. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/SPS/N/JPN/286 
13 December 2011  
 (11-6452) 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
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 numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO;  ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable):  Dog, cat, fox, racoon and skunk 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[ ] All trading partners   
[X] Specific regions or countries:  Ireland, Sweden, United Kingdom  
5. Title of the notified document:  Amendment of import conditions for certain animals from 
the United Kingdom, Ireland and Sweden  Language(s):  Japanese  Number of pages:  1 
6. Description of content:  Japan has been free of rabies and requests exporting countries to 
meet the import requirements for certain anim als* based on rabies-risk-status;  Japan has 
recognised the three EU member countries, Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, as 
rabies-free countries and placed those countries on the list of rabies-free designated regions 
(hereinafter referred to as the "designated list"). 
* dog, cat, fox, racoon and skunk. 
From 1 January 2012, Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom will harmonise their 
import conditions for dog and other pet-animal s with the other EU members and permit 
freer cross-border movements of dog and other pet-animals throughout the EU including 
countries considered affected with rabies.  Therefore, Japan will amend the designated list 
to remove those three countries (i.e. Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom) and to request the same import requirements for certain animals as those for the other EU member 
countries, in order to prevent the invasion of animals with rabies. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ ] food safety, [X] animal health, [ ] plant protection, 
[X] protect humans from animal/plant pest or  disease, [ ] protect territory from other 
damage from pests.    
8. Is there a relevant international stan dard?  If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex standard 
or related text)   G/SPS/N/JPN/286 
Page 2  
 
  [X] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)  Terrestrial Animal Health Code, 
Chapter 8.10  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)    
[ ] 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:    
9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:  None   
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) :  To be determined. 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) :  To be determined. 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  [ ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) :  To be determined. 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments:  [X] Sixty days  from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) :  11 February 2012 
Agency or authority designated to handl e 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 Affairs 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. Texts 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 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