The legal basis of PSE certification is the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act
(Japanese: 電気用品安全法, abbreviated as the DENAN Act),
which is administered by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). It derives from Japan’s Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act (Japanese: 電気用品安全法; English: DENAN Act).
It is a mandatory certification system implemented by the Japanese government to ensure the safe use of electrical products.
Simply put, all electrical products sold in Japan (including imports) must pass PSE certification and bear the PSE mark. A product without the PSE mark cannot be legally sold in Japan, however good its performance.
As early as the 1960s Japan enacted the Electrical Appliance and Material Control Law, under which the government led product safety management. In 2001, to align with international practice, Japan enacted the new Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act (DENAN Act), shifting the core philosophy from “government approval” to “corporate self-responsibility + third-party oversight“.
The reform brought two important changes:
Companies must proactively ensure product safety: manufacturers and importers must themselves verify that products meet the technical requirements. A third-party certification system was introduced: higher-risk products must be tested and registered by a designated conformity assessment body (RCAB).
Since then, the current PSE mark has been officially used on the Japanese market.
On the Japanese market we often see two differently shaped PSE marks
These two marks reflect differences in product risk level.
Official reference lists:
Specified Electrical Appliances and Materials
Non-specified Electrical Appliances and Materials
Determining which PSE category a product belongs to is not complicated; it can generally be analysed along the following dimensions
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Use and voltage level: high-voltage, high-power products are usually classified as “specified electrical appliances”.
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Risk of contact with the human body or sources of fire: e.g. electric heating appliances and power supply products carry higher safety risks.
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Whether it connects directly to the mains: AC-powered products usually belong to the specified items.
If the product is not on the list of 116 specified items, it generally falls under
“non-specified electrical appliances”.
However, the classification of some innovative products (such as new smart home devices) may be unclear. In such cases companies should confirm the classification with a Japanese RCAB or an agent.
Japan is one of the strictest countries in Asia for imports of electrical products, and the PSE mark is effectively the “entry ticket” to the Japanese market. For Chinese manufacturers, understanding PSE certification and preparing for it early has three benefits
Avoid goods being detained or returned by Japanese customs; increase brand trust, giving Japanese customers more confidence to cooperate; reduce later rework costs by designing to PSE standards from the R&D stage
Coming next: “Japan PSE Certification Explained | Application Steps, Testing Requirements and Labelling Rules” – a detailed look at how to apply, how to prepare documents and which details are most often overlooked. Follow us so you don’t miss it.
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