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The following text is intended for general reference only. It is currently under review for accuracy and completeness, as well as formatting.
JAPAN AND UNITED STATES WOOD PRODUCTS AGREEMENT
ANNEX A
JAPANESE WOOD PRODUCTS TARIFFS
HS # Current
Sawn Wood
4407.10-110 8.0
4407.10-121 4.8
4407.10-210 8.0
4407.10-290 10.0
Veneer Sheets And Sheets for Plywood
4408 10-010 0
4408.10-021 5.0
4408.10-029 5.0
4408.90-410 5.0
4408.90-490 5.0
Wood Continuously Shaped along any of its Edges or Faces
4409.10-100 7.5
4409 10-200 4.8
4409.10-310 8.0
4409.10-320 0
4409.20-190 7.5
4409.20-200 4.8
4409.20-320 0
4409.20-330 10.0
4409.20-340 0
Particle board
4410.10-010 8.0
4410 10-020 10.0
Fiberboard
4411.11-000 5.2
4411.19-000 5.2
4411.21-000 3.5
4411.29-000 3.5
4411.31-000 3.5
4411.39-000 3.5
4411.91-000 3.5
4411.99-000 3.5
Plywood U. Panels and Similar Laminated Wood
4412.12-011 10.0
4412.12-019 15.0
4412.12-021 15.0
4412.12-022 10.0
4412.19-011 10.0
4412.19-019 15.0
4412.19-021 15.0
4412.19-022 10.0
4412.21-010 15.0
4412.21-090 20.0
4412.29-010 15.0
4412.29-090 20.0
4412.91-010 15.0
4412.91-090 20.0
4412.99-010 15.0
4412.99-090 20.0
Builders' Joinery and Carpentry of Wood
4418.30-000 3.9
4418.40-000 3.9
4418.50-000 5.8
4418.90-100 10.0
4418.90-221 3.9
4418.90-229 3.9
Other Articles of Wood
4421.90-099 5.8
ANNEX B
I. THE OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS CONCERNING BUILDING STANDARDS
1. The GOJ acknowledges the importance of life safety, structural performance and fire control requirements in its building standards.
2. It is the policy of the GOJ that the use of wood products and wood building systems should be permitted where these products and systems provide levels of safety equivalent to or superior to those required of other building materials. It further recognizes that standards for safety are not fixed but vary in accordance with technological developments. In this regard, the GOJ recognizes that progress has been, and continues to be, made in the development of wood building systems providing the structural and life safety equivalent to other building systems.
3. It is the policy of the GOJ that building standards should be transparent, facilitate the introduction of new products and systems, protect safety and, to the maximum extent possible, be performance-based. Thus, the GOJ acknowledges that:
a. The Measures should not only resolve current disputes but establish a system that will alleviate potential problems that may arise in the future concerning the introduction of new products or systems into the building standards and facilitate the modification of existing building standards so as to permit the use of proven wood products and safe wood building systems.
b. In accordance with the Measures or after necessary technological study has been completed, the GOJ will continue to incorporate proven wood products and safe systems into its building standards and will actively make the modifications in its building standards necessary to accomplish these objectives and the actions specified in this Annex.
c. It is important that building standards regarding the use of wood products, systems and certification be clear, predictable and readily available to interested parties. To that end, the GOJ will improve the information services available to foreign entities as specified in this Annex.
d. Given the preference of the Japanese for wood housing and the cost competitiveness of such housing, wood construction in Japan is likely to increase significantly as a result of the Measures.
II. ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY THE GOJ IN FISCAL YEAR 1991
l. The GOJ will add, to the maximum extent possible, performance-based standards in those cases where only prescriptive building standards are stipulated, including but not limited to the following;
a. The GOJ will develop and implement new tests to allow the use of wood doors for all Type A and Type B applications (June, 1990);
b. The GOJ will incorporate the following changes in structural restrictions on wood frame construction where the safety has been confirmed through structural calculations:
(1) Increase the floor area surrounded by bearing wall lines from the current 60 square meters;
(2) Increase the distance between bearing wall lines from the current 12 meters or less;
(3) Increase the width of openings in bearing wall lines from the current 4 meters or less;
(4) Change the nailing requirements; and
(5) Ease the restrictions on the use of members of different structures.
2. The GOJ will revise the structural design manual including current basic data and guidelines for the structural design of large sectional wood buildings. The GOJ will allow large sectional wood buildings as quasi-fireproof buildings and permit the construction and use of the following:
a. In quasi-fire protection districts, urban areas and all other areas except fire protection districts, wood buildings of no more than three stories for offices and row houses or any combination thereof, with a total floor area of from 500 square meters to not more than 1500 square meters;
b. In areas outside of fire protection districts and quasi-fire protection districts, wood buildings of not more than two stories for commercial/retail (department stores, shops, etc.), offices or any combination thereof, with a total floor area of less than 500 square meters on the second floor, and an aggregate total floor area of not more than 3000 square meters for the entire building.
c. In areas outside of fire protection districts and quasi-fire protection districts, wood buildings of not more than two stories, such as hotels, dormitories, etc., with a total floor area of less than 300 square meters on the second floor and an aggregate total floor area of not more than 3000 square meters for the entire building.
3. The GOJ will make the necessary technical evaluation to permit wood interiors with ceilings of noncombustible or semi noncombustible materials.
4. The GOJ will grant general approvals for new building materials or building elements which do not require unique and/or complex technology and are accompanied by appropriate manuals.
5. The GOJ will allow the construction of restaurants, shops, club houses as well as cottages of log construction by making the following changes in its building standards (Spring, 1990):
a. The restrictions on total floor area will be modified to increase the maximum allowable area from the current 150 square meters to 300 square meters. The restrictions on height will be increased from a maximum height of 7 meters to 8.5 meters.
b. The restrictions on the sectional area of logs constituting bearing walls will be revised to increase the current limit of between 120 and 700 square centimeters to between 120 and 1400 square centimeters.
c. The limit on the height of bearing walls will be changed from no more than 3.2 meters to no more than 4.0 meters.
d. The limitation on the width (horizontal distance) of bearing walls will be eased from more than 1 meter to more than 0.3xH (H = height) meters.
e. The limit on the distance between bearing wall lines will be increased from 6 meters or less to 8 meters or less and the limit on the floor area surrounded by bearing wall lines will be increased from 30 square meters or less to 40 square meters or less when the safety of the structure has been confirmed by structural calculations or experimentation.
f. The requirement for the number of dowels will be revised to take into account the diameter of the dowels used.
6. The GOJ will allow the construction of three-story, multifamily wood housing and commercial and mixed use wood buildings, as specified in sub-paragraph (f) below, in areas outside of fire protection districts and quasi-fire protection districts when the following conditions, which shall be applied in such a manner as to allow the practical and economic construction of such buildings while not reducing the safety level, are met:
a. Setbacks from the boundary of the adjacent lot are 3 meters (gable side) and 4 meters (front and back);
b. Buildings may be from 500 up to 1000 square meters in size;
c. Main structural components, such as walls, floors, ceilings and roofs meet the one-hour fire test specified in Paragraph 8 of this Part of the Annex;
d. Evacuation facilities enable residents to exit in two or more directions:
e. When building sections are separated by a fireproof system, using non-combustible material of a width of 3 meters, each section shall be treated as a separate building for purposes of calculating the permissible building area; and
f. The uses of three-story, multi-family wood housing and commercial and mixed use wood buildings are the following:
(1) The first and second floors can be used in various ways, such as for offices, stores, apartments, commercial/retail establishments (including both goods and services), offices such as for lawyers, doctors and other professionals, and restaurants: and
(2) The third floor can only be used for offices and apartments.
7. The GOJ will allow fire-preventive buildings of wood frame construction as quasi-fireproof buildings and permit the construction and use of the buildings specified below. Main structures of these buildings, such as walls, floors, ceilings and roofs must meet a one-hour fire test as specified in Paragraph 8 of this Part of the Annex.
a. In quasi-fire protection districts, urban areas and all other areas except fire protection districts, wood buildings of no more than three stories for offices and row houses or any combination thereof, with a total floor area of from 500 square meters to not more than 1500 square meters;
b. In areas outside of fire protection districts and quasi-fire protection districts, wood buildings of not more than two stories for commercial/retail (department stores, shops, etc.) or office use or any combination thereof, with a total floor area of less than 500 square meters on the second floor, and an aggregate total floor area of not more than 3000 square meters for the entire building.
c. In areas outside of fire protection districts and quasi-fire protection districts, wood buildings of not more than two stories, such as hotels, dormitories, etc., with a total floor area of less than 300 square meters on the second floor and an aggregate total floor area of not more than 3000 square meters for the entire building.
8. The GOJ will conduct the necessary technical review to establish and put into operation a new fire test methodology and criteria similar to that of ISO Test 834. The test criteria and methodology will be such as to permit the use of wood/gypsum systems which meet the one-hour fire rating set forth in ISO Test 834.
9. The GOJ will formulate standards permitting use of wood for external walls of fireproof and quasi-fireproof buildings in areas outside of fire protection districts and quasi-fire protection districts as long as such construction poses no obstacle to fire preventive performance.
10. Following submission of test data and documents on structural quality control systems, the MOC will grant approval to the allowable unit stresses for species of lumber; and for this purpose the MOC will recognize the lumber bearing applicants' grade marks. At the earliest possible date, the MOC will incorporate these unit stresses into the building standards.
11. The GOJ will upgrade the information services provided by the MOC. These include the establishment of a contact point for foreign entities in the MOC and the establishment of an International Department within the Building Center of Japan to provide information in English on approval systems, as well as the provision of briefing sessions for foreign entities on the building standards and approval systems. The GOJ will make every effort to ensure that foreign firms are aware of the availability of these services.
12. The GOJ will revise the restrictions on height and eave height for wood buildings described in Paragraph 6 of this Part of the Annex, and for row house complexes which meet the conditions specified in that Paragraph, to provide for the following:
a. An eave height of 11 meters; and
b. A height of 15 meters. However, provision must be made for increasing the allowable height of the building to maximize the habitable space and to permit economic and practical construction in those cases where the necessary pitch of the roof and the dimensions (length and width) of the building are such as to render the 15 meter height limitation impractical.
III. ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY THE GOJ IN FISCAL YEAR 1993
1. As provided for in Paragraph 6 of Part II of this Annex, the GOJ will allow the construction of three-story, multi-family wood housing and certain commercial and mixed use buildings, as specified in subparagraph (f) below, in areas outside of fire protection districts and quasi-fire protection districts with the following modifications in the building standards, which shall be applied in a manner to allow the practical and economic construction of such buildings without reducing the safety level:
a. Setbacks from the boundary of the adjacent lot are 3 meters (gable side) and 4 meters (front and back):
b. The allowable size of the building will be increased substantially above 1000 square meters, but not more than 3000 square meters;
c. The fire test methodology and criteria referred to in Paragraph 8 of Part II of this Annex will be revised as appropriate. However, the criteria and methodology will be such as to permit the construction and use of wood/gypsum systems which meet the one-hour fire rating set forth in ISO Test 834:
d. Main structural components, such as walls, floors, ceilings and roofs can meet the one-hour fire test specified in sub-paragraph (c) above; and
e. The GOJ will develop alternative rules for fire separation between building sections, in accordance with international practice, with an intention of reducing the size of the current fire separation structure and of permitting fire walls. Building sections separated by such walls shall be treated as separate buildings for purposes of calculating the permissible building area.
f. The uses of three-story, multi-family wood housing and commercial and mixed use wood buildings are the following:
(1) The first and second floors can be used in various ways, such as for offices, stores, apartments, commercial/retail establishments (including both goods and services), offices such as for lawyers, doctors and other professionals, and restaurants; and
(2) The third floor can only be used for offices and apartments.
2. Based on the experience gained from the implementation of the Measures, in particular the actions undertaken pursuant to this Annex, the GOJ will review its building standards concerning heights, area and other requirements so that the use of wood may be expanded.
IV. BUILDING EXPERTS COMMITTEE
l. The GOJ will, in cooperation with the USG and/or other interested countries, establish a Building Experts Committee, including representatives of the public sector and private technical experts in Japan, the United States and other countries.
2. The purposes of this Committee will be to:
a. hold regular meetings to exchange views and deepen the understanding of each country's building standards and codes:
b. examine the building standards and building codes of each country with the objective of providing for the harmonization of standards, in particular with respect to the future development of common standards and testing methodologies; and
c. prepare annual reports on the progress of the implementation of the actions specified in this Annex.
ANNEX C
In order to provide for recognition of JAS and JIS standards in the building standards, the GOJ confirms the following:
1. Following evaluation of the test data provided by entities of the United States and/or other countries, the GOJ will recognize Oriented Strand Board and Wafer board (OSB/WB) which meets the JAS for structural panels as having equivalent performance characteristics to the same thickness of Class Two JAS plywood. It is recognized that the U.S. has already provided this data and that the GOJ has already initiated this process.
2. The GOJ will implement the following measures concerning the usage of OSB/WB:
a. OSB/WB will be added to the notification on multipliers of wood frame (the resistance coefficient for shear wall) for wooden buildings using Japanese post and beam construction;
b. OSB/WB will be permitted for use in bearing walls of conventional wooden buildings; and
c. OSB/WB will be permitted for use in walls, floors and as sheathing on roofs in wood frame construction.
3. The GOJ will improve the test method for intumescent fire retardants.
4. Based on test data provided by the applicant, the GOJ will approve under the building standards the use of box nails, as well as other nails and fasteners, in wood construction in all appropriate applications, in accordance with their holding properties.
5. With respect to MSR, the GOJ will seek to incorporate MSR into the building standards within six months, following its recognition by JAS, and permit its use in laminated wood products, as well as in all lumber applications.
ANNEX D
OPEN APPROVAL FOR NEW SYSTEMS AND PRODUCTS WHICH DEMONSTRATE ADEQUATE PERFORMANCE
l. The GOJ will grant general approvals for new building materials or building elements which do not require unique and/or complex technology for builders and are accompanied by appropriate manuals.
2. Should open approval not be possible immediately, approval of a new structural building material or system for a specific application should be granted within three months. Open approval of new non-structural materials or assemblies should be granted within three months.
3. Where a new product or system is so unique or technologically complex that the initial approval must be limited to specific applications, the GOJ will grant, unless there are exceptional circumstances general approval to the applicant as soon as results are obtained from no more than four applications of the product or system.
ANNEX E
This annex is not included. It is a four page spread sheet detailing the documentation necessary for a saw mill to apply for GOJ certification of its quality control programs, and indicates which requirements are being reduced or eliminated.] "
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