PSE Mark (Mandatory Safety & EMC Approval)
1. What is PSE Mark?
The PSE Law and its regulations specify mandatory electrical safety and EMI requirements for electrical products sold in Japan.
457 product categories have been designated pursuant to the PSE Law (as of December 2018).
Under the PSE Law, electrical products are divided into two risk-based categories.
Specified Electrical Products
Products with a history of accidents in the marketplace, or products which are likely to cause injury, are termed “Specified Electrical Products” and require third-party assessment by a METI-Registered Conformity Assessment Body (Registered CAB). Specified Electrical Products must display the diamond PSE mark.
Non-Specified Electrical Products
Low-risk products are termed “Non-Specified Electrical Products” and are subject to a self-declaration scheme. Non-Specified Electrical Products must be marked with the circle PSE mark.
Most household electrical products are Non-Specified Electrical Products and are subject to the self-declaration procedure. However, if you would like to show customers that your brand is committed to exceptional product safety, it is possible to obtain a voluntary certification called the S-JQA mark. The S-JQA mark can be displayed next to the circle PSE mark and is recognized by many consumers and retailers in Japan.
2. PSE Mark process flow for the Manufacture, importer
The chart below shows a general overview of the regulatory process for electrical products in Japan.
Importers are obligated to submit an official notification to METI prior to importing electrical equipment subject to the PSE Law (Article 3, Notification of Business Commencement)
Manufacturers are obligated to conduct PSE compliance testing to ensure their products comply with technical requirements. This requirement may be fulfilled by in-house testing and/or third-party testing, as needed. (Article 8, Section 1, Obligation to Comply with Technical Requirements)
Specified Electrical Products are subject to third-party conformity assessment and PSE Certification by a METI-designated CAB. Non-Specified Electrical Products are not required to obtain third-party conformity assessment and are not eligible for PSE Certification, but can obtain voluntary S-JQA certification.
All products must undergo final compliance checks prior to shipment and a record must be retained for 3 years (Article 8, Section 2, Self-confirmation)
All in-scope products must be marked with the relevant PSE mark prior to sale (Article 10, Section 1, Marking).
3. Requested Documents
– List of Critical Components
– Specifications/Manual
– Circuit Diagram(s)
– Label Information
– Photos of sample
