. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/JPN/221 
12 October 2007 
 (07-4408) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   JAPAN
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:   Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site 
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):   Gas instantaneous water 
heater, gas space heater, and bath tub gas water heater with burner. 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Amendments to the 
"Ministerial Ordinance of Technical Requi rements under the Gas Utilities Industry Law" 
and "Ministerial Ordinance of Technical Requirements under the Law concerning the 
Securing of Safety and the Optimization of Transaction of Liquefied Petroleum Gas" (Translated summary: 2pages, in English).  
6. Description of content:    
1. Imposition of setting of “interlock mechanism” to the unvented-type gas 
instantaneous water heater which prev ents re-ignition after the incomplete 
combustion arrester’s operation. Additiona lly, re-ignition in the normal operation 
should be prevented after the incomplete combustion arrester operated more than 
three times in succession. 
2. Imposition of function to notice users incomp lete combustion arrester’s operation to 
the unvented-type gas instantaneous water heater and the unvented-type forced 
ventilating gas space heater. 
3. Amendment of the value of carbon monoxide density by which the incomplete 
combustion arrester starts its operation for the unvented-type gas instantaneous 
water heater and the unvented-type gas space heater.  
4. Amendment of the time when the incomp lete combustion arrester starts its 
operation for the unvented-type gas instantaneous water heater and the unvented-
type gas space heater. 
5. Imposition of warning indication expressing that not ventilating when using the 
product may cause death to the main body of the unvented-type gas instantaneous water heater and the unvented-type gas space heater. G/TBT/N/JPN/221 
Page 2  
 
  6. Adding the following two contents to the function of the unvented-type gas 
instantaneous water heater and the unve nted-type gas space heater taking into 
account the amendment of the vented-type g as instantaneous water heater in April 
2007. 
(i) Prevention of unjust remodelling of a safety device, and its 
reinforcement of the durability strength  
(ii) Imposition of fail-safe design 
7. Amendment of the theoretical value of carbon monoxide density in the normal 
combustion of the gas combustion equipment  
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Product safety 
8. Relevant documents:   The revisions  of "Ministerial Ordinance of Technical Requirements 
under the Gas Utilities Industry Law" and "Ministerial Ordinance of Technical 
Requirements under the Law concerning the Securing of Safety and the Optimization of 
Transaction of Liquefied Petroleum Gas" will appear in "KAMPO" (Official Government Gazette) when adopted. 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    December 2007 
April 2008 
10. Final date for comments:   14 December 2007 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:   
Contact: 
Product Safety Division, Commerce and Information Policy Bureau 
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry 
1-3-1 Kasumigaseki Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 100-8986 JAPAN  
Tel: +(81) 3 3501 4707 
Fax: +(81) 3 3501 6201 Email: aoki -sakae@meti.go.jp