We hereby inform you that, as of 25 November 2025 (Reiwa 7), the Requirements for Certification Bodies for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and CoC have been revised as outlined below.

The purpose of this revision is to enable certification bodies to promptly suspend certification when a serious legal violation by a certification applicant has been confirmed based on reliable information issued by a public authority.

In addition, a new procedure has been established regarding the handling of legal violations committed by certification applicants. The procedure stipulates, among other matters, that certification audits shall verify and evaluate any legal violations that occurred within the past year (or, in the case of annual or renewal audits, any violations that occurred since the previous on-site audit). Please refer to this document together with the revised requirements.

We kindly request that certification bodies promptly implement the necessary changes and reflect them in their certification activities.

[Revised Documents]

(Fisheries Certification) Requirements for Certification Bodies Ver. 3.1
(Aquaculture Certification) Requirements for Certification Bodies Ver. 2.3
(CoC Certification) Requirements for Certification Bodies Ver. 2.3

* Comparison table of revisions

[Handling Procedure]

Handling of Legal Violations by Certification Applicants

End