- 1 - Revision to Ministerial Ordinance  and Notification of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and 
Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Land Infrastructure,  Transport and Tourism  (MLIT) 
for the Act on the Rational Use of Energy  
 
 
December 2015  
Energy Efficiency and C onservation Division  
Agency of Natural Resources and Energy  
Ministry of Economy,  Trade and Industry  
 
Environmental Policy Division  
Road Transport Bureau  
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism  
 
1. Outline of the s ystem  
 
Under Article 78 of the Act on the Rational Use of Energy (Law No. 49 of 1979; hereinafter 
referred to as the "Energy Efficiency Law"), the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry  
and the Minister of Land , Infrastructure, Transport  and Tourism  shall  decide and make 
public the  standards of judgment for manufacturers and importers about improvement in 
the energy efficiency performance of vehicles  which are specified as the specifi c energy 
consumption equipment (the "energy efficiency standards").  
 
2. Outline of amendment  
 
In ad dition to existing fuel efficiency test  method  (JC08 fuel efficiency test), WLTP  
(Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedure which was established in the United 
Nations) fuel efficiency test will be able to be used as fuel efficiency test method fo r 
achievement judgment of energy efficiency standard s for vehicle (hereinafter referred to as 
“fuel efficiency standards ”). 
 
i) Target scope  
 Passenger vehicles with a capacity of 9 passengers or less that are fuelled with 
gasoline, diesel oil or liquefied petroleum gas ;  
passenger vehicles with a capacity of 10 passengers or more (gross vehicle weight of 3.5 tons or less) that are fuelled with gasoline, diesel oil or liquefied petroleum 
gas (except   passenger vehicles with a capacity of 11 passengers or mor e  that 
are fuelled with liquefied petroleum gas ). 
 Commercial vehicles with gross vehicle weight of 3.5 tons or less, that are 
fuelled with gasoline or diesel oil . 
 
ⅱ)Fuel efficiency standards  
For existing JC08 fuel efficiency standards , the fuel efficiency  value measured  
under the WLTP fuel efficiency  test regarding  the vehicle to  which the existing fuel 
efficiency standards  are applied will be able to be used for ac hievement judgment  
of existing fuel efficiency standards  for manufactures and importers *.  
 
- 2 -  
ⅲ) Target fiscal year s 
Target fiscal year s remain  the same as the current  target years 
(Passenger vehicle) FY2015 and FY2020  
(Commercial vehicle) FY2015 and FY2022  
 
ⅳ) Method  of achievement judgment  
Method  of achievement judgment remain s the same as the current  method . 
 
  ⅴ) Labelling requirement  
Manufactures and importers shall indicate  fuel efficiency value measured  both by 
WLTP fuel efficiency test  and JC08 fuel ef ficiency test . (However regarding  a 
vehicle which is tested by only one of WLTP fuel efficiency test and  JC08 fuel 
efficiency test, manufacture s and importers do not have to  indicate  fuel efficiency 
value of the other fuel efficiency test. ) 
 
*The WLTP fuel  efficiency value tends to be the same or lower  level  (in other 
words, worse efficiency value)  as compared to the JC08 fuel efficiency value. 
Therefore, the addition of WLTP fuel efficiency value for the determination of 
the fuel efficiency standards does not mean any relaxation of the existing JC08 
fuel efficiency standards.  
 
3. Objective  
 
To promote rationalization of overall energy consumption in Japan through popularization  
of machineries  and equipment with high energy consumption efficiency, in or der to cope 
with the recent increase of energy consumption in transport  sector,  global warning 
problem and so forth . 
  
4. Proposed date of entry into force 
 
This amendment will be entry into force around s pring  of 2016.