Abstract In accordance with Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, the applicant Bayer CropScience submitted a request to the competent national authority in Spain to modify the existing maximum residue level (MRL) for the active substance ethephon in kaki/Japanese persimmons. The data submitted in support of the request are sufficient to derive a MRL proposal for the crop under consideration. An adequate analytical method for enforcement is available to control the residues of ethephon in kaki/Japanese persimmon fruits. Based on the risk assessment results, EFSA concluded that the short‐term and long‐term intake of residues resulting from the use of ethephon according to the reported agricultural practice is unlikely to present a risk to consumer health.