Japan Product Compliance and License Checklist for Overseas Consumer Products

Short answer: Depending on what your product is, what it does and what you claim about it, selling in Japan may require electrical safety conformity (PSE), radio certification (giteki), food-contact standards, cosmetics or medical device rules, children's product rules, Japanese quality labelling, online seller disclosure and clear product liability arrangements. Which ones apply depends on exact specifications, components, claims and sales channel. This checklist shows the areas to check and where the official information is. It isn't legal advice: confirm your product's requirements with a qualified specialist or the relevant authority before selling.

Why this matters before launch

Compliance problems are among the most expensive surprises in a Japan launch. A product that can't legally be sold can't go on a marketplace, into a retail proposal, into a pop-up, or into a crowdfunding campaign. Media are also wary of promoting products that may not be legal to sell yet.

The good news: most of the main areas are well documented by Japanese ministries and JETRO, and a specialist can usually tell you quickly which apply. The checklist below helps you ask the right questions.

Which areas may apply to your product

You can also use our Japan Product Compliance Checker, a short questionnaire that suggests which of these areas to check for your product. It's preliminary guidance, not a determination.

The areas, one by one

Electrical product safety (PSE)

Many electrical products are covered by the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act. Covered products must meet Japanese technical standards and carry the PSE marking; the Act states that covered products without the marking may not be sold or displayed for sale. METI's product lists include a wide range of household electrical products, as well as lithium-ion storage batteries (METI, in Japanese).

JETRO adds two points overseas brands often miss: the importer must notify METI within 30 days of starting the business, and overseas businesses selling directly to Japanese consumers, through marketplaces, their own e-commerce sites or fulfilment services, are also covered (JETRO, in Japanese).

Check: whether your product is covered, and if so whether it is a "specified" item (which needs third-party conformity assessment) or "non-specified"; who files the notification; and who carries the marking.

Radio equipment (giteki)

Products with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or other radio functions may need technical conformity certification under the Radio Act, shown by the giteki mark (MIC, in Japanese).

Check: whether the radio module and the finished product are certified for Japan, and whether module certification covers your product as built.

Lithium-ion batteries and charging

Lithium-ion storage batteries appear on METI's list of electrical products, and chargers and AC adapters may be covered too. Carriers and fulfilment providers may also restrict how batteries are shipped.

Check: PSE status for batteries, chargers and adapters; shipping rules with your carrier; Japanese charging and disposal warnings.

Food contact

Items that touch food or drink, such as bottles, cups, kitchen tools and containers, may be subject to standards for equipment and containers/packaging under the Food Sanitation Act, including a positive list system for synthetic resins. MHLW notes that food sanitation standards administration moved to the Consumer Affairs Agency on 1 April 2024 (MHLW, in Japanese).

Check: materials in contact with food or drink and their conformity; whether import notification or testing applies; which authority to consult.

Cosmetics and quasi-drugs

Cosmetics and quasi-drugs are regulated under the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act. JETRO explains that importing and selling cosmetics requires a cosmetics manufacturing and marketing business licence from the prefecture, conformity with Japan's Cosmetics Standards, and full ingredient labelling (JETRO, in Japanese). Beauty devices sold with gels, serums or other liquids can raise these questions.

Check: whether anything supplied with the product is a cosmetic or quasi-drug, and who in Japan holds the required licence.

Medical devices and health claims

Whether a product counts as a medical device depends on its purpose and claims, not only on how it's built. Prefectural guidance states that health and beauty devices must not claim medical effects, such as preventing or treating disease, without approval, and gives examples of medical devices including electric massagers and thermometers (Aichi Prefecture, in Japanese; the page refers to the law by its former name).

Check: every claim on the packaging, listings, ads and creator briefs. A wellness gadget can drift into medical-device territory through wording alone.

Products for children

Some toys for young children may be subject to standards under the Food Sanitation Act, and certain infant products are designated under the Consumer Product Safety Act; METI lists infant beds, for example, among products requiring the PSC mark (MHLW, METI, both in Japanese).

Check: whether your product is designated; materials, small parts and age warnings; any voluntary safety marks retailers expect.

Consumer Product Safety Act (PSC mark)

A defined list of consumer products that could seriously harm users must meet national technical standards and carry the PSC mark before sale. Most gadgets aren't on the list, but it includes items such as portable laser pointers (METI, in Japanese).

Quality labelling

The Household Goods Quality Labeling Act requires specified quality labels in Japanese on some household goods, across categories of textiles, synthetic resin products, electrical appliances and miscellaneous goods. The Consumer Affairs Agency publishes product lists and an English handbook (Consumer Affairs Agency).

Online seller disclosure and advertising

Online sellers must display their business name, address, phone number, prices including shipping, payment and delivery timing, and return terms (Consumer Affairs Agency, in Japanese). Sponsored creator content must be identifiable as advertising, and the advertiser is responsible (Consumer Affairs Agency, in Japanese).

Product liability and import responsibility

Under the Product Liability Act, a business that imports a product is treated as its manufacturer for liability purposes (e-Gov, in Japanese). Decide early who the importer is, and what insurance, warranty and recall processes are in place.

Manuals, warnings and support

Beyond formal requirements, Japanese retailers and consumers expect a Japanese manual, safety warnings, warranty terms and a clear support contact. These are often checked at the same time as compliance, and missing them can stall a retail proposal or trigger bad reviews.

How to work through it

Common mistakes

• Assuming a CE or FCC mark is enough. Japan has its own requirements.
• Certifying the module but not checking the product. Confirm what the certification actually covers.
• Writing medical-sounding claims in listings, ads or creator briefs for a wellness gadget.
• Forgetting the accessories: chargers, adapters, liquids and refills.
• Leaving it until after the launch date is announced.

Where Gloture fits

Gloture is a product PR company. We don't provide legal, regulatory or certification services, and we can't confirm whether a product is compliant. What we do is make sure the product story, claims and materials we prepare for Japanese media are consistent with what your specialists confirm. Gloture's Japan PR projects start from a PR budget of ¥300,000.

Compliance preparation checklist