JAPAN: REVISIONS OF THE SAFETY REGULATIONS FOR ROAD VEHICLES The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6. G/TBT/Notif.97.400. 1. Member to Agreement notifying: JAPAN. If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2). 2. Agency responsible: Ministry of Transport. Agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification can be indicated if different from above. 3. Notified under Article 2.9.2. 4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Motor Vehicles (HS: 87.01, 87.03-87.05). 5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Revisions of the Safety Regulations for Road Vehicles (3 pages, available in English). 6. Description of content: To tighten regulations on noise from the following vehicles: Trucks with a GVW of less than 1.7t; mini-sized trucks with cab-behind-engine; passenger motor vehicles with a riding capacity of seven persons or more and ten persons or less.7. Objective and rationale: To reduce motor vehicle noise in large city areas and those areas along main trunk roads. 8. Relevant documents: The basic law is the Road Vehicle Act. These revisions will be made public in "KAMPO" (Official Government Gazette) when adopted. 9. Proposed date of adoption and entry into force: (1) For the following domestically-made models: October 1999 at the earliest: Trucks with a GVW of less than 1.7t; mini-sized trucks with cab-behind-engine; passenger motor vehicles with a riding capacity of seven persons or more and ten persons or less. (2) For the following foreign-made models: April 2001: Trucks with a GVW of less than 1.7t; mini-sized trucks with cab-behind-engine. (3) For the following foreign-made models: April 2002: Passenger motor vehicles with a riding capacity of seven persons or more and ten persons or less. 10. Final date for comments: 9 November 1997. 11. Text available from: National enquiry point. (0241)

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