Act on Japanese Agricultural Standards (Act No. 175 of 1950).

The purpose of this Act is to enact appropriate and rational standards in the field of agriculture, forestry, and fishery, ensuring that certification and testing, etc. are undertaken appropriately, and to improve the quality of agricultural and forestry products in domestic and international rationalizing and streamlining production, sale, and other handling thereof, and facilitate smooth transactions in agricultural and forestry products and expand opportunities for general consumers to make reasonable choices concerning products, by taking measures to ensure proper quality labeling of agricultural and forestry products excluding food and drinks, and thereby contribute to the sound development of industries related to agriculture, forestry, and fishery, and contribute in protecting the interests of general consumers.
The Act consists of 7 Chapters; General Provisions (I); Enactment of Japanese Agricultural Standards (II); Grading in accordance with Japanese Agricultural Standards (III); Testing in accordance with Japanese Agricultural Standards(IV); Proper Quality Labeling of Agricultural and Forestry Product Excluding Food and Drinks (V); Miscellaneous Provisions (VI) and Penal Provisions (VII).
The Act is applied to foods, drinks, oils, fats and agricultural, forestry, livestock, and marine products as well as products manufactured or processed using these products as materials or ingredients except liquors, drugs, cosmetics and regenerative medical products. It provides the legal basis for the Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) and criteria for adopting standards, quality grading, certification, accreditation of certifying bodies, laboratories and inspectors.