 - 
 
  7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  Protection of human health or safety; 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:  February 2020  
Proposed date of entry into force:  April 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