PRESS RELEASE
22 August, 2017

THE EBC WELCOMES THE RECENT NOTICE BY THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT ON
TRACEABILITY

The European Business Council in Japan (EBC) welcomes the notice on Traceability issued by the Ministry ofEconomy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and the Ministryof Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) to 28 liquor sales- and distribution-related industry
associations on 4 July. This follows the notice of the National Tax Agency (NTA) sent to eight liquor relatedindustry associations on 22 September, 2014.
In the notice, METI/MHLW/MAFF confirm the importance of lot codes by saying, “In Japan, the display ofLot Codes is strongly recommended by the MHLW guideline, Principle for the record keeping process andarchive for food operators under the definition of Food Sanitation Law Chapter 1 Section 3 Clause 2. The
guideline stipulates that information which enables the identification of the lot should be recorded andsystematically archived as precisely as possible in order to prevent any sanitary or health hazard resulting
from the consumption of foodstuffs.” The METI/MHLW/MAFF further state concerns by saying, “However, anumber of imported liquor products with erased lot codes are being distributed in the market. We believe thissituation to be undesirable as it could lead to a lack of confidence among consumers about the reliability ofliquor in general.” METI/MHLW/MAFF has asked the liquor sales and distribution related industry
associations to notify the above concerns from the NTA to each of their members handling liquor, andrequested they make efforts to foster a consensus around raising awareness about lot codes.
James Paton, the chairman of the EBC Liquor Committee, states, “It is an important step to have theMETI/MHLW/MAFF issue this notice requesting 28 liquor sales- and distribution-related industry members
to jointly refrain from selling and distributing decoded products. EU wine & spirits producers, in compliancewith the EU Directive 89/396/EEC, apply lot codes with the aim of improving consumer protection. We willcontinue to monitor the situation in collaboration with the related ministries, liquor industry associations, andthe other food and beverage related associations.” The EBC will request further action if the undesirable
situation does not cease to exist.
The EBC Liquor Committee started to take the initiative on traceability in 2010, with the support and advice
from the Japan-France Friendship Caucus of the House of Representatives, an influential parliamentariancaucus in Japan.

About the EBC:The European Business Council in Japan (EBC)/European (EU) Chamber of Commerce in Japan is the trade
policy and advocacy arm of 18 European national chambers of commerce and business associations in Japan.
Established in 1972, the EBC works to improve the business and investment environment in Japan. It
currently represents more than 2,500 local European companies and individuals, some 350 of whom
participate directly in the EBC’s 24 sector-based committees.
For more information, please contact: Bjorn Kongstad, EBC Policy Director
Tel: 81-3-3263-6222, E-mail: bkongstad@ebc-jp.com

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