On January 21, 2026, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and Ministry of the Environment (MOE) jointly released the Ministerial Ordinance to Designate Chemical Substances Based on the Enforcement Order of the Chemical Substances Control Law (Draft), formally bringing perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) and its related substances under strict regulatory control. The draft is open for public comments starting immediately, with the deadline set for February 19, 2026.
Background
At the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants held in June 2023, member states unanimously decided to list PFHxS and its related substances as candidates for elimination.
In response to this international consensus, the Pharmaceutical Affairs and Food Sanitation Council of MHLW, the Chemical Substances Council of METI, and the Central Environment Council of MOE conducted joint deliberations and agreed on the necessity to newly designate these substances as Class I Specified Chemical Substances under the Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL).
The Japanese government had previously revised the Enforcement Order of the CSCL on December 17, 2025, adding PFHxS-related substances to the list of Class I Specified Chemical Substances. This newly drafted ministerial ordinance aims to implement that revision concretely by specifying the scope of regulated substances.
Class I Specified Chemical Substances refer to those that are persistent in the environment, highly bioaccumulative, and pose long-term toxicity risks to humans or higher predators. Once officially designated, their manufacture, import, and use will be prohibited in principle. The import of products containing such substances, as specified by government order, will also be banned.
Main Content of the Draft
According to the draft, PFHxS-related substances refer to perfluoro(hexane-1-sulfonic acid)-related compounds (specifically, compounds containing a (perfluoroalkyl)sulfonyl group limited to those with six carbon atoms, or a [(perfluoroalkyl)sulfinyl]oxy group limited to those with six carbon atoms, which can chemically transform through natural processes to generate perfluoro(hexane-1-sulfonic acid) or perfluoro(alkanesulfonic acid) limited to branched structures with six carbon atoms). The specific chemical substances are defined by ordinances of MHLW, METI, and MOE. As listed in the draft’s appendix, a total of 117 chemical substances are included as PFHxS-related substances.
Expected Timeline
Announcement of the Ordinance: Around April 2026
Effective Date: June 17, 2026
This legislative move marks another important step for Japan in addressing persistent organic pollutants (POPs), particularly PFAS, and demonstrates its commitment to reducing the potential harm of these chemicals to the environment and human health. Relevant enterprises must closely monitor regulatory developments and proactively assess and adjust their production and supply chains.
