Japan - Revision of the Order for Enforcement of the Act on the Regulation of Manufacture and Evaluation of Chemical Substances

The Japanese government ministries, namely the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW), and the Ministry of the Environment (MOE), have announced that PFHxS-related compounds, which are potentially hazardous due to their non-biodegradability, high bioaccumulation potential, and chronic toxicity, have been designated as Class I Specified Chemical Substances under the Order for Enforcement of the Act on the Regulation of the Manufacture and Evaluation of Chemical Substances, effective June 17, 2026, to prevent environmental pollution.

This revision is based on a decision adopted at the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in 2022. In addition, the import of products containing PFHxS-related compounds has been prohibited from June 17, 2026.​​