WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/Notif.99.159
19 April 1999
(99-1543)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  JAPAN          
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI)
Agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification shall be
indicated if different from above:           
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X ], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Gas oils (HS:2710)          
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Revision of the
Regulation of the Quality Control of Gasoline and other Fuels (1 page, available in English)
6. Description of content:  MITI will revise the regulation on the level of benzene contained in
gasoline.  The revision will be enacted on 1 January 2000.
- The present level 5 v% (upper limit)- the proposed level 1 v% (upper limit)
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable:
To regulate quality of automobile fuel in order to reduce the total volume of
benzene exhausted into the air.          
8. Relevant documents:  The Regulation of the Quality Control of Gasoline and other Fuels
9. Proposed date of adoption:  1 July 1999
Proposed date of entry into force:  1 January 2000
10. Final date for comments:  11 June 1999          
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ X ] or address, e-mail and telefax number of
the other body:           