Japan Releases 2027 Notification Schedule for New Chemical Substances under CSCL

On September 8, 2026, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and Ministry of the Environment (MOE) jointly released the Schedule for Notifications, etc. of the Manufacture and Import of New Chemical Substances in 2027, announcing 10 rounds of acceptance for new chemical substance notifications under the Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL) in 2027 (Reiwa 9). The deadline for submission of preliminary review documents for the first round is October 6, 2026, and the manufacturers and importers concerned exporting to Japan need to plan their notification windows accordingly.

Background

Under Japan's Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL), a new chemical substance must, before its manufacture or import, be notified or applied for under Article 3(1), Article 5(1), Article 5(7), and Article 7(1) of the Law (hereinafter collectively referred to as "new chemical substance notification"), and undergo review of the properties of the substance and other aspects before a judgment notice is obtained. To standardize the acceptance rhythm, MHLW, METI and MOE jointly release the notification acceptance schedule for the following year every year; what is released this time is the schedule for 2027 (Reiwa 9).

2027 Notification Acceptance Schedule

A total of 10 rounds of acceptance are arranged for new chemical substance notifications in 2027. The deadline for submission of preliminary review documents and the notification date of each round are as follows:

In the table, the "notification date" refers to the formal notification deadline. The submission of preliminary review documents for each round closes at 15:00 (Japan time) on the deadline day, and late submissions will be deferred to the next round; as for the notification date, it is the arrival of the notification forms and other documents at METI on that day that counts.

Key Points of the Notification Process

Based on this announcement and the accompanying notification manual, the following steps in the 2027 new chemical substance notification process deserve particular attention:

1. Two-stage review: The review of the properties of substances and other aspects is conducted in two stages, namely "preliminary review" and "council deliberation"; once a company submits the preliminary review documents, the notification enters the preliminary review stage;
2. Advance registration: Companies intending to notify must first complete notification registration through the "CSCL Contact System" on the official website of the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE) (that is, register online before formally submitting documents), after which NITE will send an email guiding the method of document submission; preliminary review documents must be delivered to the Safety Review Division of NITE's Chemical Management Center before the submission deadline. Guide page of NITE's CSCL Contact System: https://www.nite.go.jp/chem/kasinn/kashinrenraku.html
3. Notification date: It refers to the deadline by which companies must submit the notification forms and other formal documents to METI after the preliminary review is completed and before the council deliberation begins;
4. Notification of the same substance: For a new chemical substance for which a judgment notice has been obtained, other companies may, in their notification, use a copy of the judgment notice of that substance in place of test data and other materials; such notification is exempt from the preliminary review and the council deliberation, and the company only needs to submit the notification form before the notification date of any of the 10 rounds.

ChemRadar Insights

In view of this schedule, the following items deserve the attention of the enterprises concerned that export to Japan:

1. The first-round window is approaching: The deadline for submission of preliminary review documents for the first round is October 6, 2026, only about one month after the announcement; new chemical substance notifications usually involve physicochemical, toxicological and ecotoxicological tests, and the data preparation period is long, so companies are advised to determine the notification type of their substances and select the acceptance rounds as early as possible;
2. Acceptance opportunities are limited: Only 10 rounds are arranged throughout the year, and the submission of preliminary review documents for each round closes at 15:00 (Japan time) on the deadline day; missing any round will defer the notification to the next round, which may directly affect the obtainment of the judgment notice and the subsequent manufacture and import arrangements;
3. Make good use of the same-substance channel: If the substance to be notified has already been notified by another company, and the judgment notice has been obtained, the notification can be made with a copy of the judgment notice, exempt from the preliminary review and the council deliberation, which significantly saves time and data costs; a check in advance is recommended;
4. Follow the next year’s schedule: The acceptance schedule for 2028 (Reiwa 10) is expected to be released around September 2027, and companies can plan ahead at the same pace.

CIRS Services

CIRS can provide enterprises concerned with Japan chemical compliance support, including:

1. Japan new chemical substance search service
2. Japan new chemical substance notification service
3. Overall registration scheme development (data assessment/gap analysis/exemption analysis)
4. Laboratory testing oversight service
5. Communication and consultation with competent authorities and experts
6. Regulatory training service
7. Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and label preparation

Further information

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