Japan, APAC · Amendment
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) issued an updated notification regarding import customs procedures under the Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL). The update clarifies import notification requirements for new chemical substances, procedures for customs clearance under CSCL compliance, required documentation for chemical imports, coordination between METI, MHLW, and MOE for controlled substances, and administrative handling of chemical import declarations. This is an administrative/operational update aimed at strengthening compliance control during import screening.
Substances / Products in Scope
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) issued an updated notification regarding import customs procedures under the Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL). The update strengthens import customs screening alignment with the CSCL registration system, improves coordination between METI, MHLW, and MOE, enhances documentation requirements at the customs entry stage, clarifies handling of non-compliant or missing notifications, and reinforces enforcement whereby imports may be blocked if notification requirements are incomplete.
Key Dates & Compliance Deadlines
- Official Publish/Release Date: June 2, 2026
- Effective Date: The updated procedures will take effect on 17 June 2026, while the previous notice dated 6 February 2026 will be abolished on 16 June 2026.
- Compliance Deadline: Effective immediately from 02 June 2026
- Compliance Deadline: Applies to all future import declarations from issuance date onward.
Restrictions & Exemptions
- Import may be denied if required CSCL notification is missing.
- Import may be denied if the substance is unregistered or unapproved.
- Import may be denied for information mismatch in declarations.
- Exemptions apply to substances already registered under CSCL.
- Approved low-risk polymers remain eligible under polymer exemption rules.
- Low-volume exemptions may apply under separate METI schemes.
Who Is Affected
- Chemical manufacturers (domestic & overseas exporters to Japan)
- Chemical importers and trading companies
- Automotive OEMs and supply chains
- Electronics & semiconductor manufacturers
- Coating, adhesive, resin and polymer industries
- Industrial raw material suppliers
- Logistics, customs brokers and freight forwarders handling chemical imports
- Downstream users of regulated intermediates
What Companies Should Do
- Verify all imported chemical substances against CSCL inventory (ENCS / priority lists).
- Ensure pre-import notification submission is complete before shipment.
- Align customs documentation with METI CSCL requirements.
- Validate supplier declarations for Japan-bound materials.
- Update internal compliance SOP for Japan chemical imports.
- Train procurement & logistics teams on import rejection risks.
- Monitor further METI/MHLW/MOE updates for procedural tightening.
This high-priority update affects automotive OEMs and suppliers with operations or sales exposure in Japan, APAC. Compliance and product stewardship teams should review applicability against current BOMs and supply agreements, and note the compliance dates above.
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