[Updated] Japan Revised Pesticide Residue Standards and Test Methods

As of September 14 this year, the transition period for the pesticides Cyclaniliprole, Diquat, Tebuconazole, and Betamethasone has ended, the revision in the notice MHLW0914 has all come into effect. Among them, the Diquat involves a large number of products, and 85% of them are stricter than before. Before exporting, stakeholders need to check whether the products meet the limit requirement carefully.

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On Sep.14, 2020. Japan MHLW announced the amendment to "Standards and criteria for food and food additives, etc. ", which mainly revises the residue limit of 6 pesticides and veterinary drugs based on the provisions of Article 13, Paragraph 1 of the Food Sanitation Law. These pesticides that will be revised are Cyclaniliprole, Diquat, Tebuconazole, Broflanilide, Betamethasone and Benzpyrimoxan.

This revision will be implemented immediately as of release date.
However, the maximum residue limits of the substances in some food will be effective one year after the promulgation, which are partly shown in the table below. (Feel free to contact ChemLinked if you need the full list).

Pesticide and Veterinary Drug	Food
Cyclaniliprole	Peach (including pericarp and seeds)
Diquat	Rice (brown rice), Wheat, Corn, Soba, Peanut, taro, Sweet potato, Dioscorea japonica (Dioscorea polystachya), Konjac, Other potatoes, Sugar beet, Saccharum officinarum, Daikon (including radish) Root, Daikon (including radish) Leaves, Turnip root, Turnip leaf, Horseradish, Watercress, Napa cabbage, Cabbage, Brussels sprout, Kale, Komatsuna, Bok choy, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Other Brassicaceae vegetables. ,etc.(160 kinds of food in total)
Tebuconazole	Soy bean, Brussels sprout, Broccoli, Asparagus, Eggplant, Watermelon, Watermelon (including pericarp),Melon, Melon (including pericarp), Orange, Oranges (including outer pericarp), Loquat, loquat (excluding pericarp and seeds), Peach, peach (including pericarp and seeds), Prunus salicina (including prune), and Sunflower seeds.
Betamethasone	Cow muscle, Pig muscles, Animal muscles belonging to other terrestrial mammals, Cow fat, Pig fat, Fat of animals belonging to other terrestrial mammals, Liver of cattle, Liver of pigs, The liver of animals belonging to other terrestrial mammals, Cow kidney, Kidney of pig, Kidney of animals belonging to other terrestrial mammals, Edible parts of cattle, Edible parts of pigs, Edible parts of animals belonging to other terrestrial mammals, Milk, Chicken muscle and other poultry muscles, Chicken fat and other poultry fat, Liver of chicken and other poultry livers, Kidney of kidney and other poultry kidneys, Edible parts of chickens and edible parts of other poultry, Egg of chicken and other poultry eggs.

Besides, Betamethasone in some food was stipulated as “none tested”.

The amendment deleted the existing Dexamethasone test method, and proposed a new Dexamethasone test method and Betamethasone test method instead for analyzing Dexamethasone and Betamethasone.

The change came into effect on the date of promulgation, but the testing of Dexamethasone can still follow the former standards within one year from the promulgation of this announcement.