. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/JPN/253 
18 April 2008 
 (08-1822) 
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  Agriculture, Fo restry and Fisheries of Japan 
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):   Pressed  ham, mixed 
pressed ham, sausage, mixed sausage, fish ham, fi sh sausage, specially packed fish sausage, 
flavoured fish sausage, dressing and dressing type seasoning 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Overview of 
Revisions to the Quality Labelling Standards for Pressed Ham, Mixed Pressed Ham, 
Sausage, Mixed Sausage, Fish Ham and Fish Sausage, Specially Packed Fish Sausage, 
Flavoured Fish Sausage and Dressing and Dressi ng Type Seasoning (1page, in English). 
6. Description of content:   
1) The term “the ratio of starch” will be revised  to “the ratio of starch, including modified 
starch,” in the Quality Labelling Standards for Pressed Ham, Mixed Pressed Ham, Sausage, 
Mixed Sausage, Fish Ham and Fish Sausage, Specially Packed Fish Sausage and Flavoured 
Fish Sausage, in order to clarify the definition of starch. 
2) Modified starch will be added to the definition of ‘salad creamy dressing’ as a permitted 
food additive in the Quality Standard for Dressing and Dressing Type Seasoning. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Modified starches are designated as food addi tives in a planned amendment of the Food 
Sanitation Law. In response to this amendmen t, the definition of starch in the Quality 
Labelling Standard for Pressed Ham, Mixed Pressed Ham, Sausage, Mixed Sausage, Fish 
Ham and Fish Sausage, Specially Packed Fish  Sausage and Flavoured Fish Sausage should 
be clarified and the list of permitted food add itives of the Quality Labelling Standard of 
Dressing and Dressing Type Seasoning is to be revised. Those revisions are technical and 
will not impose additional restrictions. G/TBT/N/JPN/253 
Page 2  
 
  8. Relevant documents:    
a) The Quality Labelling Standard for Pressed Ham (Notification No. 1648 of the Ministry 
of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of 19 December 2000); 
b) The Quality Labelling Standard for Mixed Pressed  Ham (Notification No. 1649 of the 
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of 19 December  2000); 
c) The Quality Labelling Standard for Sausage  (Notification No. 1650 of the Ministry of 
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of 19 December 2000); 
d) The Quality Labelling Standard for Mi xed Sausage (Notification No. 1651 of the 
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of 19 December  2000); 
e) The Quality Labelling Standard for Fish Ha m and Fish Sausage (Notification No. 1658 of 
the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of 19 December 2000); 
f) The Quality Labelling Standard for Specially Packed Fish Sausage (Notification No. 1656 
of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of 19 December 2000); 
g) The Quality Labelling Standa rd for Flavoured Fish Sausage (Notification No. 1657 of the 
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of 19 December 2000); 
h) The Quality Labelling Standard for Dressing and Dressing Type Seasoning (Notification 
No. 1667 of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of 19 December 2000); 
i) The Law Concerning Standardization and Pr oper Labelling of Agricultural and Forestry 
Products (Law No. 175 of 1950). 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
 
Proposed date of entry into force:    Summer 2008 (To be announced in “KAMPO” 
(Official Government Gazette) 
To be announced in the Official Government 
Gazette 
10. Final date for comments:   20 June 2008 
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: