TOKYO -- Japan will make it easier for domestic producers to seek extra tariffs on foreign exports priced significantly lower than goods made at home.

The Ministry of Finance will announce changes to the anti-dumping filing requirements during a meeting of its tariff and foreign exchange council on Thursday. It seeks to include them in the fiscal 2017 tax revisions.

Anti-dumping measures, used to protect domestic industries, typically involve charging an additional import duty to make up for differences in price. Taking action against dumping is permitted by the World Trade Organization.

In Japan, in order to launch an investigation to determine whether dumping is taking place, producers making up at least 50% of the product's market share need to collectively file an application. Now the finance ministry aims to change the requirement from fiscal 2017 to allow producers totaling 25% of market share to file a request.

Japan only made use of the system once between 2010 and 2015, due to stringent requirements set by the Ministry of Finance. In the same period, the U.S. took action 54 times, while China did 36 times. South Korea used the method in 15 instances.

Arguing that the stringent requirements are making it harder to file requests, the trade ministry had been asking for revisions.

Source: Nikkei Asian Review.