News Details
Japan solicits consultation to amend guidelines under CSCL
On 20 August 2025, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Ministry of the Environment (MoE) jointly released draft amendments to the guidelines under Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL).
The draft notification was published on Japan’s e-GOV Public Comment Portal.
The proposed revisions aim to update the operational framework in light of the 2025 assessment of the 2017 CSCL amendment and Japan's long-term chemical substance management policy. The notification from 29 March, 2019 on the management of by-product Class I Specified Substances will also be revised.
Key
Amendments
Article 1 – Impurities containing Class I Specified
Substances
- Previously, the rules applied only when Class I Specified Substances were present as by-products.
- The amended rules extends the scope to include cases where these substances are present as impurities, thus broadening regulatory coverage.
Article 2 – Structural Changes and Clarifications
- Restructuring: Introduces a new section "1. Common Provisions", consolidating general rules applicable throughout the guideline.
- Clarifications:
- Distinguishes between anhydrous and hydrated forms of substances.
- Clarifies definitions of terms for organic
polymers.
- Existing vs. New Substances: Certain substances previously excluded from the definition "new" will now be explicitly treated as existing chemical substances, with references to specific provisions in the law (Article 2, paragraphs 4, 5, 7).
Article 3 – Existing Chemicals: Revises the definition of "existing chemical substances" with necessary updates.
Comment Period and Enforcement Dates
|
Particulars |
Enforcement
Dates |
|
Article 1 |
1 October 2025 |
|
Article 2 |
1 April 2026 |
|
Article 3 |
1 April 2027 |
We acknowledge that the above information has been compiled from Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Portal - Japan.
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