Cabinet Office Notification 122 Revises Food Pesticide Residue Standards

On October 29, the government promulgated Cabinet Office Notice No. 122, which amends the Specifications and Standards for Foods, Food Additives, etc., which establish limits for residual pesticides and other substances in food. This amendment, based on Article 13, Paragraph 1 of the Food Sanitation Act (Act No. 233 of 1947), was published in the Extraordinary Gazette dated October 29, 2026, under the name of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Some of the amended provisions will come into effect one year from the date of promulgation.

The target of the amendment is Section 6 of “1. Foods - A. General Food Component Specifications” of the Specifications and Standards for Foods, Food Additives, etc. (Ministry of Health and Welfare Notice No. 370 of 1959), which is the limit value list for the so-called Positive List System. This section stipulates that for each substance listed in the first column, the content must not exceed the amount in the third column according to the food category in the second column, and it also specifies the sampling site and testing method. This notice uses a table format comparing the “Before Amendment” and “After Amendment” columns, adding provisions marked with double underlines to the indicated sections and deleting those without corresponding provisions.

Review of Limits by Crop Category for Six Types of Pesticides, etc.

The substances and targets for which the supplementary provisions specified enforcement one year later are as follows:

• Kasugamycin: Onions, green onions, carrots, cucumbers, lemons, limes, kiwi (including peel)
• Carbaryl: Leaves of radish species, Chinese cabbage, whole fruit of summer orange, rice bran
• Tetraniliprole: Kale, other Brassicaceae vegetables, tomatoes, apricots, plums
• Tripholine: Tomatoes, cucumbers, melon fruits, melon fruits (including peel), peaches, peaches (including peel and seed)
• Prosulfocarb: Peas, broad beans, onions, green onions, other Liliaceae vegetables, other Apiaceae vegetables, immature peas, sunflower seeds, other spices
• Mepronil: Other Asteraceae vegetables, Japanese pears, Western pears

New Limit Values for Seafood, Eggs, and Honey Categories

The table in the notice also includes categories for animal-based foods and livestock/aquatic products. In the excerpted section, limit values are shown as 0.01 ppm for eggs of other poultry, 2 ppm for seafood, and 0.05 ppm for honey, with a note stating “add item” for the egg and honey rows. For seafood, 2 ppm was already listed in the “Before Amendment” column, suggesting that the existing limit value is being maintained for this category.

Enforcement in Two Stages: Promulgation Date and One Year Later

• The amended provisions of the main text are stated to “come into effect from the date of the notice,” taking effect on the day of promulgation.
• The limits for specific crops related to the six substances listed above in the supplementary provisions will apply from the date one year has elapsed from the date of promulgation.

Agricultural producers, importers, and food business operators will be required to take measures based on the fact that the implementation dates differ for each substance and crop. In procurement contracts for imported produce and processed raw materials, the practical focus will be on confirming transaction terms and test results in anticipation of the enforcement date one year from now. Monitoring agencies will also be required to establish inspection systems in accordance with testing methods, including the specification of sample parts.

Source Cabinet Office Notification No. 122 “Notification to Partially Amend the Standards and Criteria for Foods, Additives, etc.,” October 29, 2026, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Official Gazette Extra (dated the same). The legal basis is Article 13, Paragraph 1 of the Food Sanitation Act (Act No. 233 of 1947), and the subject of the amendment is the Standards and Criteria for Foods, Additives, etc. (Ministry of Health and Welfare Notification No. 370 of 1959).