Japan to classify carcinogenic substances under category 1

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) is a cabinet-level ministry of the Japanese government which provides services on health, labour and welfare.  

The MHLW published a proposal on 21 October 2022, to categorise carcinogenic compounds as Category 1 for carcinogenicity (excluding ethanol), in accordance with national criteria. The industry was given a deadline of 19 November 2022, to comment on the proposal. Early December is anticipated for promulgation, and the first day of enforcement will be 1 April 2023. 

The proposal is in line with the government's hazard classification of chemical substances conducted in accordance with the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) Z 7252 classification method which is based on the sixth revised edition of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of classification and labelling of chemicals implemented on 24 May 2022.  

The Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) are the standards used for industrial activities in Japan, coordinated by the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC) and published by the Japanese Standards Association (JSA). The JIS Z 7252 standard covers the chemical classification for GHS labelling and JIS Z 7253 covers the hazard communication for labelling and safety data sheets (SDSs).  

To ensure workers' safety and health in the workplace, companies handling carcinogenic substances are required to keep records of safety measures implemented in response to risk assessment results, the status of workers' exposure to the substance, and interviews with workers for three years. They must also keep records of each worker's name, job description, work schedule, worker exposure status, and other information for 30 years under the Industrial Safety and Health Act (ISHA). However, companies handling the chemicals on a transitory basis are exempt from following the requirements. 

The Industrial Safety and Health Act (ISHA) is the main law implementing the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of the classification and labelling of chemicals in Japan.