Update: On 1 April 2025, Japan’s MHLW, METI and MOE jointly published the revised manual for the methods, procedures, and documents to be submitted for notification and application procedures for new chemical substances. The ministries shared the manual for preparing and submitting notification documents on the METI portal. 

Original Text: 

On 17 March 2025, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), and Ministry of Environment (MOE) jointly published the amended process for the notification procedure for new chemical substances under the Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL). The ministries also shared the manual for preparation and submission of documents for notification on the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE) portal. 

New Chemical Substances Covered by the 2025 Notification 

The following categories of new chemical substances are covered by this notification process:    

• New chemical substances: Chemicals not listed in the Existing Chemical Substances Inventory and imported or manufactured in Japan in quantities > 1 t/y. 

• Low-volume new chemical substances: This category applies to chemicals manufactured or imported in quantities ≤ 10 t/y.  

For background on the timeline leading up to the revision, see our previous GPC news here.