RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/DS8/8
WT/DS10/8
WT/DS11/5
ORGANIZATION 12April 1996
(96-1319)
Original: English
JAPAN -TAXES ONALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
Communication from theChairman ofthePanel
Thefollowing communication, dated 19March 1996andaddressed totheDispute Settlement
Body, iscirculated inaccordance withArticle 12.9oftheDSU.
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Article 12.8 oftheDSU stipulates thattheperiod inwhich thepanel shall conduct its
examination, fromthedatethatthecomposition andterms ofreference ofthepanel havebeenagreed
uponuntilthedatethefinalreport isissued totheparties, shall, asageneral rule,notexceed sixmonths.
Article 12.9oftheDSUstates thatwhen thepanel considers thatitcannot issueitsreport within
sixmonths, itshallinform theDispute Settlement Body (DSB) inwriting ofthereasons forthedelay
together withanestimate oftheperiod within which itwillissue itsreport.
ThePanel on"Japan -Taxes onAlcoholic Beverages" wasestablished bytheDSB on
27September1995andthePartiesagreedonitscompositionandtermsofreferenceon30October1995.
Since theParties wished tousethemaximum timeperiods prescribed inAppendix 3oftheDSU, which
would haveresulted inthescheduling ofthefirstsubstantive meeting ofthePanel towards theend
ofDecember 1995, theearliest thatthePanel could meet, inthelightofthefactthatalltheparties
werenotavailable andother commitments ofthemembers ofthePanel, wastheendofJanuary 1996.
Thisconsequently ledtosome delay inestablishing theremainder ofthetimetable. Therefore, the
panel willnotbeabletoissue itsreport within thesixmonths 'period.
ThePanel, inagreement withtheParties, expects tocomplete itsworkbytheendofJune1996.