10 Japanese Law and Policy on Marine Environment Protection …
183
the implementation of these regulations. This is because sometimes expert knowledge and experience accumulate in the private sector more than the public sector.
21 In
particular, the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC), which has a strong
connection with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the
Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (Class NK), which is connected to the International Association
of Classification Societies (IACS), have extensive experts knowledge and experience,
and work to connect international regulations and the Japanese industries.
10.2.3 JISC and ISO Activities
With a membership of 160 national standards bodies, the ISO is the largest international organisation for setting private standards. It has one member per State, and its
membership extends worldwide.
22 The JISC is the sole national representative of the
ISO from Japan. While in some States, purely private standards bodies are registered
as members of the ISO, in other States, the member bodies are connected with the
government.
23 JISC belongs to the latter category because it was established in 1949
under the Industrial Standardization Act, which is managed by the METI.
24
To implement IMO environmental regulations, particularly regulations provided
in MARPOL 73/78, the standards set by the ISO (known as ISO Standards) play
an essential role. For example, Chapter III, Annex VI of MARPOL 73/78 provides
regulations to control emissions from ships, and regulations 14.5 and 18 provide
the obligation to record the sulphur content of fuel oil in bunker delivery notes
under Appendix V of the Revised MARPOL 73/78 Annex VI. Appendix V refers
to the following ISO Standards as the criteria for testing the content of fuel oil: ISO
3675:1998, 12185:1996, and 8754:2003.
25 Therefore, the ISO Standards are the de
facto standards of MAPOL 73/78. Hence, it is important to be involved in the drafting
procedures of these standards. On this point, some Japanese experts have earnestly
contributed to this process. In the ISO, there are many Technical Committees (TCs)
21 See, for example, Seline Trevisanut, ‘The Role of Private Actors in Offshore Energy: Shifting
Models of Participation’ in Nigel Bankes and Seline Trevisanut (eds), Energy from the Sea: An
International Law Perspective on Ocean Energy (2015), p. 86. See also Nikolaos Giannopoulos,
‘Global Environmental Regulation of Offshore Energy Production: Searching for Legal Standards
in Ocean Governance’, Review of European, Comparative and International Environmental Law,
Vol. 29 (2019), pp. 13–14.
22 ISO, ‘ISO: A Global Network of National Standards Bodies’, available at https://www.iso.org/
members.html (last visited 21 May 2019).
23 ISO, ISO Membership Manual (2015), p. 6.
24 ISO, ‘JISC(Japan)’, available at https://www.iso.org/member/1835.html (last visited 21 May
2019).
25 IMO, ‘Report of the Marine Environment Protection Committee on its 58th Session’ (MEPC
58/23/Add.1) (17 October 2008) p. 42: Makoto Seta, “The Contribution of the International
Organization for Standardization to Ocean Governance”, Review of European, Comparative and
International Environmental Law, Vol. 28, (2019) p. 307 (2019) p. 307.
183
the implementation of these regulations. This is because sometimes expert knowledge and experience accumulate in the private sector more than the public sector.
21 In
particular, the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC), which has a strong
connection with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the
Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (Class NK), which is connected to the International Association
of Classification Societies (IACS), have extensive experts knowledge and experience,
and work to connect international regulations and the Japanese industries.
10.2.3 JISC and ISO Activities
With a membership of 160 national standards bodies, the ISO is the largest international organisation for setting private standards. It has one member per State, and its
membership extends worldwide.
22 The JISC is the sole national representative of the
ISO from Japan. While in some States, purely private standards bodies are registered
as members of the ISO, in other States, the member bodies are connected with the
government.
23 JISC belongs to the latter category because it was established in 1949
under the Industrial Standardization Act, which is managed by the METI.
24
To implement IMO environmental regulations, particularly regulations provided
in MARPOL 73/78, the standards set by the ISO (known as ISO Standards) play
an essential role. For example, Chapter III, Annex VI of MARPOL 73/78 provides
regulations to control emissions from ships, and regulations 14.5 and 18 provide
the obligation to record the sulphur content of fuel oil in bunker delivery notes
under Appendix V of the Revised MARPOL 73/78 Annex VI. Appendix V refers
to the following ISO Standards as the criteria for testing the content of fuel oil: ISO
3675:1998, 12185:1996, and 8754:2003.
25 Therefore, the ISO Standards are the de
facto standards of MAPOL 73/78. Hence, it is important to be involved in the drafting
procedures of these standards. On this point, some Japanese experts have earnestly
contributed to this process. In the ISO, there are many Technical Committees (TCs)
21 See, for example, Seline Trevisanut, ‘The Role of Private Actors in Offshore Energy: Shifting
Models of Participation’ in Nigel Bankes and Seline Trevisanut (eds), Energy from the Sea: An
International Law Perspective on Ocean Energy (2015), p. 86. See also Nikolaos Giannopoulos,
‘Global Environmental Regulation of Offshore Energy Production: Searching for Legal Standards
in Ocean Governance’, Review of European, Comparative and International Environmental Law,
Vol. 29 (2019), pp. 13–14.
22 ISO, ‘ISO: A Global Network of National Standards Bodies’, available at https://www.iso.org/
members.html (last visited 21 May 2019).
23 ISO, ISO Membership Manual (2015), p. 6.
24 ISO, ‘JISC(Japan)’, available at https://www.iso.org/member/1835.html (last visited 21 May
2019).
25 IMO, ‘Report of the Marine Environment Protection Committee on its 58th Session’ (MEPC
58/23/Add.1) (17 October 2008) p. 42: Makoto Seta, “The Contribution of the International
Organization for Standardization to Ocean Governance”, Review of European, Comparative and
International Environmental Law, Vol. 28, (2019) p. 307 (2019) p. 307.