Compliant Always
Get in touch

Selling electrical and electronic products in Japan

In Japan, electrical appliances fall under the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act. Manufacturers and importers notify the government, meet the technical standards, inspect and keep records, and mark products with PSE; specified appliances also need a registered body's assessment. Radio equipment follows the Radio Act's technical conformity rules.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Main law
Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act (電気用品安全法), Act No. 234 of 1961
Regulator
METI
Notification
Within 30 days of starting business
Mark
PSE, with no sale or display without it
Radio equipment
Radio Act (電波法), technical conformity
Serious incidents
Reported to the CAA within 10 days

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Is the product an electrical appliance specified by Cabinet Order, and is it a specified one? Read more
  2. 2Has the manufacturer or importer notified, and does an overseas business have a domestic administrator? Read more
  3. 3Has a registered conformity assessment body certified a specified appliance? Read more
  4. 4Does it transmit radio waves, and is the radio part certified and marked? Read more
  5. 5Does it need a quality label under the Household Goods Quality Labelling Act? Read more
  6. 6How are incidents reported? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

PSE notification and standards

What a manufacturer or importer of electrical appliances does.

  • METI's English page counts 457 designated items: 116 specified (Category A), such as power supply units, extension cords and fuses, and 341 non-specified (Category B), such as televisions, LED lamps and refrigerators.
  • For imported appliances, the importer carries the obligations. METI says a foreign company may not file an import notification unless it is registered as a foreign company under the Companies Act.
  • Electrical appliances are parts of electrical facilities, portable generators and secondary batteries specified by Cabinet Order (Article 2).
  • A manufacturer or importer notifies the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry within 30 days of starting business, by type of appliance (Article 3).
  • An overseas business selling directly into Japan names a domestic administrator (国内管理人) in Japan when it notifies.
  • Appliances conform to the technical standards set by ministerial ordinance, are inspected, and the inspection records are kept (Article 8).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the notification, test reports and inspection records with each model, and shows what is missing before the goods ship. Ask about this

Conformity assessment and marking

Extra steps for specified electrical appliances, and the mark.

  • For specified electrical appliances (特定電気用品), the manufacturer or importer has a registered conformity assessment body check conformity before sale and keeps the certificate (Article 9).
  • Once the obligations are met, the business may show the PSE mark and its name on the appliance (Article 10).
  • Electrical appliances without the mark must not be sold or displayed for sale (Article 27).
  • The Minister may prohibit a business from marking for up to one year if its appliances fail the standards (Article 12).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps each certificate with the model it covers, and shows when it expires. Ask about this

Radio equipment

When a product with a transmitter needs technical conformity.

  • Opening a radio station needs a licence, except for extremely weak stations and specified small stations using radio equipment labelled as conforming with the technical regulations (Article 4).
  • Registered certification bodies certify that specified radio equipment conforms to the technical regulations, and the equipment carries a mark (Articles 38-2-2, 38-6 and 38-7).
  • Construction design certification covers equipment made to a certified design (Article 38-24).
  • For special specified radio equipment, the manufacturer or importer may confirm conformity itself, notify the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, and mark it (Articles 38-33 and 38-35).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the radio certificate with the model and each module that uses it. Ask about this

Quality labelling

What some household appliances must show.

  • Designated electrical appliances, such as air conditioners, are labelled under the Household Goods Quality Labelling Act and its labelling regulation for electrical appliances.
  • Precautions in use are shown on the main unit or in the instruction manual.
  • For imported goods, a business in Japan, the importer, seller or labelling contractor, becomes the labeller.

How we help: Compliant Always sets the label and manual beside the labelling matters for the appliance type. Ask about this

Incidents and recalls

What happens when an appliance causes harm.

  • Manufacturers and importers report serious product incidents, such as deaths, injuries needing 30 days or more of treatment, fires and carbon monoxide poisoning, to the Consumer Affairs Agency within 10 days of learning of them.
  • They make efforts to recall products that caused serious incidents, and the government may order measures to prevent hazards (Articles 38 and 39).
  • Digital platform providers may be asked to remove listings of products that endanger consumers (Article 39-2).

How we help: Compliant Always ties each document to the model and batch it covers, so a report or recall can be scoped from the record. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
ManufacturerPSE notification, technical standards, inspection records, conformity assessment and marking.Test reports and records kept with each model.
ImporterThe same PSE duties as a manufacturer, for the goods it imports.Suppliers' reports and certificates read and dated before the goods ship.
Domestic administratorActing in Japan for an overseas business selling directly to Japanese consumers, and holding copies of records.Records kept where the administrator can see them.
Retailer or online marketplaceNot selling or displaying appliances without the PSE mark.Marks and documents checked before listing.

National law, prefectural enforcement

Product law in Japan is national. Ministries and the Consumer Affairs Agency set the standards; prefectural governors and cities with public health centres license food businesses, receive food recall notifications and carry out inspections.

Imports are checked at the border: food and food contact articles at MHLW quarantine stations, and liquor licences are granted by the tax office for each place of sale.

Questions businesses ask

What is the PSE mark?
The mark under the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act showing that the manufacturer or importer has met its obligations. Appliances without it must not be sold or displayed for sale (Article 27).
Who must notify under PSE?
A manufacturer or importer of electrical appliances notifies the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry within 30 days of starting business (Article 3).
What is a specified electrical appliance?
An electrical appliance designated by Cabinet Order as particularly likely to cause danger or damage. Before sale, a registered conformity assessment body checks conformity and the business keeps the certificate (Article 9).
Do overseas sellers need a representative in Japan for PSE?
An overseas business selling directly into Japan names a domestic administrator in Japan when it notifies, and copies of inspection records go to the administrator.
Are batteries covered by PSE?
Secondary batteries specified by Cabinet Order are electrical appliances under Article 2 of the Act.
Does a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi product need radio certification in Japan?
Radio equipment generally uses equipment certified as conforming to the technical regulations under the Radio Act, marked accordingly, unless it is an extremely weak station.
Can a manufacturer self-declare radio conformity?
For special specified radio equipment, the manufacturer or importer may confirm conformity itself, notify the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications and mark it (Articles 38-33 and 38-35).
Do electrical appliances need a quality label?
Designated appliances, such as air conditioners, are labelled under the Household Goods Quality Labelling Act. Precautions go on the main unit or in the manual.
What happens if an appliance fails the standards?
The Minister may prohibit the business from showing the mark for up to one year (Article 12), and appliances without the mark must not be sold.
How quickly must a fire caused by an appliance be reported?
A fire is a serious product incident. The manufacturer or importer reports it to the Consumer Affairs Agency within 10 days of learning of it.
How many products need the PSE mark in Japan?
METI's English page lists 457 designated electrical appliances: 116 specified items (Category A), which also need conformity assessment by a registered body, and 341 non-specified items (Category B). Only the Japanese text of the Act and its orders has legal effect.
Can an online marketplace in Japan be told to remove a listing?
Yes. Under the amendments to the product safety Acts, METI can ask an online marketplace to remove listings of harmful products when the seller does not act, and violators can be publicly named with their domestic supervisor.
How does Compliant Always help with selling in Japan?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in, including the Japanese-language sources. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product, keeps the documents behind each one ready, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in Japan and what your paperwork needs to show.

Get in touch

No card, no account, and no call to book. Tell us what you make and where you sell it, and we will come back to you.

Get in touch