Recent GHS classification results published by Japan

On 29 March 2023, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and the Ministry of Environment (MOE) released the classification results for classifying substances under the UN Globally Harmonised System (GHS) of classification and labelling of chemicals.

The list includes classification outcomes for substances that have been reclassified several times in prior years, and it covers 3,281 different substances. The justifications for each substance's classification are listed separately.

The outcomes can be used by businesses as a guide for creating GHS labels or safety data sheets (SDSs). However, according to the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE), it is not mandatory to provide the classification result on a label or SDS for Japan.

In May 2019, METI, MHLW and MOE jointly released the Japanese standards on chemical classification, labelling, and safety data sheets (SDSs) that are in line with the sixth revised version of the Globally Harmonised System (GHS). The standards are:

• JIS Z 7252: Classification of chemicals based on GHS 6 classifications and labelling
• JIS Z 7253: Hazard communication of chemicals based on GHS 6 labelling and SDSs