On 31 July 2026, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and Ministry of the Environment (MOE) jointly issued a public notice announcing, pursuant to the provisions of Article 4, paragraphs 5 and 6 of the Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL), the names and assessment results of 38 new chemical substances (consecutive notice numbers 1823 to 1860). Of these, 33 were assessed as "general chemical substances," while a further 5 were found to fall within the categories listed in Article 2, paragraph 8 of the Law, namely "specified general chemical substances." The substances concerned have completed the new chemical substance review process and will be managed under their respective categories.
The CSCL new chemical substance public notice system
The Chemical Substances Control Law is the core Japanese legislation governing the risks of chemical substances. Under the Law, newly manufactured or imported chemical substances must be notified to the government and jointly reviewed by METI, MHLW and MOE, which determine the management category of each substance based on its degradability, bioaccumulation and long-term toxicity. Upon review, new substances that are not Class I Specified Chemical Substances are managed as general chemical substances. For substances notified on or after 1 April 2011 that have completed review, their names are publicly disclosed by law once the statutory confidentiality period ends (generally 5 years; under a 2026 amendment to the relevant ministerial ordinance, this may be extended to 10 years for substances confirmed on assessment not to have long-term toxicity).
Overview of this public notice
This is the annual routine public notice for new chemical substances. The key information is as follows:
1. Notice date: 31 July 2026.
2. Issuing authorities: METI, MHLW and MOE (three-ministry joint notice).
3. Number of substances notified: 38; the consecutive notice numbers (toshi bango) in this announcement run from 1823 to 1860, and each substance also carries a CSCL reference number (i.e. MITI number), such as (7)-4076.
4. Assessment results: 33 substances are "general chemical substances," and 5 substances (reference numbers (7)-4076, (7)-4077, (7)-4081, (7)-4082 and (1)-1273) are assessed as "specified general chemical substances."
Management categories and their implications
The two management categories covered by this notice differ in their main implications and obligations, as set out in the table below.
|
Category |
Legal basis |
Main features |
Key management requirements |
|
General chemical substance |
Article 2, paragraph 7 |
The default general-category substance under the CSCL |
May in principle be manufactured/imported; subject to general obligations such as reporting of manufacture/import volumes |
|
Specified general chemical substance |
Article 2, paragraph 8 |
Among general chemical substances, those whose continuous long-term intake may materially harm human health, or that may materially impair the survival or reproduction of flora and fauna |
Managed as a special category within general chemical substances; when transferring to other business operators, efforts must be made to provide the substance name and the information that it is a "specified general chemical substance"; competent ministers may require reporting on handling status and issue necessary instructions (Article 8-2, Article 39) |
Composition of the notified substances
Among the 38 substances notified this time, polymers (copolymers, addition polymers, condensation polymers, etc.) account for a considerable proportion, spanning multiple structural types such as isocyanate-based, epoxy-based and acrylic-based substances; the list also includes several organic intermediates, fluorinated compounds and inorganic salts (e.g. lithium (fluorosulfonyl)(difluorophosphoryl)imide, disilver molybdate, etc.). Overall, the number of substances notified is noticeably smaller than in the same period of previous years.
ChemRadar Insights
Following completion of this public notice, the substances concerned may be managed as notified chemical substances in accordance with the law. Enterprises that have already notified or are developing these substances are advised to focus on the following:
Verify the final assessment category of the substances concerned. In particular, the 5 substances placed in the "specified general chemical substances" category will be managed, under the CSCL, as a special category within general chemical substances (including the duty to provide information when transferring to other business operators and the competent ministers' power to require reporting on handling status), and this should be tracked and assessed in advance.
This notice publishes only the substance names and CSCL reference numbers (i.e., MITI numbers, such as (7)-4076), without CAS numbers. To map a MITI number to a CAS number, the "MITI Number / CAS Registry Number correspondence table" in Japan's NITE J-CHECK database may be consulted (search link: https://www.nite.go.jp/chem/jcheck/search.action?request_locale=ja); however, this correspondence is not a definitive confirmation, and the CAS numbers of some new substances remain undisclosed for confidentiality. ChemRadar will continue to track the subsequent regulatory developments for these substances.
