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In Japan, SDSs are enforced and operated under three laws: the Industrial Safety and Health Act (ISHA), the Act on Confirmation, etc. of Release Amounts of Specific Chemical Substances in the Environment and Promotion of Improvements to the Management Thereof (PRTR Act), and the Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Law (PDSCL).

On 2021, The ISHA and the PRTR Act have added many designated chemical substances for which SDSs must be prepared. “The SDS preparation requirement has been imposed on designated chemical substances themselves or mixtures containing such substances, not only when they are manufactured in Japan but also when they are imported”, says Rupert Scherer from TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH. The SDS must be prepared in accordance with the Japanese Industrial Standards JIS Z 7252:2019 and JIS Z 7253:2019, and in Japanese.

Although it is only mandatory to prepare and distribute the Japanese SDSs for the 234 substances added to the ISHA as of April 1, 2024, and for substances added to the PRTR Act as of April 1, 2023, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry recommends an early action in consideration of the supply chain in Japan. Companies exporting chemical products to Japan now must first check and confirm whether they contain the designated chemical substances.

The number of substances designated under the ISHA is planned to be added every year, and a total of approximately 1,800 substances are scheduled to be added by 2023. Inspection and verification of designated substances will continue to be mandatory for chemical exports to Japan.

More information at https://www.tuvsud.com/en/services/testing/chemical-testing/reach.