New DENAN regulations for Lithium-ion batteries

Effective July 1, 2012, the scope of Japan’s DENAN regulation (Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law) will be extended to cover additional high-tech, lighting and HAC products.
Specific products affected are:

• Lithium-ion batteries with special structure are newly added as regulated electrical appliances.

• LED lamps and LED electric lighting equipment will be added to the DENAN scope as Non-specified Products.

• Vacuum cleaners with rated power consumption of 1.5kW or less will be regulated (this is an extension of the current scope which covers vacuum cleaners with rated power consumption 1 kW or less).

Manufacturers of affected products are obliged to comply with the DENAN Law for their products that are manufactured in Japan or imported into Japan on or after July 1, 2012.  For more information, please visit this website.

For Lithium-ion batteries, the scope of “special structures” is still being discussed within the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).  UL’s Global Market Access team will keep manufacturers and importers posted of any new updates. 

Manufacturers and importers are advised to gain an early understanding on how the new law will impact their products and be prepared for the required testing and certification. UL Japan, UL Taiwan and UL China can provide the testing equipment along with DENAN qualified staff to assist you in complying with the new DENAN requirements for Lithium-ion batteries.

UL is currently the only Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) outside of Japan accredited by METI. As a CAB, UL is authorized by METI to help manufacturers obtain the mandatory Japanese Specified Product PSE Mark, which is required for market access.

For more information, please contact Shigeru Yono , Global Market Access Division.

THIS ARTICLE IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED TO CONVEY LEGAL ADVICE.