Japan Amends to “Test Methods for New Chemical Substances, etc.” under CSCL

On March 11, 2026, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and Ministry of the Environment (MOE) jointly promulgated a partial amendment to the notification titled “Test Methods for New Chemical Substances, etc.” under the Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL)—formally, the Act on the Evaluation of Chemical Substances and Regulation of Their Manufacture, etc. This amendment reflects the results of the public comment process conducted from December 25, 2025, to January 24, 2026, and will enter into force on April 1, 2026. A transitional measure allows tests that began before April 1, 2026, to be conducted in accordance with the pre‑amendment test methods.