Note: This is unofficial translation. Only the original Japanese texts
have legal effect and the translation is to be used solely as referencematerial to aid in the understanding of this Law.

(Provisional Translation)

Law for Ensuring the Safety of Pet Food(Law o. 83 of 2008)
Date of promulgation: June 18, 2008
Table of Contents
Chapter I
General Provisions (Articles 1-4)
Chapter II
Regulation of Manufacturing, Etc., of Pet Food (Articles 5-10)
Chapter III
Miscellaneous Provisions (Articles 11-17)
Chapter IV
Penal Provisions (Articles 18-23)
Supplementary Provisions
Chapter I
General Provisions(Objectives)
Article 1
This law aims to ensure the safety of pet food by regulating the manufacturing, etc., of pet
food, thus protecting the health of pets and contributing to animal welfare.
(Definitions)
Article 2
purpose of being a pet.
to pets.

person engaged in the business of selling pet food who is not a manufacturer or an
importer.
(Responsibility of operators)

1Article 3
When carrying out business activities, manufacturers, importers, and sellers must be awarethat they bear the primary responsibility for ensuring the safety of pet food, and must
endeavor to obtain expertise and technology related to ensuring the safety of pet food, ensure
the safety of pet food raw materials, recall pet food in order to prevent damage to the health ofpets, and take other necessary measures.
(Responsibility of national government)
Article 4
The national government must endeavor to collect, organize, analyze and provide information
concerning the safety of pet food.
Chapter II
Regulation of Manufacturing, Etc., of Pet Food
(Standards and specifications)
Article 5
1.

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Minister of the Environment
may lay down standards for the methods of pet food manufacturing and labeling andspecifications for the constituents of pet food by the Ordinance of Ministry ofAgriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Ministry of the Environment from theperspective of preventing damage to the health of pets caused by the use of pet food.

2.

When the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Minister of theEnvironment consider the establishment, revision, or abolition of the standards andspecifications under the provision of the preceding paragraph, they must hear theopinions of the Agricultural Material Council and the Central Environment Council.

(Prohibition of manufacturing, etc.)
Article 6
When the standards and specifications have been established under the provision of paragraph
1 of the preceding article, no person shall engage in the actions listed below.
i.

The manufacture of pet food by a method that does not meet the relevant standards inorder to supply it for sale (includes supply other than by sale to unspecified or a numberof persons, and supply which is equivalent to this specified by the Ordinance ofMinistry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries ordinance, and Ministry of theEnvironment ordinance, the same applies below.)ii.

The sale of or the import for sale of pet food manufactured by a method that does notmeet the relevant standards.

iii.

The sale of pet food without labeling that meets the relevant standards.

iv.

The sale of, or the manufacture or import for sale of pet food that does not meet therelevant standards.
2

(Prohibition on the manufacture, of pet food that contains harmful substances, etc.)
Article 7
1.

2.

When the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Minister of theEnvironment deem it necessary to prevent the health of pets from being damaged by theuse of the pet food listed below, they shall hear the opinions of the Agricultural Material
Council and the Central Environment Council and may prohibit manufacturers,
importers, or sellers from manufacturing, importing, or selling the relevant pet food.
i.

Pet food containing or suspected of containing harmful substances.

ii.

Pet food contaminated or suspected to be contaminated with pathogenic
microorganisms.

When the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Minister of theEnvironment make a prohibition under the provision of the preceding paragraph, it mustbe published in the official gazette.

(Order for destruction, etc.)
Article 8
When a manufacturer, importer, or seller has sold or is storing in order to supply for sale petfood listed below and when the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and theMinister of the Environment deem it particularly necessary to prevent the health of pets being
damaged by the use of the relevant pet food, they may, to the extent necessary to ensure thehealth of pets, order the relevant manufacturer, importer, or seller to destroy or recall the
relevant pet food and take other necessary measures.
i.

Pet food specified in item 2 through item 4 of article 6.

ii.

Pet food concerned in the prohibition under the provision of paragraph 1 of thepreceding article.

(Notification by manufacturers, etc.)
Article 91.

A manufacturer or importer of pet food (excludes persons specified under the Ordinanceof Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Ministry of the Environment) for
which standards and specifications have been established under the provision ofparagraph 1 of article 5 must, as specified by the Ordinance of Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries and Ministry of the Environment, notify the Minister ofAgriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Minister of the Environment of the matterslisted below prior to commencing that business.
i.

Name and address (name, name of representative, and address of principal
business office for a corporation)ii.

Name and address of the business premises that manufacture the relevant pet foodfor a manufacturer.

iii.

Address of business premises to sell and to store the relevant pet food.

3

iv.

Other matters specified by the Ordinance of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries and Ministry of the Environment.

2.

A person who has become a manufacturer or importer specified in the preceding
paragraph due to the establishment of new standards and specifications under theprovision of paragraph 1 of article 5 must, as specified by the Ordinance of Ministry ofAgriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Ministry of the Environment, notify the Ministerof Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Minister of the Environment of thematters listed in each item of the preceding paragraph within thirty (30) days of the datewhen the standards and specifications were established.

3.

An Operator who has given notification under the provisions of the two preceding
must, as specified by the Ordinance of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
and Ministry of the Environment, notify the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries and the Minister of the Environment, when there has been a change in the
notified matters within thirty (30) days of the date of the change. The same shall apply
when the business is terminated.

4.

When an operator giving notification transfers all of the business to which thenotification under the provision of paragraph 1 or 2 relates, or when there has been a
succession, merger, or spin off relating to the operator giving notification (limited to thesuccession of the whole of the business to which the notification relates), the person
receiving transfer of the whole of the business, or the successor (when there are two or
more successors, and a successor to the business is selected by unanimous agreement,that person), the surviving corporation after the merger, the corporation established by
the merger, or the corporation succeeding to the whole of the business due to the spin
off shall succeed to the position of the operator giving notification.

5.

An operator who has succeeded to the position of the operator giving notification basedon the provision of the preceding paragraph must, as specified by the Ordinance ofMinistry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Ministry of the Environment, notify
the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Minister of the Environmentof the succession, attaching documents that give evidence of that fact, within thirty (30)days of the date of the succession.

(Keeping of books)
Article 10
1.

A manufacturer or importer of pet food for which standards and specifications havebeen established under the provision of paragraph 1 of article 5 must keep a book, and,as specified by the Ordinance of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries andMinistry of the Environment record the name, volume and other matters specified by
the Ordinance of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Ministry of theEnvironment when manufacturing or importing the relevant pet food, and retain the
book.

2.

A manufacturer, importer, or seller of pet food for which standards and specifications
have been established under the provision of paragraph 1 of article 5 must keep a book,and, as specified by the Ordinance of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries or
Ministry of the Environment, record the name, volume, name of the other party in the4transfer and other matters specified by the Ordinance of Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries and Ministry of the Environment when transferring the relevant
pet food to a manufacturer, importer, or seller, and retain the book.
Chapter III
Miscellaneous Provisions(Collection of reports)
Article 11
1.

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries or the Minister of the Environment
may, to the extent necessary for the enforcement of this law, request the necessary
reports concerning operations from manufacturers, importers, or sellers as well as pet
food freight and warehouse operators.

2.

The ministers listed in each of the items below shall promptly inform the ministers
listed in each of the relevant items of the results after exercising the powers under theprovision of the preceding paragraph alone.
i.

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Minister of the Environment(Note: When the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries collects a report
independently, he or she shall inform the Minister of the Environment of the result.)
ii.

Minister of the Environment, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries(Note: When the Minister of the Environment collects a report independently, he or she
shall inform the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of the result.)(On-the-spot inspections, etc.)
Article 12
1.

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries or the Minister of the Environment
may, to the extent necessary for the enforcement of this law, have their officials enter
the business premises, warehouses, sea vessels, vehicles and other locations concernedwith pet food manufacturing, importing, retail, transport, or storage operations of
manufacturers, importers, or sellers as well as pet food freight and warehouse operators
to inspect pet food, raw materials, or books and documents concerning operations, andother items, to question the parties concerned, or seize pet food and raw materials to theextent necessary for inspection. Notwithstanding that when pet food and raw materials
are seized, compensation based on the market price must be paid.

documents showing their identity and present such documents to the parties concerned.
3.

The authority of an on-the-spot inspection, etc., under the provision of paragraph 1 shallnot be construed as approval for a criminal investigation.

5

4.

5.

The minister listed in each of the items below shall promptly inform the minister listed
in each of the relevant items of the results after exercising the authority under theprovision of paragraph 1 alone.
i.

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Minister of the Environmentii.

Minister of the Environment, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

When the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries or the Minister of theEnvironment have had pet food or raw materials seized under the provision ofparagraph 1, a summary of the results of the inspection of the relevant pet food or raw
materials must be published.

(On-the-spot inspection, etc., by FAMIC)
Article 13
1.

When deemed necessary in the case of paragraph 1 of the preceding article, the Ministerof Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries may have the Food and Agricultural Materials
vehicles, and other locations concerned with pet food manufacturing, importing, retail,transport, or storage operations of manufacturers, importers, or sellers as well as pet
food freight and warehouse operators to inspect pet food, raw materials, or books anddocuments concerning operations, and other items, to question the parties concerned, orseize pet food and raw materials to the extent necessary for inspection. Notwithstandingthat when pet food and raw materials are seized, compensation based on the market
price must be paid.

2.

When the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has an on-the-spot inspection,etc., carried out by FAMIC under the provision of the preceding paragraph, FAMIC
shall be given instructions on carrying out the on-the-spot inspection, etc., indicating thedate, location, and other necessary matters.

3.

When FAMIC has conducted an on-the-spot inspection, etc., under the provision ofparagraph 1 in accordance with the instructions in the preceding paragraph, it must
report the results to the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as specified by
the Ordinance of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

4.

After receiving the report under the provision of the preceding paragraph, the Ministerof Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries shall promptly inform the Minister of theEnvironment of the contents.

5.

The provision of paragraphs 2 and 3 in the preceding article shall apply mutatis
mutandis to an on-the-spot inspection under the provision of paragraph 1, and theprovision of paragraph 5 in the same article shall apply mutatis mutandis to seizure
under the provision of paragraph 1.

(Orders to FAMIC)
Article 14

6

When deemed necessary to ensure the proper implementation of operations in an on-the-spot
inspection under the provision of paragraph 1 of the preceding article, the Minister ofAgriculture, Forestry and Fisheries may give the needed orders to FAMIC concerning therelevant operations.
(Exceptions concerning pet food for export)
Article 15
The partial exclusion from the application of this law and other necessary exceptions relating
to pet food for export may be made through Cabinet Order.
(Delegation of authority)
Article 16
1.

The authority of the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries provided for by thislaw may be delegated to the Director-General of the Regional Agricultural
Administration Office as provided for by the Ordinance of Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries.

2.

The authority of the Minister of the Environment provided for by this law may bedelegated to the Director of the Regional Environment Office as provided for by theOrdinance of Ministry of the Environment.

(Interim measures)
Article 17
When an order is formulated, altered or abolished based on the provisions of this law, thenecessary interim measures (including interim measures concerning penal provisions) may beestablished to the extent reasonably deemed to be required in conjunction with theformulation, alteration, or abolition of the order.
Chapter IV
Penal Provisions
Article 18
A term of imprisonment of no more than one year or a fine of no more than 1 million yen or a
combination of both shall be imposed on a person to whom any of the following items apply.
i.

A person who has infringed the provisions of article 6ii.

A person who has infringed the prohibition under the provision of paragraph 1 of article
7iii.

A person who has infringed an order under the provision of article 8

Article 197

A fine of no more than 300,000 yen shall be imposed on a person to whom any of thefollowing items apply.
i.

A person who has failed to give the notification provided for in paragraphs 1 and 2 ofarticle 9, or who has made a false notificationii.

A person who has failed to make the report provided for in paragraph 1 of article 11, or
who has made a false reportiii.

A person who has refused, obstructed, or avoided the inspection or seizure provided forin paragraph 1 of article 12 or in paragraph 1 of article 13, or who has failed to respondto the questioning under these provisions, or who has made a false response

Article 20
When the representative of a corporation, or the agent, staff or other employee of ain each of the relevant items shall be imposed on the corporation, and the fine in each article
shall be imposed on the person in addition to the punishment imposed on the offender.
i.

Article 18 A fine of no more than 100 million yenii.

The preceding article The fines in the preceding article

Article 21
A non-penal fine of no more than 200,000 yen shall be imposed on a person who has failed togive the notification provided for in paragraphs 3 and 5 of article 9, or who has given false
notification
Article 22
In the event of an infringement of an order based on the provisions of article 14, a non-penal
fine of no more than 200,000 yen shall be imposed on the FAMIC officer who committed theinfringement.
Article 23
A non-penal fine of no more than 100,000 yen shall be imposed on a person who has failed tokeep a book, or who has failed to make entries in the book, or who has recorded false entries
in the book, or who has failed to retain the book, in violation of the provisions of paragraph 1
and 2 of article 10.
Supplementary Provisions(Date of enforcement)
Article 18This law shall be enforced from the date specified by Cabinet Order, not to exceed one year
from the date of its promulgation. Notwithstanding that the provisions of the following article
and article 3 of the Supplementary Provisions shall be enforced from the date ofpromulgation.
(Preparations required for enforcement)
Article 2
The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Minister of the Environment may
hear the opinions of the Agricultural Material Council and the Central Environment Council,
respectively, regarding the establishment of standards and specifications under the provisionof paragraph 1 of article 5 before the enforcement of this law.
(Delegation to Cabinet Order)
Article 3
Apart from the provision in the preceding article, the necessary interim measures for theenforcement of this law shall be determined by Cabinet Order.
(Examination)
Article 4
When the national government deems it necessary taking into consideration the enforcement
status of this law five years after its enforcement, it shall examine the provisions of the law
and take the necessary measures based on the results of this examination.
(Partial revision of the Basic Environment Law)
Article 5
The Basic Environment Law (Law No. 91 of 1993) shall be partially amended as follows.

(Partial amendment of the Food and Agricultural Materials Inspection Center Act)
Article 6
The Food and Agricultural Materials Inspection Center Act (Law No. 183 of 1999) shall be
partially amended as follows.
Item 6 in paragraph 2 of article 10 shall be read as item 7; item 5 shall be read as item 6; andthe following item shall be added after item 4.

9(Partial amendment of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Establishment Act)
Article 7
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Establishment Act (Law No. 98 of 1999)
shall be partially amended as follows.

10Note: This is unofficial translation. Only the original Japanese texts
have legal effect and the translation is to be used solely as referencematerial to aid in the understanding of this Government Ordinance.

(Provisional Translation)

Government Ordinance Pursuant to Law for Ensuring the Safety of
Pet Food
Date of promulgation: December 3, 2008

As formulated by the Prime Minister of Japan and his Cabinet, this government
ordinance is pursuant to the provisions set forth in Article 2, Paragraph 1 andArticle 15 of the Law for Ensuring the Safety of Pet Food.
(Pets)
Article 1
Article 2, Paragraph 1 of the Law for Ensuring the Safety of Pet Food (referred(Exceptions concerning pet food for export)
Article 2
The provisions set forth in Article 6 of the pet food safety law do not apply tothe manufacture, import or sale of pet food for export.
Supplementary Provisions(Date of enforcement)
Article 1
This government ordinance shall be enforced from the date of enforcement
established for the pet food safety law (June 1, 2009).

Note: This is unofficial translation. Only the original Japanese texts
have legal effect and the translation is to be used solely as referencematerial to aid in the understanding of this Ministerial Ordinance.

(Provisional Translation)
Ministerial Ordinance No. 2
Ministry of Agriculture, forestry and Fisheries
Ministry of the Environment
According to the regulations stipulated in Item 1 of Article 6 and Paragraphs 1 through 3
and Paragraph 5 of Article 9 and Article 10 of the Law for Ensuring the Safety of Pet
Food (Law No.83 of 2008) as well as in order to enforce said Law, the Ministerial
Ordinance for Enforcement of the Pet Food Safety Law shall be specified as follow:
May 18, 2009
Shigeru Ishiba
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Tetsuo Saito
Minister of Environment(Provisional Translation)

Ministerial Ordinance for Enforcement of the Pet Food Safety Law(Pursuant to the supplying of pet food to unspecified or a large number of persons otherthan selling)
Article 11
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries and Ministry of Environment in Item 1 of Article 6 of the Pet Food Safety Law
to supplying pet food to a specific person and it must meet
any of the following requirements.
i.
ii.

The pet food that is supplied must be intended for sale.
The pet food that is supplied must be supplied to unspecified or a large
number of persons by a method other than selling.

(Notification by manufacturers, etc.)
Article 2

1

notes from translator: The purpose of this article is to co.

-1-The notification based on the provision of the Paragraphs 1 through 3 and Paragraph 5 in
Article 9 of the Law must be submitted to the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries and Minister of Environment by the notification form in the attachment No.1.
(Exceptions from notification requirement)
Article 3
A person specified by the Ordinances of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries and Ministry of Environment in Paragraph 1 of Article 9 of the Law refers to a
manufacturer and an importer whose businesses are to manufacture and to import pet
food and who do not have the intent to marketof pet food for sale provided in Item 1 of Article 6 in the Law).
(Items to be notified by manufacturers, etc.)
Article 4
Items specified by the Ordinances of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
and Ministry of Environment in Item 4 of Paragraph 1 of Article 9 in the Law are as
follows.
i.
ii.
iii.

The kind of pet that pet food pertaining to manufacturing or importing is usedforStarting date of manufacturing, importing or marketing of pet foodIn case that the pet food is manufactured or imported for the purpose of export,
it must be notified accordingly.

(Items to be recorded in the book by manufacturers, etc.)
Article 5
1 Items specified by the Ordinances of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries and Ministry of Environment in Paragraph 1 of Article 10 in the Law are as
follows.
i.
ii.

iii.

2

Date of manufacturing or importing of pet food
Concerning manufacturers, the following items must be recorded.
a) Names and quantities of raw materials used to manufacture pet foodb) In case that a raw material used to manufacture pet food is obtained bytransfer, the date of transfer and the name of transferer.
Concerning importers, the following items must be recorded.
a) Name of the country from which the pet food is imported and name of the
supplierb) Type of packing of the pet food importedc) Name of the manufacturing country of the pet food imported andmanufacturer and names of raw materials

Items specified by the Ordinances of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries and the Ministry of Environment in Paragraph 2 of Article 10 in the Law are
as follows.

-2-

i.
ii.
3

Date of transferring of pet foodType of packing of pet food

The book under the provision of Article 10 of the Law must be retained for two years
from the last date of entry in the book.

(Form of the documents to show identity of officials)
Article 6
The documents required to show identity of officials under the provision of Paragraph 2
of Article 12 in the Law must follow the form in the attachment No. 2.
Supplementary ProvisionThis ministerial ordinance shall be enforced from the date of enforcement established for
the Law (June 1, 2009).

-3-

Form No. 1 (Article 2)(a)
Notification of (Manufacturer/Importer) of Pet Food
Date
To Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
To Minister of Environment
AddressName

Company Seal

We notify as follows in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 1 (Paragraph 2) of Article 9 in the
Pet Food Safety Law:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Name and Address (In case of a corporation, names of the corporation and its
representative and address of principal business office for the corporation)
In case of a manufacturer, name and address of its plants to manufacture pet food
Addresses of business premises to sell and to store pet foodThe kind of pet that pet food pertaining to manufacturing or importing is used forStarting date of manufacturing or importing of pet foodIn case that the pet food is manufactured or imported for the purpose of export, it must be
notified accordingly.

(b)Notification of Change of (Manufacturer/Importer) of Pet Food
Date
To Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
To Minister of Environment
AddressName

Company Seal

Because there is a change in the notification submitted on (date) in accordance with the provisions ofParagraph 1 (Paragraph 2) of Article 9 in the Pet Food Safety Law, we notify the change as follows inaccordance with the provision of Paragraph 3 of Article 9 in the law:1.
2.

Item of change
Date of change

-4-

(c)
Notification of Abolition of Business(Manufacturer/Importer) of Pet Food
Date
To Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
To Minister of Environment
AddressName

Company Seal

We submitted a notification of (manufacturer/importer) of pet food as of (Date) in accordance with theprovisions of Paragraph 1 (Paragraph 2) of Article 9 in the Pet Food Safety Law. However, weabolished the business as of (Date). Therefore, we notify the abolition of business in accordance withthe provisions of Paragraph 3 of Article in the same law.

(d)
Notification of Succession of Business(Manufacturer/Importer) of Pet Food
Date
To Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
To Minister of Environment
AddressName

Company Seal

We have succeeded the business operation concerning the notification of (manufacturer/importer) of pet
food as of (Date) in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 1 (Paragraph 2) of Article 9 in the Pet
Food Safety Law. Therefore, we notify it in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 5 of Article inthe same law.
1.
2.
3.

Date of Succession
Name and Address of a person who has transferred the business operation (In case of acorporation, names of the corporation and its representative and address of principal businessoffice for the corporation)
Cause of Succession-5-Form No. 2 (Article 6)(Front Page)(Back Page)
The Pet Food Safety Law (Excerption)

No.
Identification provided in Paragraph 2 of Article 12in the Pet Food Safety Law

Job Title and Name
photo

Date of birth
Issue Date

Name of issuer of Identification
sign(JIS A4)(d)-6-

Article 12
1. The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries or the
Minister of the Environment may, to the extent necessary
for the enforcement of this law, have their officials enter
the business premises, warehouses, sea vessels, vehicles
and other locations concerned with pet food manufacturing,
importing, retail, transport, or storage operations of
manufacturers, importers, or sellers as well as pet foodfreight and warehouse operators to inspect pet food, rawmaterials, or books and documents concerning operations,and other items, to question the parties concerned, or seize
pet food and raw materials to the extent necessary for
inspection. Notwithstanding that when pet food and raw
materials are seized, compensation based on the market
price must be paid.
2. Officials conducting an on-the-spot inspection, questioning,provision of the preceding paragraph must carry documents
showing their identity and present such documents to theparties concerned.
3. The authority of an on-the-spot inspection, etc., under theprovision of paragraph 1 shall not be construed as approval
for a criminal investigation.
4&5 (omitted)
Article 19
A fine of no more than 300,000 yen shall be imposed on a person
to whom any of the following items apply.
i.&ii (omitted)
iii. A person who has refused, obstructed, or avoided theinspection or seizure provided for in paragraph 1 of article 12 orin paragraph 1 of article 13, or who has failed to respond to thequestioning under these provisions, or who has made a false
response.

Note: This is unofficial translation. Only the original Japanese texts have legal effect and the translation
is to be used solely as reference material to aid in the understanding of this Ministerial Ordinance.

(Provisional Translation)
April 28, 2009
Ministerial Ordinance of the Ministry of Agriculture, forestry and Fisheries/Ministry of
the Environment No. 1
Amendment September 1, 2011
Ministerial Ordinance of the Ministry of Agriculture, forestry and Fisheries/Ministry of
the Environment No. 3
Amendment August 20, 2014
Ministerial Ordinance of the Ministry of Agriculture, forestry and Fisheries/Ministry of
the Environment No. 3
Amendment April 1, 2021
Ministerial Ordinance of the Ministry of Agriculture, forestry and Fisheries/Ministry of
the Environment No. 2
According to the regulations stipulated in Paragraph 1 of Article 5 of the Law for
Ensuring the Safety of Pet Food (Law No.83 of 2008), the Ministerial Ordinanceregarding specifications for constituents of pet foods and other related standards shall be
specified as follow:

Ministerial Ordinance on Specifications and Standards of Pet Food
The specifications for the constituents of pet foods and standards for the methods ofmanufacturing and labeling of pet foods that are regulated in Paragraph 1 of Article 5 of
the Law for Ensuring the Safety of Pet Food (hereafter “the Law) shall be pursuant to
the provisions stipulated in the appendix.
Supplementary Provision:(Date of enforcement)
Article 1 This Ministerial Ordinance shall be enforced from June 1, 2009.
(Interim measures)1Article 2
2-1 For the actions that are stipulated in Items 1, 2 and 4 of Article 6 of the Law and are
related with the pet food that will have been produced before December 1, 2009, theregulations of Article 6 shall not be applied.
2-2 For the actions that are stipulated in Item 3 of Article 6 of the Law and are relatedwith the pet food that will have been produced before December 1, 2010, the regulationsof Article 6 shall not be applied.
2-3 In case that manufacturers, importers or sellers sell or store for selling the pet foods
that fall under Items 2 and 4 of Article 6 of the Law and will have been produced before
December 1, 2009, Article 8 (limited to the Item 1 only) of the Law shall not be applied.
2-4 In case that manufacturers, importers or sellers sell or store for selling the pet foods
that fall under Item 3 of Article 6 of the Law and will have been produced before
December 1, 2010, Article 8 (limited to the Item 1 only) of the Law shall not be applied.
Supplementary Provisions:(Ministerial Ordinance No. 3: Ministry of Agriculture, forestry and Fisheries/Ministryof the Environment of September 1, 2011)
This Ministerial Ordinance shall be enforced from March 1, 2012
(Ministerial Ordinance No. 3: Ministry of Agriculture, forestry and Fisheries/Ministryof the Environment of August 20, 2014)
This Ministerial Ordinance shall be enforced from February 20, 2015（6 months after
its official publication）(Ministerial Ordinance No. 2: Ministry of Agriculture, forestry and Fisheries/Ministryof the Environment of April 1, 2021)
This Ministerial Ordinance shall be enforced from October 1, 2021（6 months after its
official publication）
Appendix
1 Specifications for Constituents of Pet Food (for selling purpose)(1) The components of the additives (substances that are used by being added, mixed orinfiltrated into pet food or by other methods in the process of producing pet food or for2

the purpose of processing or preserving pet food) listed in the following Table 1 shall beequal or less than each standard value in the following Table 2 in the pet foods intended
for selling purpose. (The pet food intended for selling purpose (means “for selling
purpose” stipulated in Paragraph 1 of Article 6 of the Law) that are manufactured bymanufacturers in their business premises and also intended to be consumed on site shallbe exempted from the regulation.)
Additive Components(Table 1)

Standard Values(Table 2)

Sodium nitrite

100 g/tEthoxyquin

75 g/t(For Dog)

Ethoxyquin, Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and Butylatedhydroxyanisole (BHA)

150 g/t(2) The components of pesticide residues (any substances resulting from the use of the
farm chemicals) listed in the following Table 1 (including any substances that are
chemically transformed from the listed components) shall be equal or less than eachstandard value in the following Table 2 in the pet foods intended for selling purpose.
Farm Chemical Components(Table 1)

Standard Values(Table 2)

Glyphosate

15 μg/g

Chlorpyrifos-methyl

10 μg/g

Pirimifos-methyl

2 μg/gMalathion

10 μg/g

Methamidophos

0.2 μg/g(3) The components of the contaminants (any substances that are existed in theenvironment and not intentionally added to pet food) and other substances that may
harm health of pet listed in the following Table 1 shall be equal or less than eachstandard value in the following Table 2 in the pet foods intended for selling purpose.
Contaminant Components(Table 1)

Standard Values(Table 2)

Aflatoxin B1

0.02 μg/g
3Deoxynivalenol

2 μg/g (For Dog)
1 μg/g (For Cat)

Cadmium

1 μg/gLead

3 μg/gInorganic Arsenic

2 μg/gBHC (sum of α-BHC, β-BHC, γ-BHC and δ-BHC)

0.01 μg/g

DDT (sum of DDD, DDE and DDT)

0.1 μg/g

Aldrin and Dieldrin

0.01 μg/g

Endrin0.01 μg/g

Heptachlor and Heptachlor epoxide

0.01 μg/g

Melamine

2.5 μg/g(4) For calculating contents of components specified in (1) ~ (3) above, if moisture
content of the relevant pet food (intended for selling purpose) exceeds 10%, the amountover 10% shall be subtracted from the amount of pet food. On the other hand, if
moisture content of the relevant pet food falls below 10%, the amount under-short of
10% shall be added to the amount of pet food.
2 Standard for Methods of Manufacturing of Pet Food
(1) Ingredients that are contained harmful substances, contaminated with microbe orsuspected for any of those shall not be used.
(2) In case of applying heat to or drying pet food , process shall be sufficiently effective
to eliminate any microorganisms that are present in the pet food originated in its raw
materials or are possibly developed within.
(3) Propylene glycol shall not be used for manufacturing pet food for cats.
3 Standard for Labeling of Pet Food
The following items shall be labeled on pet foods that are intended for selling purpose:(a) Name of pet food(b) Ingredients list(c) Best-before (This shall mean that the date expressing the time period when it isrecognized to maintaining all expected quality of the product. However, there shall besome cases that those qualities have been maintained beyond the relevant use-by date.)4(d) Name and address of manufacturer, importer or seller(e) Country of origin

5Note: This is unofficial translation. Only the original Japanese texts
have legal effect and the translation is to be used solely as referencematerial to aid in the understanding of this notice.

(Provisional Translation)

Copy
Food Safety and Consumer Affairs Bureau No. 2236
Nature Conservation Bureau Notice No. 090529009
May 29, 2009
Amendment
Food Safety and Consumer Affairs Bureau No. 5294
Nature Conservation Bureau Notice No. 1402241
February 24, 2014
To: Directors of the relevant organizations
Director-General, Food Safety and Consumer Affairs
Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Director-General, Nature Conservation Bureau, Ministryof the Environment
Concerning the Enforcement of the Law for Ensuring the Safety of Pet Food
The Law for Ensuring the Safety of Pet Foodhas been enacted, and is to be enforced on June 1, 2009 together with the Government
Ordinance Pursuant to the Law for Ensuring the Safety of Pet Food (Government Ordinance
Enforcement of the Pet Food Safety Law (Ordinance of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries and Ministry of the Environment N
Ministerial Ordinance on Specifications and Standards of Pet Food (Ordinance of Ministry ofAgriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Ministry of the Environment No. 1 of 2009,
fications and Standard
Ordinance Concerning on-the-Spot Inspections, Etc., and Reports Stipulated in Article 13 of
the Law for Ensuring the Safety of Pet Food (Ordinance of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries No. 31 of 2009,
Enforcement Ordinance Concerning the Use of Information Technology for the Storage, Etc.,
of Documents by Private Operators Related to the Law for Ensuring the Safety of Pet Food
(Ordinance of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Ministry of theEnvironment No. 3 of 2009, hereinafter
Ordinance Providing for the Delegation of Authority to the
Director-General of the Regional Agricultural Administrative Office Stipulated in Paragraph
1 of Article 16 of the Law for Ensuring the Safety of Pet Food (Ordinance of Ministry ofAgriculture, Forestry and Fisheries No. 32 of
isterial Ordinance on
Delegation to Director-General of Agricultura, and the Ministerial
Ordinance Providing for the Delegation of Authority to the Director of the Regional
Environment Office Stipulated in Paragraph 2 of Article 16 of the Law for Ensuring the
Safety of Pet Food (Ordinance of Ministry of the Environment No. 5 of 2009, hereinafter the

e Director of the Environment Office).
In consideration of the aims of the new framework based on the Law and ordinances, thework of enforcing the Law shall be handled with the following being used as a reference.
Please make members of your organization aware of this notice.
I.

Aim of the Enactment of the Law

1.

With the number of pets rising every year, reports of the health damage to pet animals
caused by the use of pet food have increased in foreign countries, and there have also
been cases of large-scale product recalls by pet food manufacturers outside Japan.

2.

In Japan, ensuring the safety of pet food has also become a major issue in conjunction
with the expansion of the pet food market. However, until now there have not been any
laws or regulations. Therefore, the identification of causes and the resolution of problems
were left up to voluntary measures in the pet food industry, and no effective measures
had been developed for emergencies. Consequently, the damage to pets caused by pet
food overseas could just have easily occurred in Japan.

3.

Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Ministry of theEnvironment jointly established the Study Group for Ensuring the Safety of Pet Food, atwhich the current situation of ensuring the safety of pet food and the need for asystematic response to ensuring safety was discussed. As a result, it was proposed thatthe necessary laws and regulations should be introduced covering each of the stages ofmanufacturing, importing and selling. Moreover, the results of a Japanese public attitude
survey concerning the safety of pet food also supported the establishment of regulations
on pet food, so the Law was enacted as a new law for ensuring the safety of pet food.

II. Objectives and Definitions, Etc.
1.

Objectives
The Law regulates the manufacturing, importing and selling of pet food by stipulating thespecifications for the constituents of pet food as well as the standards for the methods ofpet food manufacturing and labeling in view offood that has arisen overseas. Through these regulations, the Law aims to ensure thesafety of pet food, thus protecting the health of pets and contributing to animal welfare(Law, Article 1).

2.

Pets
t Order that is taken care of for the purposeof being a pet (Law, Article 2, Paragraph 1). In relation to the need for regulations fromthe perspective of ensuring the safety of pet food, this refers specifically to dogs and catsin consideration of the proportion of pet food shipment volumes that each type accountsfor (Government Ordinance, Article 1).

3.

Pet Food
for the purpose of providing nutrition to pets

(Law, Article 2, Paragraph 2). Mineral water, raw meat, snacks, gums, and supplements,
etc., used for pets for this purpose are included in the definition of pet food.
Notwithstanding that drugs stipulated under Article 2, Paragraph 1, Items 2 and 3 of thePharmaceutical Affairs Act (Law No. 145 of 1960) or quasi-drugs stipulated in
Paragraph 2 of the same Article included under those recognized as used exclusively foranimals (veterinary pharmaceuticals) shall not be covered by the Law. Items that an
animal put in its mouth such as toys or pet food containers are not included as pet foodbecause they do not provide nutrition to pets.
4.

Manufacturers, Importers and Sellers
d in the business of manufacturing pet food(includes compounding and processing) (Lawsing pet food from raw materials throughto final products and the process of filling the product into containers (bags, cans, retort
pouches) for sale. Consequently, it also includes packaging process by opening andrepacking manufactured or imported pet food to convert to other type of packages, suchas subdividing into smaller volume products.
the business of importing pet food (Law, Article
ge of freight that is imported or arrives
in Japan from a foreign country (arrives in Japan via a bonded area for items that passthrough a bonded area) as stipulated in Article 2, Item 1 of the Customs Act (Law No. 61
of 1954)
the business of selling pet food who is not a
manufacturer or an importer (Law, Article
rson engaged in the business of transferring
ownership rights to another person for a financial consideration and does not include a
person engaged only in such acts as free distribution.
engaging in the specified act (manufacturing,
importing, or selling) repeatedly, and does not require the objective of profit. Moreover,there shall be no distinction between an individual person and a corporation.

5.

Responsibility of Operators
The Law imposes regulations on operators, including the manufacturers, etc., of pet food,in order to ensure the protection of the health of pets. However, to truly secure productsafety, it is not enough for operators to passively observe the bare minimum of the
stipulated regulations. It is important that operators themselves bear the awareness andresponsibility for taking timely and proactive measures to secure safety. The Law
stipulates that the operators bear the primary responsibility for ensuring the safety of pet
food (Law, Article 3).
Consequently, operators must carry out the manufacturing of pet food with adequate
expertise and technology to ensure that harmful substances are not produced at the
manufacturing stage. In the event that harmful pet food goes into distribution, operators
must recall pet food and take other measures as soon as possible to prevent damage to thehealth of pets.

These measures are representative examples of the measures that operators should take.
As the kind of measures that should be taken will vary depending on the business content
of the operator, measures should, in principle, be implemented based on the independentjudgment of each operator. Moreover, this is not to imply that measures other than thesemeasures are not required.
6.

Responsibility of the National Government
While it is important for operators themselves to proactively ensure the safety of pet
food, the national government must also endeavor to collect, organize, analyze andprovide information concerning the safety of pet food (Law, Article 4).
As pet food has not been regulated hitherto in Japan, the collection, etc., of information
concerning the actual status of pet food manufacture and distribution in Japan andaccidents caused by pet food, etc., has been inadequate. It is necessary for the smooth
implementation of the Law that the national government proactively collects, organizes
and analyzes information in and outside Japan and provides that information to
manufacturers, importers and sellers of pet food as well as Japanese pet owners.

III. Regulation of Manufacturing, Etc., of Pet Food
1.

Establishment of Standards and Specifications, Etc.
The establishment of standards and specifications forms the basis for ensuring the safetyof pet food. From the perspective of preventing damage to the health of pets caused by
the use of pet food, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Ministerof the Environment may lay down standards for the methods of pet food manufacturing
and labeling and specifications for the constituents of pet food, hearing the opinions of
the Agricultural Material Council and the Central Environment Council (Law, Article 5).
In order to ensure the safety of pet food, it is first important that the manufacturers,
importers, and sellers of pet food conduct the manufacture, import and sale of pet food in
observance of the standards and specifications in the Ministerial Ordinance on
Specifications and Standards.

2.

Coverage of Standards and Specifications
From the perspective of preventing damage to the health of pets due to the circulation of
pet food that contains harmful substances, standards and specifications shall beestablished for pet food for sale that is widely distributed.
upplied for sale (refers to sale as specified in
Item 1, Article 6 of the Law), and the following pet food shall be excluded (Ministerial
Ordinance on Specifications and Standards, Appendix 1)(i) Pet food manufactured by a person for th
own pet.
(ii) Pet food used by a pet at the site where the pet food is manufactured.
Description in (ii) above means that pet food supplied at acovered as it is not widely distributed.

3.

Notes to the Ministerial Ordinance on Specifications and Standards(1) Specifications for constituents of pet food (Ministerial Ordinance on Specifications andStandards, Appendix 1)
A person who manufactures, imports or sells the pet food for sale listed in Appendix 1 of
the Ministerial Ordinance of Standards shall manage manufacturing rigorously to ensurethat the pet food does not contain the substances listed in the same Appendix in excess ofthe stipulated content.
(2) Standards for methods of manufacturing of pet food (Ministerial Ordinance on
Specifications and Standards, Appendix 2)
The following must be observed when manufacturing pet food for sale.
(i) Ingredients that contain harmful substances, that are contaminated with microbes, orthat are suspected of any of these problems
the health of pets in relation to theirproperties or volume of content or continclude mycotoxins, pesticides, heavy metals, and other harmful chemical
include pathogenic bacteria, etc.
(ii) In case of applying heat to or drying pet food for sale, the process shall be
sufficiently effective to eliminate any microbes that are originated from raw
materials, and then are present and can grow in the pet food. In this case, the proper
temperature and time for heating, etc., must be used, taking into consideration theingredients and containers or packaging of the pet food for sale.
(iii) Propylene glycol shall not be used in manufacturing pet food for sale for cats.
Propylene glycol that originates in the raw materials for pet food for sale in a
volume that is not expected to damage the health of cats shall not be covered by theregulations.
(3) Standard for labeling of pet food (Ministerial Ordinance on Specifications and Standards,
Appendix 3)
Pet food for sale must be labeled with the items listed below. Of these, (a) through (c)shall be labeled from the perspective of preventing damage to the health of pets, and (c)through (e) shall be labeled from the perspective of identifying the product in the case ofa problem arising. The items must be labeled in the Japanese language.
(a) Name of pet foodThis refers to the product name of the pet food for sale, and it shall clarify whether
the pet food is for dogs or cats.
(b) Ingredients names
the ingredients (including additives) shall,in principle, be listed.
Ingredients other than additives may be labeled according to the category names
listed in Appendix 1 of this document. Moreover, the individual names of theingredients may be listed in parentheses following category names. In this case,ingredients that may change temporarily due to the adjustment of nutritional
constituents, etc., can be abbr

All additives used as ingredients shall be listed as ingredients with the exception ofprocessing aids. Processing aids refer to substances which are added to pet foodduring the processing process and which are removed before the completion of thepet food or which are changed by some of the raw materials of the pet food into
ingredients such as those generally contained in the pet food without causing anevident increase in the total quantity of the ingredients, or ingredients whose
quantity is so small as to have little impact on the pet food.
Moreover, additives used as substances listed in Appendix 2 of this document shallalso be listed with the name for use listed in the same Appendix.
Notwithstanding that additives used as substances listed in Appendix 3 of thisdocument may also be labeled with the collective names listed in the same
Appendix.
The individual names of vitamins and minerals as nutritional supplement may berespectively. Regarding the vitamin, either vitamin names or material (chemical)
names may be labeled. Regarding the mineral, names of elements intended to add ormaterial (chemical) names may be labeled.
In the case of can products with a content volume of 100g less and products with anavailable area for labeling of 120cm2 (approx. 18 square inches) or less, nutritional
supplement names can be abbreviated to vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
(c) Best before dateexpressing the time period until the end ofwhich all expected quality of the product is expected to be maintained. However,there may be some cases in which that quality is maintainable beyond the relevant
month and year shall be labeled. In the case of labeling the month and year, quality
must be maintainable until the final day of the relevant month.
A manufacturer or other operator who has accurately assessed data on pet food for
d on scientific andreasonable grounds. In the case that a seller, etc., opens the container or packaging
of pet food for sale, the relevant seller, etc., shall respond in an appropriate mannerby considering whether it is necessary to change the best before date of the relevant
pet food for sale.
(d) Name and address of manufacturer, importer or seller
The label shall include the category of the operator as well as the name and addressof the person with the responsibility for the content of labeling. The labeling of the(e) Country of origin
the final process ofthe manufacturing process of the pet food for sale was completed shall be labeled.
Final process does not include acts that do not cause substantial change on the petfood for sale such as packaging or assorting. In the case that the country of origin of
the pet food is Japan, it may also be only labeled made in Japan (kokusan).

4.

Prohibition on Manufacture(1) No person shall manufacture, etc., pet food that does not meet the standards andspecifications (Law, Article 6). No one is exempt from the regulations, and they are notlimited to manufacturers, importers and sellers. This means that in order to ensure thesafety of pet food, even if actions do not come under the definition of business, or oneoff manufacture, etc., without the intention of repetition, things that do not meet therelevant standards and specifications must be regulated.
(2) The manufacture of pet food by a method that does not meet the relevant standards inorder to supply it for sale shall be prohibited from the perspective of preventing its
distribution.
than by sale to unspecified or a number of
persons (Law, Article 6, Paragraph 1). Such supply is conducted on a regular basis, andhas to be covered by the regulations to eliminate the possibility of the widespread
distribution of harmful pet food.
Supply included in sale refers to the following.
(i) Supply other than sale to unspecified or a number of persons, including thewidespread free distribution of new products for purposes of promoting the new
products of manufacturers through such channels as appointed retail stores, etc., of
the manufacturer.
(ii) Supply stipulated by Ordinance of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
and Ministry of the Environment as equivalent to (i), which is supply to specified
persons. This includes the following:(a) A case where the supply of the pet food is for sale, and the relevant pet food is
manufactured, processed, and transferred to a manufacturer or seller, etc. based(b) A case where the supply of the pet food is for supply other than sale tounspecified or a number of persons, and the relevant pet food samples are
manufactured, processed, and transferred to a manufacturer or seller, etc. based(3) In addition to prohibiting the domestic manufacture of pet food to supply for sale by amethod that does not meet the relevant standards, it is also necessary to prohibit importof pet food that does not meet the relevant standards, to ensure it will never enter the
distribution chain. Therefore, the sale and the import for sale of pet food manufactured
by a method that does not meet the relevant standards is also prohibited (Law, Article 6,
Item 2).
(4) The sale of pet food without labeling that meets the relevant standards, and the sale of, or
the manufacture or import for sale of pet food that does not meet the relevant standards is
prohibited (Law, Article 6, Items 3 and 4).
5.

Prohibition on the Manufacture of Pet Food that Contains Harmful Substances, Etc.

(1) When the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Minister of theEnvironment deem it necessary to prevent the health of pets from being damaged, they
may prohibit manufacturers, importers, or sellers from manufacturing, importing, or
selling pet food (Law, Article 7). The pet food covered by such prohibition is: (i) pet

food containing or suspected of containing harmful substances (Law, Item 1, Paragraph
1, Article 7), and (ii) pet food contaminated or suspected to be contaminated withmicrobes (Law, Article 7, Paragraph 1, Item 2). Such pet food could conceivably include,for example, food adulterated with harmful chemical substances, or contaminated withpathogenic microorganisms, etc., due to a faulty manufacturing process or other accident.
(2) Furthermore, when prohibiting manufacturing, etc., scientific and expert opinion
concerning the harmful substance or microbes will be needed, so the Minister ofAgriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Minister of the Environment shall hear theopinions of the Agricultural Material Council, which possesses expertise regarding
animal feed, and the Central Environment Council, which possesses expertise concerning
animal welfare (Law, Article 7, Paragraph 1).
(3) The regulations concerning pet food shall in principle address the setting of the standards
and specifications provided for in Article 5 of the Law. However, substances whose
possible use in pet food is not envisaged at the time when standards and specifications
have been set may be contained in a product due to causes that include accidents. It is
anticipated that the need to urgently prevent damage to the health of pets through the useof such pet food will arise, but it is difficult to anticipate such emergencies and set
comprehensive standards and specifications in advance. Therefore, in an emergency, themanufacture, import, or sale of pet food may be prohibited as an emergency measure notbased on the details of the standards and specifications.
(4) When the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Minister of theEnvironment make a prohibition under the provision of Paragraph 1, it must be publishedin the official gazette (Law, Article 7, Paragraph 2). This is intended to prevent the
distribution of the pet food to which the prohibition relates and the manufacture, etc., of
the same pet food by ensuring widespread public dissemination of the relevant
prohibition.
6.

Order for Destruction, Etc.

(1) The manufacture and sale, etc., of pet food that does not meet the relevant standards andspecifications and pet food containing harmful substances is prohibited (Law, Articles 6
and 7). However, if such pet food is distributed despite the relevant prohibition, when the
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Minister of the Environment
deem it particularly necessary to prevent the health of pets from being damaged, theymay, to the extent necessary, order manufacturers or other operators to destroy or recall
the relevant pet food and take other necessary measures (Law, Article 8).
to limit the implementation of measures tocases in which there is judged to be a particularly high necessity in consideration of theobjective it is hoped to achieve through the implementation of the relevant measures andthe means. In addition, the decision on whether it is particularly necessary requires
individual and concrete examination into whether the health of pets is being damaged by
the sale, etc., of the relevant pet food. Furt
to limit an order for destruction or recall to cases in which it is made in order to preventthe health of pets being damaged due to the use of pet food.
to such factors as the extent, etc., of theharmful substances contained in the pet food covered by the measures. Such necessary
measures may include methods such as sterilization of harmful microorganisms,

detoxification by chemical treatment, and the removal of harmful substances.
IV. Other1.

Notification by Manufacturers, Etc.

(1) Coverage and timing of notification(i) The Law prohibits the manufacture, etc., of pet food that does not meet the relevant
standards and specifications in order to ensure the safety of pet food (Law, Article
6). However, when pet food with safety issues has been manufactured, it isnecessary to quickly prohibit the manufacture or import of the relevant pet food(Law, Article 7) or to implement an order for its destruction, etc., (Law, Article 8).
Therefore, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Minister of theEnvironment impose a duty of notification on manufacturers or importers of pet
food for which standards and specifications have been established (Law, Article 9)in order to allow prompt measures to be taken through access to data concerning
manufacturers and importers, which are the particular starting points for distribution.
Pet food for sale refers to pet food for the purpose of selling, but operators who
manufacture pet food used on site, such as
covered by the duty of notification (Ministerial Ordinance on Specifications andStandards, Appendix 1).
(ii) Excluded from application of the duty of notification shall be those persons
stipulated by Ordinance of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries andMinistry of the Environment (Law, Article 9, Paragraph 1), and manufacturers andimporters whose businesses are to manufacture and to import pet food and who dofor sale stipulated in Article 6, Item 1 of the Law), as stated in the Regulations(Regulations, Article 3). As the pet food relating to the manufacture or import is not
generally distributed, there is little need to impose a duty of notification forassessment. Thus, such pet food is excluded from the application of the duty of
notification.
(iii) With regard to the timing of notification, a manufacturer or importer of pet foodmust notify the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Minister ofthe Environment of the matters including its name and address prior to commencingthat business (Law, Article 9, Paragraph 1).
(iv) A manufacturer or an importer of pet food for which standards and specifications
were hitherto not established and for which new standards and specifications havebeen established must provide notification promptly after the standards andspecifications have been established. With regard to the timing of notification, thepermissible limit for retrospective notification based on similar provisions in otherlaws shall be that the notification must be made within thirty (30) days of the date of
the establishment of the standards or specifications (Law, Article 9, Paragraph 2).
(v) A person who manufactures or imports pet food for which standards andspecifications are actually established at the time of the enforcement of the Law falls
under the category of a person who has become a manufacturer or importer of pet
food for which new standards and specifications have been established and so must
provide notification within thirty (30) days of date of the establishment of thestandards and specifications. (Consequently, no special interim measures have been
established for such persons.)(vi) When there is a change to the notified matters or the business is terminated, anoperator who has given notifi
give notification of the change or termination. The timing of the notification must bewithin thirty (30) days (Law, Article 9, Paragraph 3).
(vii) When an operator giving notification transfers all of the business to which thenotification related, or when there has been a succession, merger or spin off relating
to the operator giving notification, the position of the operator giving notification
shall be inherited (Law, Article 9, Paragraph 4). The operator who has inherited theposition of the operator giving notification must give notification within thirty (30)days of the date of the succession, attaching documents (copy of registration ledger,etc.,) that give evidence of that fact (Law, Article 9, Paragraph 5).
(2) Matters for notification
Manufacturers and importers are required to give notification of the matters below.
(i) Name and address (name, name of representative, and address of principal businessoffice for a corporation) (Law, Article 9, Paragraph 1, Item 1)(ii) Name and address of the business premises that manufacture the relevant pet foodfor a manufacturer (Law, Article 9, Paragraph 1, Item 2)(iii) Address of business premises to sell and store the relevant pet food (Law, Article 9,
Paragraph 1, Item 3)(iv) The kind of pet that pet food pertaining to manufacturing or importing is used for(dogs or cats) (Regulations, Article 4, Item 1)(v) Starting date of manufacturing, importing or marketing of pet food (Regulations,
Article 4, Item 2)(vi) When the pet food is manufactured or imported for the purpose of export, it must be
notified accordingly (Regulations, Article 4, Item 3)
Moreover, notification must be submitted using the notification form in attachment No. 1
to the Regulations (Regulations, Article 2). A corporation must attach a copy of its
registration book and an individual must attach a copy of his/making the notification.
Pet food is mainly individually packaged and sold to consumers. Therefore, there is little
possibility of adulteration with harmful substances at the stage of the seller. An order for
destruction, etc., may be made to sellers by accessing data through manufacturers andimporters who have a duty of notification. Thus, the duty of notification is not imposedon sellers (Law, Article 9, Paragraph 1).
2.

Keeping of Books
In order to ensure the safety of pet food, the Law stipulates establishing standards andspecifications of pet food, and prohibition of the sale, etc., of pet food that does not meetthe standards and specifications (Law, Article 6), and prohibition of the sale, etc., of pet
food that contains harmful substances (Law, Article 7). In addition, the Minister ofAgriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Minister of the Environment may order thedestruction, etc., of pet food as an emergency measure when pet food prohibited fromsale is sold despite the prohibition (Law, Article 8).
In order to implement these measures in a timely and appropriate manner, it is necessary
to facilitate the assessment of the actual circumstances of the distribution of pet food.
Therefore, a manufacturer, importer, or seller of pet food must keep a book and record
pet food transactions (Law, Article 10).
(1) Items to be recorded in the book(i) Keeping of books in the case of manufacture or import (Law, Article 10, Paragraph
1)
There is a need to keep track of the pet food that is manufactured or imported bymanufacturers or importers, which form the starting point, in order to understand the
distribution channels for pet food. A manufacturer or importer of pet food for which
standards and specifications have been established must keep a book, record thefollowing items, when manufacturing or importing the relevant pet food, and retain
the book (Regulations, Article 5, Paragraph 1).
Items to be recorded in the book by manufacturers(a) The name and volume of the pet food (Law, Article 10, Paragraph 1)(b) The date of manufacturing of the pet food (Regulations, Article 5, Paragraph 1,
Item 1)(c) The names and quantities of raw materials used to manufacture the pet food(Regulations, Article 5, Paragraph 1, Item 2, Sub-item (a))(d) When a raw material used to manufacture pet food is obtained by transfer, thedate of transfer and the name of the transferee (Regulations, Article 5,
Paragraph 1, Item 2, Sub-item (b))
Items to be recorded in the book by importers(a) The name and volume of the pet food (Law, Article 10, Paragraph 1)(b) The date of importing of the pet food (Regulations, Article 5, Paragraph 1, Item1)(c) The name of the country from which the pet food is imported and the name ofthe supplier (Regulations, Article 5, Paragraph 1, Item 3, Sub-item (a))(d) The type of packing of the pet food imported (Regulations, Sub-item (b), Item
3, Paragraph 1, Article 5)(e) The name of the country where the imported pet food was manufactured, thename of the manufacturer, and the names of the raw materials (Regulations,
Article 5, Paragraph 1, Item 3, Sub-item (c))(ii) Keeping of books in the case of transfer (Law, Article 10, Paragraph 2)
In order to further clarify the channels by which manufactured or imported pet foodreaches consumers, a manufacturer, importer or seller of pet food for which
standards and specifications have been established must keep a book, record thefollowing items, when transferring the relevant pet food to a manufacturer, importeror seller, and retain the book (Regulations, Article 5, Paragraph 2).
Items to be recorded in the book(a) The name and volume of the pet food (Law, Article 10, Paragraph 2)(b) The name of the other party in the transfer (Law, Article 10, Paragraph 2)(c) The date of transfer of the pet food (Regulations, Article 5, Paragraph 2, Item 1)(d) The type of packing of the pet food (Regulations, Article 5, Paragraph 2, Item
2)(iii) Exemptions
When a manufacturer, importer, or seller sells pet food directly to a pet owner or
receives pet food, there is no duty to record the sale or transfer in a book (Law,
Article 10, Paragraph 2). This is because health damage to pet animals can beprevented by alerting pet owners who have purchased harmful pet food. Moreover,there is little need to be so rigid that the assessment of the distribution process is
duplicated at the points of transferee and transferer.
(2) Format of books
The book must be in the form of a paper document, but measures are in place to enable
entries and storage using electronic recording methods (Information Technology
Enforcement Ordinance, Article 4).
Specifically, (1) the book may be created by storing them in files in a computer or on
magnetic discs (Information Technology Enforcement Ordinance, Article 6), and (2) the
electromagnetic records produced may be stored using files in a computer or on magnetic
disc or CD-ROM, etc. (Information Technology Enforcement Ordinance, Article 4).
(3) Period for retaining books(i) The shelf life for pet food varies substantially depending on such factors as the typeof animal the food is for. Further, the categories of pets that are covered may expandin the future, and cases in which a uniform standard is problematic are anticipated.
Therefore, it is considered appropriate to enable the period of retaining books to beestablished in a flexible manner depending on the shelf life of pet food. Thus, theperiod for retaining books shall be as stipulated by ministerial ordinance (Law,
Article 10)(ii) Specifically, in Article 1 of the Government Ordinance, dogs and cats are stipulated
as pets, and considering the period that dog and cat food is in distribution on themarket, the period for retaining books must be two years from the last date of entry
in the book (Regulations, Article 5, Paragraph 3).
3.

Collection of Reports and On-the-spot Inspections(1) Coverage
In order to ensure the safety of pet food, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries or the Minister of the Environment may, to the extent necessary for theenforcement of the Law, (1) request the necessary reports concerning operations frommanufacturers, importers, or sellers as well as pet food freight and warehouse operators(Law, Article 11, Paragraph 1), and (2) have their officials conduct on-the-spotinspections, question the parties concerned
relevant operators (Law, Article 12, Paragraph1). In on-the-spot inspections, etc., officials may enter the business premises,
warehouses, sea vessels, vehicles and other locations concerned with pet food
manufacturing, importing, retail, transport or storage operations of the operators.
In addition to the manufacturers, importers and sellers, which are directly covered by theregulations of the Law, pet food freight and warehouse operators are also covered by thecollection of reports.
(2) Sampling of pet food (Law, Article 12, Paragraph 1)
Paragraph 1 of this Article allows the sampling of pet food and raw materials to theextent necessary for inspection. In the case of sampling, compensation based on themarket price must be paid.
Pet food is commonly sold in the form of a retort or can, and even if the volume to besampled is limited to the minimum necessary for inspection, the economic value of the
product is lost as a result of the sampling. Therefore, compensation based on the market
price must be paid.
(3) Publication of a summary of the results of inspection (Law, Article 12, Paragraph 5)
When the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries or the Minister of theEnvironment have had pet food or raw materials sampled and inspected, a summary of
the results of the inspection must be published from the perspective of preventing the
spread of further damage through the dissemination of the results.
(4) On-the-spot inspection, etc., by FAMIC(i) In Paragraph 12 of the Law, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries or
the Minister of the Environment may conduct an on-the-spot inspection, etc. The
inspection operation may be conducted efficiently and effectively through theutilization of a specialist body which possesses expertise with relation to thespecialist and technical matters concerning the constituents, etc., of pet food.
Therefore, in order to make an on-the-spot inspection, etc., more efficient andeffective, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries may have the Food andAgricultural Materials Inspection Centerspot inspection, etc (Law, Article 13). FAMIC has amassed a knowledge ofinspections to ensure the safety of livestock feed and also possesses expertise
regarding pet food, which is similar to livestock feed.
(ii) When pet food is sampled in an on-the-spot inspection conducted by FAMIC,
compensation based on the market price must be paid as with an on-the-spot
inspection by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries or the Minister ofthe Environment stipulated in Paragraph 1, Article 12 of the Law (Law, Article 13,
Paragraph 1). The inspection of pet food or raw materials based on the provisions ofParagraph 1, Article 12 of the Law or Paragraph 1, Article 13 of the Law must be by
the method stipulated by the Director of FAMIC.
Moreover, when an on-the-spot inspection, etc., is carried out, the Minister ofAgriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the competent minister for FAMIC, shall give
FAMIC instructions on carrying out the on-the-spot inspection, etc., indicating thedate and location, etc., (Law, Article 13, Paragraph 2). After FAMIC has conductedan on-the-spot inspection, etc., it must report the results to the Minister ofAgriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in writing (Law, Article 13, Paragraph 3, and
FAMIC Ministerial Ordinance, Article 1).
(iii) When the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has FAMIC carry out anon-the-spot inspection under the provision of Paragraph 1, Article 13 of the Law, theMinister, when deemed necessary to ensure the proper implementation of operationsof the inspection, may give the needed orders to FAMIC concerning the relevant
operations (Law, Article 14). The scope of the orders shall be limited to the scopenecessary for the operation of the on-the-spot inspection, etc.
4.

Exceptions Concerning Pet Food for Export
The Law aims to ensure the safety of pet food in order to protect the health of pets, andpet food manufactured and sold in Japan, and pet food imported into Japan are coveredby the regulations.
On the other hand, pet food exported from Japan must meet the regulations of the country
to which it is exported, and there are cases in which it is inappropriate to impose thesame regulations as those imposed on pet food that is distributed in Japan. Therefore,
partial exclusion from the application of the Law and other necessary exceptions relating
to pet food for export may be defined by Cabinet Order (Law, Article 15), with measures
to be taken in line with actual circumstances.
Specifically, Article 2 of the Government Ordinance exempts the manufacture, importand sale of pet food for export from the application of the provisions of Article 6 of theLaw (prohibition on the manufacture, import or sale of pet food that does not meet thestandards and specifications stipulated under the provision of Article 5 of the Law).
Pet food for testing and research is excluded from the application of the Law, which
regulates manufacturing, etc., for selling purposes, although exceptions may notestablished by Cabinet Order.

5.

Delegation of Authority
When the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries or the Minister of theEnvironment orders the destruction or recall, etc., of harmful pet food, the collection ofreports and the on-the-spot inspection, etc., are essential measures for assessing thecircumstances of manufacturing, importing, or selling of the relevant pet food, and it isimportant that the operation be conducted accurately and promptly.
Therefore, the authority of the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries or the
Minister of the Environment may be partially delegated to the Director-General of theRegional Agricultural Administration Office or the Director of the Regional Environment
Office (Law, Article 16) based on the respective judgment of each. Specifically, theauthority for the collection of reports under the provision of Paragraph 1, Article 11 of
the Law and the on-the-spot inspection, etc., under the provision of Paragraph 1, Article
12 of the Law is to be delegated to the Director-General of the Regional Agricultural
Administrative Office and the Director of the Regional Environment Office (Ministerial
Ordinance on Delegation to Director-General of Agricultural Administrative Office andMinisterial Ordinance on Delegation to the Director of the Environment Office).

Appendix 1
Category Name
Cereals
Potatoes
Starches
SugarsNuts and seeds
PulsesVegetables
FruitsMushrooms
Algae
Fishery products
Meats
Eggs
Dairy products
Fats and oils
Notes
1.

Items other than those above must be labeled with the individual name.
raw materials derived from fish only are used, they may beon, when raw materials

Appendix 2
Name for Use
Sweetener
Color
Preservative
Thickening stabilizer
AntioxidantColor fixative
Notes
used for the additive includes the charactera number of polysaccharides are used,additives may be omitted.
Appendix 3
Collective Name
Yeast foodKansui(Alkaline preparations for Chinese noodles)
EnzymesGlazing agent
Flavoring agent
AcidifierSeasoning
Coagulant for soybean curd
Bittering agent
Emulsifier
Acidity regulator
Raising agent