Japan plans to make legal revisions to impose emergency import curbs that have become possible as a result of China's entry into the World Trade Organization, government officials said.
The government hopes to make the legal measures effective for the April 1 start of fiscal 2002, the officials said Wednesday.
Ordinary emergency safeguard curbs under the WTO are not allowed to target imports from any specific country.
However, existing members of the WTO -- fearful of a flood of low-cost imports -- lobbied for China to accept the imposition of special safeguard restrictions on its products as an effective condition for its inclusion in the world trade body.
The special safeguard mechanism will be in force for 12 years.
As a further condition for WTO entry, Beijing also agreed to carry out export controls.
If an importer and China fail to reach an accord 60 days after starting talks on export controls, the former is allowed to restrict imports from China.
To raise tariffs on imports from China, the Finance Ministry will seek a revision of the temporary tariff measures law during the Diet session to be convened in January.
New ordinances for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will be created to curb the volume of imports.
China's entry into the WTO has also created a 15-year mechanism allowing other member economies to take antidumping steps against Chinese products more easily than usual. The government will adopt new ordinances related to the customs tariff law to make such a step possible in fiscal 2002.