Magus International Legal Office

When selling electrical products in Japan, it is necessary to comply with a variety of laws, guidelines, and regulations, including the PSE, PSC, Radio Act, and Home Appliance Recycling Law, depending on the product.

Electrical appliances subject to PSE, PSC, etc. cannot be sold in Japan unless they conform to Japanese standards, even if the products are marketed overseas. The sale of products that do not conform to Japanese standards is subject to on-site inspections, recall orders, and penalties.

Magus International Legal Office will check what Japanese laws and regulations your electrical products need to comply with and provide consulting services to ensure that your products are properly compliant with such laws and regulations.

Our consulting services do not only support the preparation of documents related to notification and application. We can provide comprehensive one-stop consulting services based on our knowledge of not only law but also trade practice and technical legal affairs, including technical modification proposals for products that do not conform to technical standards and support for communication with inspection agencies and factories.

In addition, when selling products subject to PSE in Japan, notification to METI must be made by a Japanese importer (an individual residing in Japan or a Japanese corporation). Therefore, the notification is generally made by the Japanese distributor. However, if you do not have a contract with a Japanese distributor and wish to sell directly from outside Japan, we can establish a Japanese corporation for your company instead, or act as a local agent to handle all administrative matters, including applications, on-site inspection partners, and customs procedures. 

Statutory inspection

All products subject to PSE must be inspected in accordance with Japanese standards.

Specifically, products must be inspected in accordance with Japanese testing standards, and the results of all inspections must be recorded and handed over to the Japanese distributor, satisfying the requirements of the PSE. Extraction inspections are not permitted.

We can explain the appropriate full inspection method for each product, give you the Japanese standard format, and perform a legal check of the descriptions.

We can perform a full inspection by sending all units to our test lab. The lead time depends on the number of units inspected. For example, in the case of 300 DC power supplies (same model), we can usually complete a full inspection and issue an inspection record within 3 business days after the units arrive at our test lab. Products tested in our test lab can be forwarded directly to the distributor of your choice in Japan. We can also send our engineers to your warehouse in Japan to perform on-site inspections.

FAQ

Q1: We are trying to sell our professional/research/professional electrical products in Japan. Do we need to comply with PSE?

A1: We cannot judge that PSE compliance is unnecessary just because the electrical products are used by researchers or professionals. It must be determined on an individual basis based on the product's specifications, sales or use.

Q2: Can you also provide consultation on technical issues related to your products?

A2: Yes. We provide consulting services from legal, technical, and trade perspectives by our staff with technical expertise, including electrical engineers, semiconductor engineers, 3D printer engineers, architects, embedded engineers, and information technology engineers. We propose solutions to technical problems of products, and even for products that do not conform to Japanese technical standards, we support you to meet safety requirements with as little costly modifications as possible, so that you can smoothly start selling your products in Japan.

Q3: We are not sure what laws and regulations we need to comply with for a product we are considering selling in Japan, so is it possible to have you check the laws and regulations across the board?

A3: Yes, it is possible. If you send us the necessary materials (sales brochures, specifications, product introduction URL, etc.), we can determine whether or not your product is required to comply with various laws and regulations free of charge. For details, please click here.

Q3: Can you support us if we also need to support other than PSE?

A3: Yes. We can provide a separate estimate for a fee. For example, if the product is a microwave oven for cooking, it is necessary to consider not only PSE but also Food Sanitation Act and Radio Act. We can assist you in complying with all the laws and regulations necessary for the sale of electrical products in Japan.

PSE Implementation Chart