G/TBT/N/JPN/699  
7 May 2021  
(21-3920) 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); FERTILIZERS (HS 31)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Draft Revision 
of the standards and rules for fertilizer  
6. Description of content:  In order to promote quality control of fertilizers, MAFF will 
amend the Ordinance for the Enforcement of the Fertilizer Regulation Act and the 
administrative rules as follows:  
Outline of the amendment:  
1. Outline of the amendment of the Ministerial Ordinance and the administerial rules 
(except for the rules of the labelling and the official specification)  
(1) Specifications of the raw materials which can be used for the following fertilizers, 
hereinafter referred to as "the Raw -materials Specification", will be established. 
Producers of the following fertilizers (Annexed Table 4(2), 4(3), 5(1), 5(2) and 5(3) in 
Annex) will be required to submit documents to MAFF to confirm that the raw materials 
satisfy the Raw -materials Specification when  they apply for registration as a fertilizer 
producer.  
Animal or Vegetable By -product Fertilizers, Processed Fish Scrap Fertilizers, Dried 
Microbe Fertilizers, By -product Fertilizers, Liquid Fertilizers, Adsorbed Compound 
Fertilizers, Compound Fertilizers for Home Garden, Microbe Fertilizers, Complex 
Fertilizers (with some exceptions)  
(2) Producers and importers of the following fertilizers will be required to submit results 
of cultivation test when they apply for registration to MAFF.  
Fused silicate phosph ates(*), Dried Microbe Fertilizers(*), By -product Fertilizers(*), 
Microbe Fertilizers, Fused Compound Fertilizers(*), Sludge Fertilizers,  Marine -Byproduct 
Fermented Fertilizers, Sulfur and Sulfur Compounds  
*Except for the fertilizers for Home Gardening.  G/TBT/N/JPN/699  
 
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  (3) The registration period of the following fertilizers will be six years.  
Processed Food Residue Fertilizers, Animal or Vegetable By -product Fertilizers (*), By -
product Fertilizers (*), Liquid Fertilizers (*), Compound Fertilizers for Home Gardening 
(*), A dsorbed Compound Fertilizers (*), Ammonium Phosphates  Potassium Nitrate  
Potassium Phosphates, Magnesium Ammonium Phosphates, Mixed manure Compound 
Fertilizers (*), Mixed Compost Compound Fertilizers (*), calcium sulfate  
* With some exceptions.  
(4) Producer s or importers will be additionally required to keep a record of the following 
information.  
(In the case of the Normal Fertilizer)  
• Type, quantity and suppliers of the raw materials  
(In the case of using the materials which meet the Raw -material Specificati on) 
• Information to confirm that the raw materials meet the Raw -material specification 
(except for the case in which the suppliers keep a record of the information)  
• Lot number (only in the case that the information on raw materials are showed 
on the Website ) 
• Calculation ground for the amount of component (in the case that the amount of 
component is calculated using the data of each production lot)  
• Calculation ground for the amount of major component (in the case of sludge 
fertilizer, designated mixed fertilizers containing special fertilizer(s) or designated 
mixed fertilizer containing soil amendment(s))  
(In the case of the designated mixed fertilizer containing alkaline fertilizer and non -
alkaline fertilizer or sulfur)  
• Information to confirm that the mixed fertilizer is not deteriorated by mixing 
processes  
(In the case of the Special Fertilizer)  
• Type, quantity and suppliers of the raw materials (only in the case of the special 
fertilizer subjected to the labelling rules for quality control)  
2. Outline of the administerial rule of labelling for fertilizer which indicate raw material 
in 1 (1) 
(1) Producers or importers of the fertilizers described below  must indicate all name/type 
of raw materials in descending order according to the percentage weight in the product 
on the Producers/ Importers Assurance Label.  
Animal or Vegetable By -product Fertilizers(*), Dried Microbe Fertilizers(*), By -product 
Fertilizers(*), Liquid Fertilizers(*) Adsorbed Compound Fertilizers(*), Microbe 
Fertilizers(*), Provisionally R egistered Fertilizers  
*Except for fertilizers for Home Gardening  
(2) Labelling requirement for raw materials which fall within the scope of the Raw 
material Specification is the same as that of other raw materials except for the following 
requirements;  
• Type/Name of the Raw Materials which is described in the list of the Raw -material 
Specification (Annexed 4(2), 4(3), 5(1), 5(2) and 5(3) in Annex) should be 
indicated on the label, if applicable.  
• The Name/ type of the raw materials must be fully indicated on  the label and not 
be omitted by describing as "others" or indicating website URL to be referred.  
(3) Producers of the Special Fertilizer(s) will be required to label name of the all raw 
materials including premixed raw materials before the manufacturing process of the 
fertilizer(s).  G/TBT/N/JPN/699  
 
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  3. Outline of the amendment of the administerial rules for the offic ial specification of the 
normal fertilizer (Regarding the all annexed tables (except for calcium silicate fertilizers) 
in Annex):  
• The integration of the specification  
• Stipulation of the Raw materials Specifications  
• Minimum amount of the major components which is required to be indicated on 
the assurance label is lowered  
• Lowering of the minimum amount of components which is required to be indicated 
on the assurance label  
• Addition of CaO and SO3 to the list of components which can be indicated on  the 
assurance label.  
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:  To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force:  December 2021  
10. Final date for comments:  60 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  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2021/TBT/JPN/21_3322_00_e.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2021/TBT/JPN/21_3322_00_x.pdf