PSC Mark
Mandatory Consumer Safety Approval

PSC Scope

The PSC Law and its regulations apply to nearly all consumer products sold in Japan. Consumer products are subject to the product accident provisions and reporting obligations along with relevant penalties and fines for failing to meet the law’s requirements.

Products of particular concern have additional requirements under the PSC Law.

Special Specified Products

Product categories that pose the highest risk to consumer safety are termed “Special Specified Products” and require third-party assessment by a METI-Registered Conformity Assessment Body (Registered CAB).

Specified Products

Products that pose a moderate risk to consumers are termed “Specified Products” and are subject to a Self-Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) scheme. Although exempt from third-party conformity assessment, “Specified Products” must still be tested for conformity, and a record of the test results must be kept by the manufacturer and/or importer.

Circle PSC

PSC Mark

Only products designated as Special Specified Products or Specified Products are obligated to display the PSC mark. JQA’s certification scope is limited to portable lasers.

Special Specified Products Specified Products
Mark Deiamond PSC Circle PSC
In-scope Products
  • Portable lasers
  • Cribs for infants
  • Hot water circulators for baths
  • Lighters
  • Pressure cookers
  • Helmets (for motorized bicycles or motorcycles)
  • Climbing ropes
  • Oil heaters
  • Oil water heaters
  • Oil bath boilers

Process Flow for Applying the PSC Mark

The chart below shows a general overview of the regulatory process for products subject to PSC marking in Japan.

Process Flow chart

Reporting Product Accidents

For major accidents involving consumer products, such as fire or fatal injury, the importer or manufacturer of the product involved must submit an accident report to the Japanese government. Also, businesses selling, repairing, or installing consumer products must try to notify importers and manufacturers as soon as they become aware of a major accident.

The Long-term Use Consumer Product Safety Inspection & Labeling System

A system of labeling and safety inspections for long-term use consumer products was established to prevent accidents arising from product wear-and-tear over extended periods of time. In the Long-term Use Consumer Product Safety Inspection System, manufacturers and importers of Specified Maintenance Products*1 must label the product with: the standard period of use*2, recommended frequency of inspections, and contact information to easily request inspections.
For electrical products such as fans, air conditioners, ventilation fans, washing machines (dryers are excluded), and cathode-ray tube (CRT) televisions, manufacturers and importers are required to display warnings on the product regarding product deterioration over time and the standard period of use in relation to product design.

  • *1 Specified Maintenance Products:
    Indoor instantaneous gas water heaters (city gas, LP gas), indoor gas bath water heating units (city gas, LP gas), petroleum water heaters, petroleum bath water heating units, petroleum direct vent space heaters, built-in electric dishwashers, electric bath dryers
  • *2 Standard Period of Use:
    The standard period a product can be used safely