An electrical product arrives in Japan with a CE mark, a UL listing, and no PSE mark, and a retailer will not put it on a shelf. Japan’s Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act, known by importers simply as PSE after the mark it requires, does not accept a foreign safety mark as a substitute. It sets its own notification duty, its own conformity check, and — for a defined list of higher-risk products — its own mandatory third-party test, before the importer’s name can legally sit on a product carrying either PSE mark.
💬 Sunsho Trade is a Japanese-managed trading company in Ho Chi Minh City, acting as sales agent and distributor for Japan for electrical products and other goods from any country. Send us the product’s specifications and we will map the PSE route it falls under.
Two categories, two marks, two different obligations
Japan divides regulated electrical products into specified electrical appliances, marked with the diamond PSE, and non-specified electrical appliances, marked with the round PSE — and the diamond category carries a mandatory third-party conformity assessment that the round category does not.
Both categories share the same underlying duties — business notification, a technical standard self-check, and inspection record-keeping — but the diamond category adds a step the round category does not require.
| Specified electrical appliances (diamond PSE) | Non-specified electrical appliances (round PSE) | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical products | Generally higher-risk categories such as certain wiring devices, switches and specified appliance types set out in the Act’s schedule | A broader range of household and general electrical appliances outside the specified list |
| Business notification | Required, within 30 days of starting the business | Required, within 30 days of starting the business |
| Technical standard self-check | Required, before shipment | Required, before shipment |
| Third-party conformity assessment | Required, from a METI-registered conformity assessment body, per model | Not required |
| Mark | Diamond PSE | Round PSE |
Whether a given product falls into the specified or non-specified category is decided by its function and specification against the Act’s own schedule, not by how the product is marketed — the same general type of appliance can sit in either category depending on its rated voltage, current or specific design, so check the classification for the exact model rather than assuming from the product category name.
Step 1: notify the business, within 30 days
Under Article 3, a company that manufactures or imports products regulated under the Act must file a business notification with the regional Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry covering its business location, within 30 days of starting that business.
This notification covers the importing business itself — it identifies the company, its location, and the categories and type classifications of electrical products it deals in — rather than being filed product by product. It has to be in place before the products it covers are placed on the Japanese market, and a company that has not filed it is not in a position to legally import or sell electrical products under the Act, regardless of how compliant the products themselves are.
Step 2: confirm the product meets Japan’s technical standard, and keep the record
Under Article 8, the importer must confirm that each product meets the technical standard set for its category, and must keep an inspection record of that confirmation — a duty that applies to both the diamond and round categories.
This self-confirmation is the importer’s own responsibility to check the product’s design and test data against Japan’s technical standard for that appliance category, and to record the result before the product is shipped to the Japanese market. The inspection record has to be kept for three years from the date of the inspection. For an importer bringing in a product that was designed to another country’s electrical safety standard, this step is where a difference in rated voltage, plug configuration, insulation requirement or construction detail against the Japanese standard gets caught — or missed, if the self-check is treated as a formality rather than an actual comparison against Japan’s own technical requirement.
| Record | Retention period | Who keeps it |
|---|---|---|
| Technical standard self-check / inspection record (Article 8) | 3 years from the date of inspection | The importer |
| Conformity certificate for specified electrical appliances (Article 9), where applicable | For the period set for that certificate under the Act’s enforcement order | The importer |
Step 3: for the diamond category, a registered body has to test it too
For specified electrical appliances, Article 9 requires the importer to have each model tested by a METI-registered conformity assessment body and to keep the resulting conformity certificate, in addition to the importer’s own self-check under Article 8.
This is the step that separates the diamond category from the round category: the importer’s own confirmation is not sufficient on its own for a specified electrical appliance. A registered body — several operate in Japan and internationally, testing to the relevant Japanese technical standard — reviews the product’s design and test data, or tests samples directly, and issues a certificate. An importer that already holds an equivalent conformity certificate from the overseas manufacturer may in some circumstances rely on that certificate rather than repeating the test, but this depends on the specific arrangement and the registered body’s own requirements — confirm this route with the registered body before assuming it applies to your product.
What the importer actually needs before the first shipment
Put together, a first import of a PSE-regulated product needs the business notification filed, the product’s category and specified/non-specified status confirmed, the Article 8 self-check completed and recorded, and — for the diamond category — a conformity certificate from a registered body in hand.
- Confirm whether the product is a specified or non-specified electrical appliance under the Act’s schedule, for its actual rated specifications, not by product type alone.
- File the business notification with the regional Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry, if not already filed for this category.
- Complete the Article 8 technical standard self-check against Japan’s standard for the category, and keep the record for three years.
- For a specified (diamond PSE) product, arrange the Article 9 conformity assessment with a METI-registered body before the mark is applied.
- Apply the correct mark — diamond or round — to the product before it is placed on the Japanese market.
A product that reaches the Japanese port without any of these steps started is not simply delayed; it cannot legally be sold until the notification and the applicable conformity work are complete, which for the diamond category can mean weeks of testing lead time that a shipment schedule has not allowed for. Build the classification and conformity assessment into the production schedule, not into the customs clearance step.
💬 Working out whether your product is specified or non-specified, or how long the conformity assessment will take? Send the product’s rated specifications and we will help map the route before the first shipment is booked.
Where Sunsho Trade fits, and where it does not
We take electrical products to Japanese buyers and support the classification and documentation work before shipment; the business notification, the self-check and, where required, the registered-body conformity assessment are the importer’s legal obligations, agreed case by case with whoever is named as importer.
Sunsho Trade’s Japanese management negotiates with buyers in Japanese and works from Ho Chi Minh City with manufacturers on the export side. We help identify whether a product is likely to fall into the specified or non-specified category, and flag the conformity assessment lead time early enough for it to be built into a production and shipping schedule, alongside the notification and labelling steps that apply to other product categories, such as Japan’s food import notification procedure. The formal notification, the self-check record, and the registered-body certificate for specified products sit with whoever is agreed as the importer for that product. For what a Japanese buyer generally wants to see on compliance readiness before placing a first order, see what Japanese buyers check before they commit.
💬 Have an electrical product ready for the Japanese market? Send its specifications and we will map the PSE classification and next steps, or see how we sell into Japan.
Frequently asked questions
1. Does a CE mark or UL listing satisfy Japan’s PSE requirement?
No. Japan’s Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act sets its own notification, self-check and, for specified products, third-party conformity assessment requirements. A foreign safety mark does not substitute for any of these.
2. Who has to file the business notification under the Act?
The company that manufactures or imports the regulated product, filed with the regional Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry for its business location, within 30 days of starting that business. It covers the business and product categories, not each individual shipment.
3. What is the difference between the diamond PSE and the round PSE mark?
Both categories require the importer’s own technical standard self-check and record-keeping under Article 8. The diamond mark (specified electrical appliances) additionally requires a conformity assessment by a METI-registered body under Article 9; the round mark (non-specified electrical appliances) does not.
4. How long do PSE inspection records have to be kept?
The importer’s Article 8 self-check and inspection record must be kept for three years from the date of the inspection. A conformity certificate for specified electrical appliances is kept for the period set under the Act’s enforcement order.
5. Can an overseas manufacturer’s own conformity certificate be used instead of testing in Japan?
In some circumstances an importer may be able to rely on an equivalent certificate already held by the overseas manufacturer for a specified electrical appliance, but this depends on the registered body’s own requirements. Confirm the specific arrangement with the registered body before assuming it applies.
Checked on 25 September 2026.
Sources: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act procedure guidance (meti.go.jp); Kanto Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry guidance for electrical product importers (kanto.meti.go.jp); METI-registered conformity assessment body guidance on specified electrical appliance testing procedures.