On 23 January 2026, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) published two consultation drafts proposing amendments to the Industrial Safety and Health Law (ISHL) relating to carcinogenic substances. Both the drafts were published on Japan’s e-GOV Public Comment Portal.  

Background  

In Japan, carcinogenic substances are subject to strict obligations under the Industrial Safety and Health Act (ISHA), which requires records to be kept for up to 30 years.  

Insights from Draft 1 

Draft 1 proposes amending the scope of substances designated as carcinogenic by updating the reference period used for government hazard classifications. Under the draft, the scope of carcinogenic substances would be defined as risk assessment substances that: 

• Are classified as Carcinogenicity Category 1 based on the government’s GHS classification (JIS Z 7252). 

• Are classified as of 31 March 2025. 

• Exclude substances that were later reclassified as not Category 1 between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2026. 

Insights from Draft 2 

Draft 2 proposes a corrective amendment to prevent substances that no longer meet the carcinogenicity criteria at the time of application from being newly designated as carcinogenic. The draft focuses on the following provisions: 

• Removal of 2-phenylphenol (CAS: 90-43-7) from the list, following its reclassification in FY2024 as not Category 1 (previously classified as Carcinogen 1 in FY2021)  

• Exclusion of substances that are not classified as Carcinogenicity Category 1 as of 31 March 2026 

Comment Period and Enforcement Dates 

Interested stakeholders may submit comments until 22 February 2026. Final orders for both drafts will be promulgated in March 2026. Draft 1 will be enforced from 1 April 2028, while Draft 2 is scheduled to take effect on the day of promulgation in March 2026.