Japan s call for International Whole Vehicle Type Approval (IWVTA)

Transcription

1 PART 1_1 News From ASEAN 3 33 JANUARY 2009 VOLUME Japan s call for International Whole Vehicle Type Approval (IWVTA) The harmonization of certification and regulations for automotive parts and system (e.g. vehicle emission system), via the United Nations Working Party 29 (WP.29) s 1958 Agreement, has long been advocated by industry players to the authorities in Asia. The harmonization of certifi cation procedures on automotive imports and exports to the level of tested once, accepted everywhere would generate effi ciency in each country s regulatory administration, leading to lower cost for manufacturers and consumers. Product safety and clean environment can also be effectively promoted as the regulations annexed to the 1958 Agreement place a high priority on these issues. To spread these benefits further, in recent years, JAMA has extended the discussion of such technical harmonization from automotive parts and system to whole vehicle regulation to forums in Asia. The Need to Establish An International Agreement for Mutually Recognized Certification of Whole Vehicle Type Approval System Unlike the 1958 Agreement _ an international Mutually Recognition of Approval (MRA) for automotive parts that is legal binding among Contract Parties _ an international legal framework for MRA for whole vehicle certificates without the need for further certification activity has yet to be established. Therefore when the MRA concept on product certificate for whole vehicle was fi rst introduced by JASIC/JAMA in ASEAN s government and industry vehicle regulation forums, it was recommended as a long term goal. To begin with, there are still many countries without their own national vehicle type approval systems, let alone the international agreement for mutually recognized Whole Vehicle Type Approval System. But since ASEAN will establish the ASEAN Economic Community with integrated markets by 2015, it is best that ASEAN authorities view the tasks of technical harmonization as not only for automotive parts and system, but for the whole vehicle too. And hopefully ASEAN could draft up a mutually recognized whole vehicle type approval system by 2015, explained a JAMA expert. In June 2006, JAMA made a recommendation during a regional government-industry dialogue meeting, the ACCSQ-APWG (ASEAN Consultative Council for Standards and Quality- Automotive Product Working Group) to set up national vehicle type approval system by 2010 for the ASEAN countries which have not done so, and subsequently, mutually recognized vehicle type approval system, based on the regulations annexed to the 1958 Agreement. vol.33 1

2 PART 1_2 News From ASEAN In carrying out this recommendation, JAMA was cautious to address concerns that the system, if established, would become strictly exclusive to ASEAN region. Therefore JAMA s recommendation was that the system should be based on the automotive parts/system regulations annexed to the 1958 Agreement. In this way, the regulations, when utilized to make up a system for whole vehicle type approval, are still internationally recognized, and allow other non-asean member countries that have adopted the same regulations to enter an MRA with them. While the above recommendation was presented to ASEAN member countries, there was also discussion in Japan, namely Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), JASIC and JAMA, to make a proposal to UN s WP.29 to extend its MRA under the1958 Agreement to whole vehicle certification. If realized, this will save time and effort for ASEAN to create the system from scratch, and avoid the possibility of an exclusive regional agreement. Outcome of Japan s Deliberation and the Birth of an Acronym: IWVTA Fortunately, soon, in April 2007, MLIT and JASIC announced their plans on a research study on the internalization of vehicle type approval. They will also submit their proposal to set up an international MRA for whole vehicle type approval, along with their research outcome, to UN s WP.29 by Nearing the end of 2008, MLIT was invited to report on its preliminary study on common bases for mutual recognition of International Whole Vehicle type Approval in the 146th WP.29 Session. The acronym IWVTA was also suggested for the first time in a world forum for harmonization of vehicle regulations under the flagship of the United Nation. Future Discussion of IWVTA in Asia The good news on the prospect of an international type approval system quickly reached the concerned authorities and industry players in Asia. On 25 November 2008, during the 13th RACE (Regulation And Certifi cation Experts) meeting, JAMA informed that MLIT s studies for common bases for mutual recognition of IWVTA in the last WP.29 Session include standardization of common format, vehicle mass and dimension, and technical requirements for whole vehicle. The ASEAN Automotive Federation, which has participated in the RACE meeting, expressed its interests to discuss with JAMA in details on the common format application form for IWVTA, so as to make appropriate recommendation to their country s policy makers. Participants of the 13th RACE Meeting A JAMA expert informing on the latest updates of United Nation WP29 s deliberation in the 13th RACE Meeting vol.33 2

3 PART 2_1 Friends of JAMA JASIC (Japan Automobile Standards Internationalization Center) Towards Harmonization of Global Standards and Mutual Recognition In the 1980s, in the aftermath of the two Oil Shocks, American consumers began to demand smaller cars that could offer them even slightly more fuel effi ciency, and the popularity of Japanese automobiles, which also boasted a very high quality manufacturing, increased enormously. In Europe too, interest in Japanese cars grew markedly. At the same time, other factors such as the increased manufacture of Japanese cars elsewhere in Asia meant that the internationalization of Japanese automobile manufacturing had begun in earnest. These developments formed the background to the Japanese government decision to create JASIC in 1987, under the auspices of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), to provide support for the cooperation between government and industry in activities promoting the internationalization of the technological standards of automobiles. As there are no comparable independent organisations active in promoting the harmonization of international automobile standards, in the subsequent twenty years since its foundation, JASIC has come to be recognised internationally as occupying a wholly unique position. At the United Nations too, the consistent efforts of JASIC in its field have contributed signifi cantly to raising Japan s status within the organization. This year marks the fi ftieth anniversary of the 1958 Agreement of the UN/ECE/World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (UN/ ECE/WP29), so JAMA took this opportunity to speak with the executive director of JASIC, Tadaomi Akiba, head of an organization that has worked ceaselessly since it was founded to harmonize international standards. We asked him to tell us more about the main strands of this work, focusing in particular on the organization's activities in Asia. NFJ: Could you tell us about the basic activities and structure of JASIC? The UN/ECE/WP29 is the only global body charged with unifying and revising international regulations on automobile construction, peripherals and components (UN/ ECE Regulations) and The executive director of JASIC, Tadaomi Akiba promoting mutual agreement on certification. JASIC, by working with this organization in Geneva, has served to support the Japanese government, specifi cally MLIT, in a wide range of its activities. vol.33 3

4 PART 2_2 In 1998, the Japanese government was involved in the Global Technical Regulations (the GTR, or 1998 Agreement ) which set an agreed global standard for automobile manufacture. In addition, the Japanese government acceded to the Agreement Concerning the Adoption of Uniform Technical Prescriptions for Vehicles of 1958 ( The 1958 Agreement ), and have always participated fully in these international agreements. JASIC has provided bureaucratic support for these activities, and has offered a means of mutual cooperation between government officials and industry representatives. When the United Nations ECE (Economic Commission for Europe) agreed standards, based on the 1958 Agreement, were introduced into Japanese law, JASIC contributed by acting as coordinators in a variety of capacities. In Asia, JASIC has cooperated in the continued internationalization of automobile standards and harmonization of the certifi cation system. This has always been conducted from the viewpoint that each country's automobile industry will derive advantages in aspects such as safety, environmental conservation, increased effi ciency of testing and manufacture, and the expanded exports that accompany the increased efficiency of the certification procedure. As mutual approval of standards is very deeply connected with trade, we work to strengthen ties with Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) while participating fully with the APEC Automobile Dialogue and the activities of the AMEICC Automobile Working Group. Presently, JASIC is funded by subsidies from MLIT, as well as numerous automobile industry groups, including JAMA. We have one representative working in Geneva, based at the UN/ECE/WP29 headquarters, one representative working in Washington DC, and 15 members of staff based in our main offi ce in Japan. As you will be aware, six separate Expert Meetings take place under the auspices of the WP29 Organization, and JASIC forms part of Japan's delegation, sending participants to these meetings at which there are as many as 60 participants. Within JASIC, we have set up committees concerned specifically with these United Nation meetings and we have a total of around 800 members participating in these committees. NFJ: Could you tell us about your cooperation with other countries in Asia and what you are aiming to achieve? For the fi rst decade after JASIC was founded, we worked to provide information to other Asian countries concerning automobile safety and the environment. Then, since Japan acceded to the 1958 Agreement ten years ago and adopted the UNECE standards, the extent of our cooperation with other Asian countries has become much broader. The JASIC ASIA Government and Industry Meeting vol.33 4

5 PART 2_3 As one of the main pillars of our activities, we hold the JASIC ASIA Government and Industry Meeting annually, to which government and industry representatives are invited from the ten ASEAN countries, India, China (or Hong Kong), Taiwan and South Korea. This meeting aims to promote accession to the 1958 Agreement and adoption of the UNECE standards throughout Asia. This year marks the thirteenth year of these meetings, and meetings have been held in Japan, China and 5 ASEAN countries (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam). The meetings are held jointly by the authority responsible for transport in each country and JASIC, and at each one, there will be delegates. These have become very influential conferences within the automobile industry. In the past, representatives from the UN have also taken part, and this year, the official responsible for WP29, Mr. Juan Antonio Ramos Garcia (Chief of the Vehicle Regulations and Transport Innovations Section, Transport Division, UN ECE) will participate. In this way, the meeting grows in importance each year. I participated this year at one of the thirteenth annual meetings, held in Chiang Mai in Thailand from 26th-28th November, hosted jointly by JASIC and Thailand's Department of Land Transport (DLT). As a result of these persistent efforts, interest in the 1958 Agreement has undoubtedly increased throughout other Asian countries and among the ten ASEAN countries, there has been significant internal discussion of mutual agreement of standards, while the idea of joining the 1958 Agreement has also become a serious subject of consideration. In fact, in 2006, Thailand and Malaysia, alongside South Korea, officially acceded to the agreement. Preparations for accession are continuing apace in Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. In addition, in order to cement the achievements of the JASIC ASIA Government and Industry Meetings, more specialist JASIC ASIA Expert Meetings have been held a total of 16 times. NFJ: What specifically is discussed at these expert meetings? Upon acceding to the 1958 Agreement, more specialised technical research becomes essential. For that reason, as well as obviously inviting each country's transport authorities to attend the meetings, we also invite people actually working in the industry, people involved in certification and other such areas. So we have representatives of industry and government to study the implications of each of the points in the 1958 Agreement. I believe that these specialist meetings are very helpful for the participants as they help to connect the promotion of accession to the 1958 Agreement and adoption of the ECE standards with the future certifi cation of automobiles. The JASIC ASIA Expert Meeting vol.33 5

6 PART 2_4 NFJ: What do you think are the main issues facing you in Asia? The reality is that for each of the countries that sign up to the 58 Agreement or adopt the ECE standards, there are a whole range of obstacles and barriers they have to face. For instance, in the case of adopting the ECE standards, there is a lot of effort which must be made, including the need to adjust laws, establish a system of certification and testing, set up testing facilities, as well as dealing with the necessity of training skilled people to work in this field. Concerning the testing aspect I mentioned, we don t propose that each country needs the full set of testing equipment; rather, countries can share equipment between themselves. As far as training is concerned, JASIC and the Japanese government have for over a decade, as part of training through the ODA (Overseas Development Agency), invited government and industry representatives, chiefl y from Asia, to be trained in Japan in the harmonization of automobile standards and other related areas. Among those who have participated in this training, there are many of the government officials who now take part in the JASIC Asia Government and Industry meetings and we at JASIC are very pleased to see this positive result of our work. We do feel that the level of understanding and awareness of automobile standard harmonization among government officials and the private sector in Asia has deepened signifi cantly, and we regard this as one of the valuable aspects of what we do. NFJ: Could you tell us about what hopes and challenges face JASIC in the future? In recent years, as the international flow of cars has further increased, we have seen increasing demands for international standards governing the environmental and safety features of automobiles. For that reason, we feel that the responsibility of JASIC, as well as the expectations that are put upon us, is growing larger. In Asia, accession to the 1958 Agreement and adoption of the UN/ECE standards are being promoted through means such as the continuing JASIC G-I meetings, and I feel that we need to clearly explain the merits of these during those meetings. For instance, if accession to the 1958 Agreement and the adoption of the UN/ECE standards continues to grow among the ASEAN countries, then the possibility of the export of automobile components between 58 Agreement members including Japan, countries in Europe and Oceania will greatly increase. Of course, issues of competitiveness will remain, but by way of cooperation between Japan and other countries, the competitiveness of supporting component and parts-supply industries could increase, which would represent a significant business opportunity. In addition, I think it could also lead to the restriction of the fl ow of counterfeit parts which are coming from certain countries. In the future, should an international whole vehicle type approval system be created that allows full harmonization of standards globally, vol.33 6

7 PART 2_5 we believe this would have a large number of further advantages for individual nations, automobile manufactures and consumers. For this reason, JASIC should work to promote this. In terms of organization-building, we feel that if each country in Asia had a body like JASIC, this could lead to signifi cant development in the possibilities for creating international industry standards. For that reason, we intend to do everything in our power to provide information and advice to help to bring that about. Currently, large numbers of government officials from Asian nations participate in the WP29 Conference, and within each country, I strongly sense the hugely increased awareness of these issues. In the future, I expect to see the Asian nations uniting to speak with one voice to promote the development of global shared standards. There are a huge number of issues that still need to be faced, but JASIC intends to further deepen the cooperation between the automobile industry and governments. NFJ: Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us today. vol.33 7

8 PART 3_1 From the Sidelines Road Safety I remember many years ago when I bought my fi rst car in Japan soon after I received my driving license, a friend immediately bought me a safe-driving charm from a shrine. The charm took the shape of a rectangle and is attached with a little bell. I was instructed to stick it onto the windshield and never to remove it. My safe-driving charm Under the strong summer rays that beat down mercilessly on the windshield, the colours of the charm faded a little. However I followed instructions and never removed it until I sold the car later. Whenever I saw the charm on my car then, I was reminded that it represents the warm wishes of a friend who wants me to drive carefully. I am now without a car, but have kept the safe-driving charm till today. Giving partial credit to the charm, I have not met with any accidents while I drove that car. I would like to believe that it was also because I kept to traffi c rules and regulations as much as I can and was basically careful with my driving. There is a Chinese saying that goes: roads are like the mouth of the tiger, meaning roads are as dangerous as the mouth of the beast, ever ready to eat you up. Well strictly speaking the roads are not at fault! We all know it is human factors that make our roads dangerous. To me, the car is a wonderful invention that helps people to move across distances (and much more). It is not meant to be a machine that results in injuries and deaths. Yet statistics show that every day as many as 3000 people lose their lives due to road accidents. Moreover it seems that human errors are the direct cause of 70% of road fatalities in Asia. Besides the human error, problems with the car itself (such as illegal and wrongful modifi cations carried out to the vehicle) and environment (poor infrastructure) play a part too. However I think that poor driving habits are something that can be and should be corrected immediately. In Singapore, obtaining a driving license is not only costly but also time-consuming. Depending on several factors, it is not uncommon for a person to take up to one year to obtain his license. I was told that the driving centres are also strict with their curriculum and it is not easy to pass the driving tests. Unfortunately, despite the strict learning that people have gone through, once they get used to driving, they are also quick to forget the basics and pick up unfavourable driving habits. In recent years, after a spate of accidents involving drink driving, Singapore s laws on such errant drivers have become stricter. Under the Road Traffic Act, a person can vol.33 8

9 PART 3_2 From the Sidelines be convicted of drink driving regardless of whether he has perfect control of the vehicle, if he has exceeded the legal limit of alcohol permissible. Penalties for first-timer offenders involve a fine of up to S$5000 or imprisonment of six months. Those convicted will be banned from driving for at least a year. I have heard comments saying that such laws are too strict. However I am of the opinion that such laws should remain strict, and the same goes for driving centres too, for the simple reason that precious lives, of not only you and your passengers, but other innocent road-users are at stake. As we start this new year, may I wish all readers: Safe journeys in the year ahead. (By: Soon Cheng) Head Office Jidosha Kaikan, 1-30, Shiba Daimon 1-Chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan Tel: Fax: URL: Singapore Representative Office 143 Cecil Street #09-03/04 GB Bldg., Singapore Tel: Fax: Contact: Ms Tan Soon Cheng japanauto@jama.com.sg vol.33 9