Japan amends the Ministerial Ordinance for New Chemicals under CSCL

On 11 March 2026, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Ministry of the Environment (MoE) jointly published a draft amendment to the ministerial ordinance governing the publication of the names of new chemicals under the Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL). The draft was published on Japan’s e-GOV Public Comment Portal. 

Background  

Under the CSCL, once the government has completed its review of a new chemical substance, the result are notified to the company. After this, the name of the substance is publicly announced in accordance with Article 4(5) of the law.  

Following the evaluation of the 2017 CSCL amendments in 2025, the government recommended introducing differentiated publication periods based on the level of risk. This approach is intended to encourage the development of safer alternative chemicals, in line with the Global Framework on Chemicals (GFC).  

Key Insights from the amendment 

The key insights from the draft amendment are as follows: 

• The amendment extends the name publication period for low-risk substances from 5 to 10 years.  

• It also allows publication via internet-based platforms, such as the METI website, rather than relying solely on the Official Gazette (Kanpo).  

These changes aim to protect companies’ market exclusivity and improve the accessibility of regulatory information while promoting safer chemical development. 

Comment Period and Enforcement Dates 

Interested stakeholders may submit comments until 10 April 2026. The final order is expected to be promulgated in late April 2026 while enforcement is scheduled for 1 May 2026.