Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/351/REV.1 |
S-IV§52 |
Japan |
2017 |
Sectors |
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Fisheries |
Relevant information
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The average applied MFN tariff on imports of fish and fish products is 6.2% with a maximum rate of 15% and a standard deviation of 3.7, which indicates that there is not much variation among tariffs, unchanged since Japan's previous review. In addition, other market access measures apply to several species:
• For some tuna and tuna-like species, such as bluefin tuna, southern bluefin tuna and bigeye tuna, Japan has import control systems, including import approval and acknowledgements for imports which, according to the authorities, are in accordance with the conservation and management measures of some tuna regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) such as the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT).
• Import quotas apply to several other species, including herring, cod, mackerel, sardines, and saury. According to the authorities, these measures complement its management of coastal fisheries resources, including total allowable catches (TACs) which apply to some of these species.
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Keywords
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Fish
Conservation
Natural resources
Wildlife
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/351/REV.1 |
S-IV§53 |
Japan |
2017 |
Sectors |
Other environmental requirements |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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Management of resources is based on several measures, including fishing rights and permits, as well as voluntary resource management supported by the Government.
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Keywords
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/351/REV.1 |
S-IV§54 |
Japan |
2017 |
Sectors |
Other environmental requirements |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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Prefectural governors may grant fishery rights for coastal fishing as well as permits for small- to medium-scale fishing based on prefectural regulations; MAFF may grant permits for large-scale off-shore and distant-water fishing as well as specified fishing methods for certain species. In accordance with the Act on Promotion of Inland Water Fisheries enacted in June 2014, inland water aquaculture enterprises may, where necessary, become subject to permit systems to ensure sustainable use of fisheries resources. Pursuant to the Act, eel aquaculture enterprises have been subject to a permit system since June 2015 in order to manage eel resources, and an upper limit on the number of juvenile eels (glass eels) per pond was established to limit production.
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Keywords
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Fish
Sustainable
Natural resources
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/351/REV.1 |
S-IV§55 |
Japan |
2017 |
Sectors |
Other price and market based measures |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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TACs (total allowable catches) are set for seven species by the Fisheries Agency based on estimates of allowable biological catch and other factors and in consultation with different stakeholders. The authorities state that, based on a report issued in July 2014 by an ad hoc Task Force on Fisheries Resource Management, an expert meeting established by the Fisheries Agency, the TACs have been set as equivalent to the allowable biological catches as a general rule since the fishing season of 2015. According to the authorities, efforts have been made to ensure that the TAC conforms to the allowable biological catch and individual quota systems have been introduced for three species, including Atlantic bluefin tuna and southern bluefin tuna.
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Keywords
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Fish
Natural resources
Bio
Wildlife
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/351/REV.1 |
S-IV§56 |
Japan |
2017 |
Sectors |
Other environmental requirements |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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Fishery organizations must prepare and implement resource-management plans in line with the guidelines developed by the central government or prefectural authorities. As at end March 2016, 1,868 resource-management plans had been prepared.
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Keywords
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/351/REV.1 |
S-IV§57 |
Japan |
2017 |
Sectors |
Other measures |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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Several measures have been taken to prevent and deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, through bilateral cooperation and information-sharing efforts, and through regional fisheries management organizations, for example vessel-monitoring systems and trade-related measures such as statistical document programmes and catch documentation systems.
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Keywords
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/351/REV.1 |
S-IV§58 |
Japan |
2017 |
Sectors |
Other measures |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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Japan is a member of a number of international and regional fishery organizations [38] and has intergovernmental agreements with Australia, Canada, China, France, Kiribati, the Republic of Korea, Marshall Islands, Morocco, the Russian Federation, Solomon Islands, Senegal, and Tuvalu. The agreements with Australia, Canada, and France do not provide for access by Japanese fishing vessels and the agreements with China, the Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation are mutual access agreements allowing reciprocal access to each country's EEZ. In addition, there are numerous private-sector-based agreements which provide for access to the waters of other countries and territories (Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Mozambique, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, St. Helena, and Tanzania).
[38] Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT), Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT), General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), South East Atlantic Fishery Organization (SEAFO), Convention on the Conservation and Management of Pollock Resources in the Central Bering Sea (CCBSP), North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC), Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, and Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). Japan joined the South Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA) in June 2014. The Convention of the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC), which Japan joined in July 2013, became effective in July 2015.
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Keywords
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Fish
Conservation
Natural resources
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/351/REV.1 |
S-IV§61 |
Japan |
2017 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Energy |
Relevant information
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Chart 4.3 describes the composition of primary energy supply in Japan for 2008 and 2013 as well as the targets set by the new (2015) Japan energy policy for 2030 (see below for a more detailed description of this policy). The share of nuclear energy in Japan's primary energy supply has crumbled from 14% to 1% from 2008 to 2013 following the closure of nuclear power plants after the Fukushima accident in 2011. This has been compensated by an increase of the share of oil, coal and gas. The total energy consumption declined during the same period partly due to the increase in energy efficiency and partly because of the post financial crisis recession.
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Keywords
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/351/REV.1 |
S-IV§62 |
Japan |
2017 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Energy |
Relevant information
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As illustrated by Table 4.11 and Chart 4.4, Japan is highly dependent on imports for all its fossil fuels; this has a bearing on its long-term strategy on energy mix. This strategy is detailed in the 4th Strategic Energy Plan of Japan , published in April 2014 under the framework of the Basic Law on Energy Policy of 2002 (Act No. 71), the first such plan after the Fukushima accident and the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. It establishes four basic principles, known as the 3E+S, namely stable supply (energy security), cost reduction (economic efficiency), environment, and safety. Its aim is to build a multi-layered and diversified flexible energy demand/supply structure. It was complemented in July 2015 by another document issued by the Government, the Long-term Energy Supply and Demand Outlook. The total primary energy supply targets/forecasts for 2030 were established by this document: a primary energy supply share of 10-11% for nuclear energy, slightly inferior to that prior to the nuclear accident; a slight decline of coal and gas; a considerable decrease of oil (from 45% to 30%); and a considerable increase of renewable energies (from 2% to 13 to 14%). In absolute terms and based on a hypothesis of yearly growth of 1.7%, the total primary energy supply is expected to decrease slightly. On the demand side the relative share of electricity versus primary energies is expected to increase slightly from 25% to 28.5%, while the total demand for energy is projected to decrease by about 10%.
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Keywords
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Energy
Environment
Renewable
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/351/REV.1 |
S-IV§75 |
Japan |
2017 |
Sectors |
Income or price support |
Energy |
Relevant information
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This liberalization has not yet been translated into lower prices, due to the constraints created by the closing down of all nuclear plants in the aftermath of the Fukushima accident. Three nuclear power plants have so far resumed activity after their safety had been declared by the Nuclear Regulation Authority. This loss has been partly compensated by expensive imports of oil, gas and coal and the reactivation of thermal power plants. On average, tariffs for individual consumers have been raised by approximately 25% since the accident and there is no compensation scheme financed by the State for individual consumers. For energy intensive consuming industries, an exemption of 80% of the so called "feed in tariff" has been put into place, for an effective cost for the Government of ¥45 billion annually.
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