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| A:The spread and expansion of pests and diseases of agricultural crops is mostly due to the domestic or international distribution of their host plants. The aim of the plant quarantine is to prevent the economic losses to the useful plant resources including farm crops, forest trees, etc. which are caused by the spread or invasion of pests and diseases. For this purpose, the plant quarantine carries out import and export inspection of plants and plant products and may restrict or prohibit international or domestic movement of these products. Because the international cooperation is essential for the effective enforcement of the plant quarantine, most of the nations in the world join in the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and, under its rules, cooperate in conducting export plant quarantine service, issuing phytosanitary certificate as well as exchanging information on pest and disease outbreaks. In conformity with the IPPC, Japanese plant quarantine service is carried out on the basis of the Plant Protection law. |
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| A:Every nation of the world has a plant quarantine system of its own which meets the needs of her agricultural situation and, in this sense, is trying to perform the plant quarantine as strictly as possible. Japan is endowed with a wide range of climates and geographies. A great many varieties of agricultural crops are grown throughout the country. Japan, on the other hand, is a great importer of agricultural products from various countries of the world. Therefore, we pursue an efficient and effective plant quarantine, while maintaining its transparency, to protect our agriculture and green resources from the threat of exotic plant pests and diseases. |
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| A:The subject items of Japanese plant quarantine inspection practically cover all kinds of plant materials including planting materials such as seedlings, scions and rootstocks, bulbs, seeds and fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, feedstocks, dried hay, spices, wood, etc. | |||
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| A:The plant quarantine deals with agricultural products. Unlike the industrial goods which are produced in uniformly controlled manufacturing factories, the phytosanitary condition of agricultural products are readily affected by such changeable factors as the prevailing climates, farming practices and/or storage conditions. Therefore, the inspection should be made at each and every time of importation. The amount of inspection samples varies with the kind of plant materials. Every piece of a consignment is inspected in case of the fruit trees and scions of citrus, pear, grape, peach, apple, etc. and the tuber stems or tuber roots of potato and sweet potato. Other items are inspected by samples. The amount of samples to be drawn is standardized on the basis of statistical theories as to the plant species, pest species and the size of the consignment. It is printed in the official gazette and available to the public. |
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| A:No.One shipment is broken down to a minimum inspection unit and the phytosanitary condition is checked for each unit including the presence or absence of pests and diseases and their species. The size of the 'minimum inspection unit' differs with plant species. The common elements for dividing the unit are the country of produce, port of embarkation, importer, plant species, etc. The type and use of produce, variety or brand name may also be taken into account. |
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| A:The 'phytosanitary certificate' issued by plant quarantine agencies of exporting country is indispensable. In case when one shipment is composed of many items or varieties (a number of species of seedlings, seeds or cut-flowers), its packing list should be attached for the smooth and rapid processing of the quarantine inspection. You are advised to inquire your importer what other documents are necessary or useful for the import plant inspection. |
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| A:The export plant materials
have to be inspected by plant quarantine agencies of exporting country in
order to check for their conformity with the quarantine requirements of
importing country. The 'phytosanitary certificate' is issued upon the result of such inspection. The model form of certificate is stipulated in the International Plant Protection convention (IPPC). |
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| A:No, not exactly. Besides the original certificate, only either of the followings will be accepted. (1) A carbon copy of the original. (2) A photocopy which has been certified by the plant quarantine agencies of the exporting country as a true copy of the original. In any case, the original certificate is very important. You should not lose or smear it. Be sure to present it to the Plant Protection Station at the application for import inspection. |
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| A:No, there is no restriction imposed on the amount. For those items subject to post-entry quarantine, however, the amount of import material may exceed the capability of the post-entry quarantine inspection especially in terms of the preparation of necessary indicator plants, etc. It may also tighten the choice of post-entry quarantine locations. Therefore, the importer is advised to consult with the Plant Protection Station before he imports these items. (Refer, also, to Q39 from Q37) |
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| A:Air cargo is inspected in the warehouse at the airport. In case of marine cargo, sea container cargo is inspected in container yard. Grains and beans in bulk are inspected aboard vessels. Fruits and vegetables are usually inspected in warehouses which are specially designed for the handling and storage of these items. Wood logs are inspected on board or in log pools. In every case, decision on the outcome of the inspection is drawn on-site in so far as technically possible and immediately notified to the applicant in order to minimize deleterious effect on the flow of import commodities. When a close inspection is necessary, samples are taken to the laboratory of the Plant Protection Station. Fruit trees and flower bulbs are taken to post-entry quarantine station after the port-of-entry inspection. |
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| A:The time required varies with the plant species and the type and size of the shipment. For example, it is only about ten minutes for small consignments. A large shipment of 100,000 cartons of citrus fruits may take half a day at the maximum. Several days are needed for the secondary testing of planting seeds. Much more days or periods are required for the post-entry quarantine inspection. (Refer, also, to Q36 and Q38) |
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| A:Yes, but it cannot be generalized because the level of infestation with plant pests is so much influenced by various factors in the producing countries such as the climatic condition during the growing season, crop management, storage condition after harvest, etc. | |||
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| A:Air cargo is inspected on Saturday, Sunday as well as on other public holidays at the New Tokyo International Airport (Narita airport), Nagoya airport, Kansai International Airport, Fukuoka Airport and other local airports. At the seaport, we don't work on these days because the cargo operation usually ceases on these days in Japan. However, the import inspection can be made at importer's request for an early delivery of the arriving shipment. |
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| A:No, we don't. Either, we take no fees for any other plant quarantine activities in Japan. |
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| A:No, not necessarily. Both inspections can be made simultaneously at the importer's request if all the necessary arrangements for both inspections are in good order. |
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| A:Our plant quarantine inspector usually conveys the result of import inspection to the importer or his agent immediately after the inspection. So, you are advised to inquire your importer or his agent. |
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| A:Yes, the 'Order for Disinfection' or the 'Order for Disposition' will be provided at importer's request. The 'Certificate of Disposition' can also be obtained upon request at the completion of disposition. For the prohibited articles, the 'Certificate of Disposition' can be issued at importer's request at the completion of disposition. |
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| A:No, it isn't. If the plants are not prohibited articles and are free of any living pests and/or diseases, they don't have to be disinfected. When they are found infested with living pests and/or diseases, the importer may choose either disinfection, disposition or reshipment. When no disinfection method is available, the importer's choice is either disposition or reshipment. |
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| A:Commercial warehouses and silos which are usable for the disinfection (fumigation) of various commodities are well established at major seaports and airports in Japan. | |||
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| A:Importers are legally responsible for conducting the disinfection themselves. When they are unable because of the lack of tools and techniques, they are approved to do it under contract with the pest controllers who are qualified for undertaking plant quarantine disinfection. |
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A:Methods of disinfection differs with the type of plants and the pest species discovered by the import inspection. Examples are as follows.
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| A:You may inquire at the plant quarantine agencies of your country or your Embassy in Japan. They are well informed of Japanese requirements on the plant quarantine and are ready to help you. |
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| A:A certain species of exotic pests and pathogens are known definitely to cause a devastating damage to agricultural crops if they invade Japan. They can be hardly detected by the inspection and, moreover, there is no disinfection method available. For this group of pests and diseases, we prohibit the entry of their host plants in order to preclude any chance of invasion. Since the distribution of these pests is geographically different, the same host plant may be prohibited from a certain regions or countries but not from the other regions or countries. |
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A:Yes, the prohibition may be conditionally lifted in the following cases.
Note should be taken that all these steps have to be cleared by the plant quarantine agencies of Japan and the country concerned. As of November, 2001, altogether, 59 plant items from 18 countries are lifted from the ban. For details, you may consult with your plant quarantine authorities or your Embassy in Japan. You may also refer to the Plant Protection Station through your trade partners in Japan. |
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| A:No, we don't. Food safety and its control is undertaken by The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan. |
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| A:The restriction on the import and export by the CITES Treaty is applied in common to every country in the world. You should inquire at your government agency concerned with the Treaty. In Japan, the CITES Treaty is administered by the Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry and the final check at points of entry is undertaken by the customs offices. |
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| A:On behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries, the Japan Plant Quarantine Association has issued several English brochures in the 'Plant Quarantine Guide' series for overseas clients. This series consist of one brochure on the japanese plant quarantine in general and several others featuring the quarantine of particular groups of plants such as the seeds and nursery stocks, the cut-flowers, the fruits & vegetables as well as the quarantine of particular type of import cargoes such as the marine container cargoes and the air cargoes, etc. You may be able to read these publications at the overseas government agencies of Japan. |
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| A:You should be careful in this case because the fresh fruit as well as the seedling itself may be prohibited entry depending on the species of plants and the producing countries. You had better inquire at your plant quarantine agencies or your Embassy in Japan. You may also refer to Japanese plant quarantine authorities through your trading partners. |
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| A:No, you can't. We don't accept any plants or plant parts with soil adhered to. You should always remove the soil before shipping. |
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| A:You should avoid soil in any case. Rice straw is prohibited entry from any country excluding Korean peninsula and Taiwan. You can safely use peat moss, sphagnum, parlite, vermiculite, etc. Please remind that these materials age while in use and become indistinguishable from soil at the import inspection. For the wrapping (packing) of root portions, you should free the soil and use peat moss or sphagnum which is clean. For detailed information, you may inquire at your plant quarantine agencies or your Embassy in Japan. Or else, you may refer to Japanese plant quarantine authorities through your trading partners in Japan. |
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| A:We advise you to ship pest- and disease-free seeds. Remind that the shipment is not contaminated with ergot, sclerotia or soil. You must attach the phytosanitary certificate which proves that the shipment has passed the export inspection by your plant quarantine authorities. |
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| A:We don't request you to do such treatments. However, when you have treated your shipment, we recommend you to report to your plant quarantine authorities and have them certify on the treatment column of the phytosanitary certificate. Such information is useful for our import inspection and for taking safety measures if necessary. |
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| A:We draw a necessary amount of samples from the shipment and inspect them after removing the coating material. Descriptions of the type of coating material on the invoice or attached documents are helpful for the timesaving clearance of the coated seeds. |
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| A:Only as to the samples drawn for inspection, we remove the pot and closely check the root portion including the potting material. | |||
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| A:Generally speaking, we inspect the shipment at the warehouse primarily for insect pests and draw samples. Then, we closely inspect the drawn samples for seed-borne diseases in the laboratory. Microscopic and cultural examinations are commonly employed. The minimum of 6 days are usually required. |
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| A:Virus diseases of live plants cannot be detected at the ordinary point-of-entry inspection. A certain groups of plants, therefore, are planted at the post-entry quarantine stations and, during the growth season, a thorough diagnostic testing for the virus diseases are made by using indicator plants, serological tests, electron microscopy, etc. The subject items for the post-entry quarantine are the followings.
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| A:One to two years are commonly required for fruit trees such as citrus, apple, pear, grapevine and strawberry as well. Other herbaceous plants such as flower bulbs, potatoes, sweet potatoes, sugarcanes and pineapple are usually cleared within one growth season. |
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| A:The Plant Protection Station owns the post-entry quarantine farms at Sapporo (Hokkaido), Yokohama, Kobe and Naha (Okinawa). The quarantine of fruit trees, potatoes, sweet potatoes and strawberries is conducted at these government facilities. The quarantine of flower bulbs, sugarcanes and pineapples which are imported in quantities is carried out at designated farmers' premises which fulfill a certain quarantine condition. |
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| A:Infected plants will be burnt because there is no remedial measures practicable against virus diseases. | |||
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| A:From our experiences, the tissue culturing itself does not always guarantee freedom from virus diseases. So we require the post-entry clearance for tissue cultures of the subject items of the post-entry quarantine. |
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| A:No fees are required for the post-entry quarantine at the government facilities. The cost for the cultivation of quarantined plants (agricultural chemicals, fertilizers etc.) may be burdened on the importers. |
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| A:This is a system which is alternative to the post-entry quarantine. It is implemented on the basis of bilateral agreement between the plant protection agencies of Japan and the exporting country. Under this system, flower bulbs for export to Japan are precleared in the field of production by the plant protection agencies of the exporting country together with Japanese plant quarantine inspectors. Another case of exemption is approved for the direct retail sale of flower bulbs for consumption. It requires the use of an unbreakable container in which the flower bulb is sealed one by one. Further, on the the phytosanitary certificate issued from the exporting country, special additional declarations are required to the effect that the required condition have all been met. At present, this system is applied to several kinds of flower bulbs from the Netherlands, Belgium, New Zealand and the Republic of South Africa. |
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| A:You can export practically many kinds of cut-flowers to Japan. However, you should care about fruit-bearing cut-flowers because the fruit may be prohibited entry. Also, there are some prohibited items within the Family Solanaceae and the Genera Cirsium and Verbascum , etc. For your benefit, you may inquire at your plant quarantine agencies or your Embassy in Japan. Or else, you may refer to Japanese plant quarantine authorities through your trading partners in Japan. |
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| A:We carry out the inspection primarily in the order of receipt of application provided that all the necessary preparations are made on the part of the applicant. For the smooth and orderly performance of our import inspection, you are requested to avoid delays in arrival of the phytosanitary certificate and other accompanying documents and errors in description as well. |
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| A:You cannot export the prohibited fruits which are simply refrigerated. The shipment of frozen fruits must satisfy all of the following requirements.
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| A:From the import-prohibited regions (where potato wart disease or sweet potato weevil exists), you cannot export potato tuber stems or sweet potato tuber roots to Japan. You can export these items from other regions but they must undergo post-entry quarantine at the government quarantine farms for one growth season for the detection of virus diseases. (Refer, also, to Q42 from Q37) |
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| A:No, you don't. Japanese plant quarantine authorities do not require such treatment. |
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| A:In North America and Europe, there exists a serious pest of the crops of wheat and barley group called Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor ) which we don't have in Japan. Therefore, we prohibit all the host plants including dry culms of wheat, barley and Agropyron species from the countries where Hessian fly is present. The hay bales from the US are not allowed entry if they contain such host plants which is often the case. The phosphine fumigation of the US hay bales before shipping has been introduced on the basis of bilateral agreement between the two plant quarantine agencies as a quarantine measure to ensure safe and smooth entry of US hay bale shipment into Japan. The phytosaniary certificate which additionally declares the fumigation treatment should be attached to the export shipment. |
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| A:The container fumigation is approved for those container vans which have been initially tested and ranked as 'fumigation proof' by the Plant Protection Station. If your soybeans are loaded in one of these 'fumigation proof' vans, the load of soybeans can be fumigated within the vans by dozing the fumigant such as methylbromide or phosphine. Otherwise, the closed-type container vans can be fumigated with phosphine by completely covering them with tarpaulin. However, the container fumigation is not approved against the pests of high risk such as the Khapra beetle and some others. |
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| A:Yes, we do. Please remind that the feed and litter in such cases often involve live fruits, straws and husks or rice and barley which may be prohibited entry depending on the exporting countries. For details, you may inquire at your plant quarantine agencies or your Embassy in Japan. You may also refer to Japanese plant quarantine authorities through your trading partners (importers) in Japan. |
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| A:No, we don't. Sawn wood (without bark) is excluded from the subject of plant quarantine. Confusing cases are checked by documents or by looking into the shipment upon arrival. |
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| A:No, the import inspection for the presence or absence of live insect pests cannot be dispensed with. Japanese plant quarantine agency does not request the exporting countries (or exporters) to disinfect wood logs before shipping or during voyage. |
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| A:No, it isn't. Disinfection always depends on the result of import inspecction. If there is no insect pests found on the shipment, no disinfection is required. |
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