Common Tasks
In response to the increase in international distribution
of automobiles and devices and to the globalization of the
automobile industry, the Global Agreement, an international
agreement for promoting global uniformity of safety and environmental
regulations (which have been different in each country) for
automobiles and devices, was concluded by eight countries,
including Japan, and enforced on August 25, 2000. (Japan signed
the Agreement in August 1999. As of April 2000, eleven countries
are signatories.)
It was resolved that full-fledged deliberations on uniform
global regulations, based on the Agreement, will be held among
concerned nations, including Japan, the United States and
the EU, at the UN World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle
Regulations (WP29).
Heretofore, the Japanese government has argued that in formulating
uniform global regulations, it is necessary to establish common
global definitions covering vehicle categories, which are
currently stipulated by each nation alone, and methods for
measuring weights and dimensions. As a result, this necessity
was recognized internationally, and a W/G was established,
with chairperson from Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure
and Transport, under the Working Party on General Safety Provisions
(GRSG) of the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations
(WP29), UN Economic Commission for Europe. Deliberations will
be held among concerned nations over the next two years, and
common global definitions of vehicle categories, weights and
dimensions will be compiled.
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