News Details

On 1 April 2026, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Ministry of Environment (MoE), published a joint draft on METI portal to amend the Priority Assessment Chemical Substances (PACS) list. The update proposes the addition of 6 newly designated PACS and the removal of 6 existing substances from the list.  

Background on PACS  

PACS are chemical substances for which the long-term effects on human health and the plants and animals in human habitats are not well understood. Therefore, in order to ensure compliance with Japan’s chemical management framework and to encourage safety and responsibility in the handling of these chemicals, companies that manufacture or import these chemicals in quantities greater than 1 Tonne Per Annum (TPA) are required to submit annual reports.      

Key Insights from the draft notice  

The following substances are listed in the draft notice for inclusion in the PACS list due to their unclear potential for long-term impact on human health and the environment:  

List of Newly Designated PACS  

The draft notice also lists the following chemicals whose PACS designation will be revoked due to:  

• Reported manufacture or import volumes of less than 10 TPA for 3 consecutive years.   

• Indicated released volumes of less than 1 TPA.  

• Indication that they no longer pose a risk to living organisms.  

List of PACS to be delisted from the PACS list  

Obligations for Stakeholders  

For FY 2025 and 2026 onward, PACS whose designation has been removed must be reported as generic chemical substances. Newly designated PACS must be reported as general chemical substances for FY 2025 and priority assessment chemicals from FY 2026 onward.