new zealands draft import health standard for vehicles machinery and equipment in july 2018 japan raised a concern regarding new zealands import health standard for vehicles machinery and equipment from japan notified in document g sps n nzl 570 add.1 on 30 may 2018. japan noted that only nine days had been granted to provide comments and 93 days between the notification and its entry into force. approximately 300 000 new and used vehicles and machinery were exported to new zealand every year. satisfying the new requirements implied extensive costs and efforts and thus also sufficient time to prepare. japan expressed appreciation to new zealands efforts to extend the deadline for comments u to 33 days . however japan regretted that its request for the extension u to six months of the entry into force had not been accepted. japan argued that new zealands measures should be based on scientific principles in accordance with the sps agreement and assumed that the basis of the new measures proposed by new zealand referred to the report risk analysis of halyomorpha halys brown marmorated stink bug on all pathways issued by new zealand in november 2012. however japan noted that the mentioned report did not provide any explicit scientific evidence to justify the new measures on new vehicles and machinery imported from japan. in addition japan recalled that sps measures should not arbitrarily or unjustifiably discriminate among members. whereas fumigation or heat treatments on used vehicles and machinery from japan would be mandatory from 1 september to 30 april every year they would not be mandatory for products from the united states or italy. finally japan requested that new zealand provide at least 60 days for comments and to ensure at least six months between the notification and the entry into force of the measure. new zealand noted that the notification mentioned by japan was an addendum to the previous notification which had been notified in december 2017 providing 60 days for comments. new zealand acknowledged japans comments and emphasised the significant risk to new zealand which led to measures being taken to ensure safe trade while adhering to all sps agreement obligations. new zealand added that a technical meeting in tokyo as well as bilateral meetings on the margins of the current meeting had been held on this issue. in november 2018 japan reiterated its concern on new zealands sps measures for vehicles machinery and equipment from japan notified on 30 may 2018. japan recalled that a specific trade concern had been raised at the july 2018 committee meeting stressing that measures implemented by new zealand should be based on sufficient scientific evidence should not arbitrarily discriminate among members and should ensure sufficient time for comments. despite the concern raised in july 2018 the new measures had entered into force on 1 september 2018. japan highlighted that the measures put in place by new zealand lacked scientific justification. furthermore the time-period between the notification and the entry into force of the measure had been insufficient. japan encouraged new zealand to base its measures on scientific principles in accordance with article 2.2 of the sps agreement and reported that the scientific evidence provided by new zealand had not included clarification on i detection data of halyomorpha halys brown marmorated stink bug from consignments especially machinery exported to new zealand from japan ii analysis of likelihood based on effective accumulated temperature on the introduction and establishment of halyomorpha halys in new zealand and iii the rationale to establish on 1 september 2018 as entry into force of the regulation. japan urged new zealand to clarify these points and review the existing pest risk analysis. japan also reminded new zealand that sps measures should not arbitrarily or unjustifiably discriminate among members where identical or similar conditions prevailed. finally japan highlighted that new zeala