G/SPS/N/JPN/1056  
 
27 June 2022  
(22-4939) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES  
1. Notifying Member:  JAPAN  
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, 
where applicable):  Seeds for planting of tomato (including Lycopersicon esculentum 
(= Solanum lycopersicum ), S. arcanum, S. cheesmaniae, S. chi lense, S. galapagense, 
S. peruvianum, S. pimpinellifolium ) and sweet pepper (chili peppers, shishito pepper, 
bell pepper) ( Capsicum annuum ) 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document:  Emergency measure to prevent Tomato brown rugose 
fruit virus  (ToBRFV) from entering Japan through importation of host seeds of ToBRFV . 
Language(s):  . Number of pages:   
6. Description of content:  To prevent ToBRFV from entering Japan, the Ministry of 
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) take the emergency measure for seeds 
listed in item 3. This measure includes three underlined changes from current measure as  
provided for in item 36 of the annexed table 2 -2 of the ordinance for enforcement of the 
plant protection act and the details of requirements for ToBRFV:  
A. Current measure  
For seeds, either:  
i. The samples randomly taken from parent plants and ones with suspec ted symptoms 
are tested during harvest period by an appropriate genetic method such as RT -PCR 
assay and found to be free from Tomato brown rugose fruit virus ; or 
ii. The seeds are tested prior to export by an appropriate genetic method such as RT -PCR 
assay and  found to be free from Tomato brown rugose fruit virus ; 4,600 seeds are 
randomly taken from a lot as samples in accordance with the International Seed 
Testing Association (ISTA) procedures; or in case that the number of seeds of a lot is 
less than 46,000, 10% of the seeds are used for the testing; they are divided into at 
most 400 seeds as sub -samples.  
In addition, National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPO) of the exporting countries will 
be required to declare as below in the column of Additional decla ration of Phytosanitary 
Certificate.  
"Fulfills item 36 of the Annexed Table 2 -2 of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Plant 
Protection Act (MAF Ordinance No. 73/1950) " 
B. Emergency measure  
For seeds, either:  
i. The samples randomly taken from parent plants and ones with suspected symptoms 
are tested during harvest period by an appropriate genetic method such as RT -PCR 
assay and found to be free from Tomato brown rugose fruit virus ; or G/SPS/N/JPN/1056  
 
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  ii. The seeds are tested prior to export by Real -time RT -PCR assay using such method as 
described in the International Seed Federation (ISF) protocol (2020) and found to be 
free from Tomato brown rugose fruit virus ; 4,600 seeds are randomly taken from a lot 
as samples in accordance with the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) 
procedures; or in case that the number of seeds of a lot is less than 46,000, 10% of 
the seeds are used for the testing; they are divided into at most 400 seeds as sub -
samples.  
In addition, the NPPO will be required to declare as below in the column of Additional 
declaration of Phytosanitary Certificate.  
i. "Fulfills item 36 (Appropriate genetic method for parent plants) of the Annexed 
Table  2-2 of the Ordinance for Enforcement of th e Plant Protection Act (MAF Ordinance 
No. 73/1950) " 
ii. "Fulfills item 36 (Real -time RT -PCR for seeds) of the Annexed Table 2 -2 of the 
Ordinance for Enforcement of the Plant Protection Act (MAF Ordinance No. 73/1950) " 
7. Objective and rationale: [  ] food safety, [  ] animal health, [X]  plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   
8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reason for urgent action:  ToBRFV is spreading 
worldwide. To prevent ToBRFV from entering Japan, an additional declaration is to be 
provided in Phytosanitary Certificate for the import of seeds and plants of tomato 
(Solanum lycopersicum ) and sweet pepper ( Capsicum annuum ). This is t he urgent action 
prior to the revision of the details of requirements for ToBRFV upon the detection of 
ToBRFV in Real -time RT -PCR assay which was not detected in conventional RT -PCR assay 
for the same sample during inspection in Japan.  
9. Is there a relev ant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) :  
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, c hapter number) :  
[X] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) : 
IPPC Article  7, ISPM 1 and ISPM 20  
[ ] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[X] Yes   [  ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:   
10. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:   
− List of the Plants Subject to Specific Phytosanitary Measures to be Carried Out in 
Exporting Countries (Annexed  Table 2 -2 of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Plant 
Protection Act) and the Details of Requirements for Each of the Quarantine Pests. 
(online),  available  from 
https://www.maff.go.jp/pps/j/law/houki/shorei/E_Annexed_Table2 -
2_from_20210428.html  
− ISF (2020) ISHI -Veg Protocols. (online), available from https://worldsee d.org/wp -
content/uploads/2020/11/Tomato -ToBRFV_2020v1.5.pdf , (Last updated 2020 -11) 
11. Date of entry into force ( dd/mm/yy )/period of application (as applicable):  
1 August 2022  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   G/SPS/N/JPN/1056  
 
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  12. Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [  ] National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if 
available) of other body:   
Standards Information Service  
International Trade Division  
Economic Af fairs Bureau  
Ministry of Foreign Affairs  
2-2-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda -ku 
Tokyo 100 -8919, Japan  
Tel: +(81 3) 5501 8344  
Fax: +(81 3) 5501 8343  
E-mail: enquiry@mofa.go.jp  
13. Text(s) available from: [  ] National Notification Authority, [X]  National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
Standards Information Service  
International Trade Division  
Economic Affairs Bureau  
Ministry of Fo reign Affairs  
2-2-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda -ku 
Tokyo 100 -8919, Japan  
Tel: +(81 3) 5501 8344  
Fax: +(81 3) 5501 8343  
E-mail: enquiry@mofa.go.jp