On October 17, 2025, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and Ministry of the Environment (MOE) jointly announced the notification schedule for the manufacture and import of small-quantity new chemical substances for fiscal year 2026.
Under the Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL), companies are required to submit confirmation applications for manufacturing or importing these substances within the specified acceptance periods. Submissions may be made through three methods: electronically via e-Gov, by mailing a CD-ROM, or by sending written documents directly to METI.
The 2026 notification process will be carried out in seven rounds, with the schedule for the first three confirmed as follows:
| Application Method | Application Document Acceptance Period | Expected Date for Confirmation/Non-Confirmation Notice | |
| 1st Batch | Electronic Application | January 15-January 28, 2026 (Early submission by January 22 is advised) | March 27, 2026 |
| CD-ROM | January 15 - January 22, 2026 | ||
| Paper-based Application | |||
| 2nd Batch | Electronic Application | April 1 - April 14, 2026 | May 27, 2026 |
| CD-ROM | |||
| Paper-based Application | April 1 - April 10, 2026 | ||
| System Suspension: June - July 2026 (scheduled) | |||
| 3rd Batch | Electronic Application | Not Accepted | Around August 2026 |
| CD-ROM | June 1 - June 30, 2026 | ||
| Paper-based Application | Not Accepted | ||
| 4th Batch | To be determined | August 2026 | Around September 2026 |
| 5th Batch | To be determined | Around September 2026 | Around October 2026 |
| 6th Batch | To be determined | Around October 2026 | Around November-December 2026 |
| 7th Batch | To be determined | Around Mid-November 2026 | Around January 2027 |
The schedule for August 2026 onward (covering the fourth batch and beyond) has not yet been finalized and is expected to be officially announced in June 2026.
In principle, companies may begin manufacturing or importing new chemical substances only after receiving a confirmation notice. However, for first-batch applications, production or import may start on or after April 1, 2026.
Additionally, the notification schedule for manufacturing and import applications for small-quantity new chemical substances for fiscal year 2027 is planned for release in October 2026.
