The National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE) in Japan recently announced that to enhance the management of new chemical substances, companies can consult with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) prior to submitting new chemical substance notifications, to verify the effectiveness of toxicity assessments. This initiative aims to optimize the safety management of chemicals and ensure the protection of human health and the environment.

According to the notice released by NITE, companies can submit consultation requests regarding the progress and assessment methods of degradability, bioaccumulation, and toxicity tests for new chemical substances through the Chemical Substance Control Law contact system in NITE. The application should include a consultation summary and documents related to the test results. Additionally, for assessments involving human toxicity and ecotoxicology, companies should contact the MHLW and the MOE, respectively.

To participate in this consultation process, companies must use the consultation summary forms, analogy table templates, or test results provided on the NITE website. Furthermore, NITE published a series of consultation schedules, specifying the monthly registration deadlines from January to December 2025, to ensure that companies have sufficient time to prepare and submit the required documents.

Consultation schedule and registration deadlines:

Under Japan’s Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL), new chemical substances must be notified before manufacture and/or importation to enable government assessment of human and environmental health risks. NITE's new measures will further strengthen the safety management of chemical substances, ensuring public health and environmental safety.  

Companies can obtain details on NITE's official website:

https://www.nite.go.jp/chem/kasinn/soudananken.html