Regulation updates
What changed, in plain English.
Changes to Japanese rules that matter for hardware brands selling into Japan. Each entry links to the primary source. Monthly alerts for your product category are coming; ask at hello@toriicompliance.com.
- 2028-04-01Consumption tax
Platform taxation for cross-border e-commerce starts (scheduled)
Large platforms will account for Japanese consumption tax on behalf of overseas sellers for certain transactions. Import consumption tax and the customs ACP requirement are separate and remain.
Source - 2026-09-08Radio Act
MIC updates the code list for the certification database (v1.0.9)
Equipment-type codes used in certification records were revised. No change to what a certification covers; useful if you parse records programmatically.
Source - 2026-09PSE / PSC
METI's English guideline for specified importers is available
An English-language guideline explains the notification, the delegation contract's five required clauses, and the Domestic Administrator's duties.
Source - 2026-03-26Radio Act
MIC Web-API for the certification database moves to UTF-8 only (v1.7.0)
The public API behind our Giteki lookup now returns UTF-8 exclusively. Searches by type name, certification number and holder are unchanged.
Source - 2025-12-25PSE / PSC
Overseas sellers now fall under Japan's four product-safety laws
Selling PSE/PSC products directly to Japanese consumers requires a METI notification and a Domestic Administrator in Japan. The administrator's name is published by METI.
Source
Informational summary from public sources, not legal advice. Japanese source documents prevail.