Japan Updates Legal Requirements on Toys for Child Safety

By Matthew Edmonds, technical manager, Retail Consumer Products team, UL Solutions

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has issued a Cabinet Order to Partially Revise the Enforcement Order of the Consumer Product Safety Law for the Safety of Children.

This Cabinet Order newly designates magnet entertainment products and water-absorbent synthetic resin toys as specified products under the Consumer Product Safety Law and regulates the sale of products that do not conform to technical standards.

As a result, so-called magnet sets, which use a combination of multiple magnets with strong magnetic force, and water-absorbent toys, which swell greatly when absorbing water, will not be able to be sold.

The following two products are added to Appendix 2 of the Enforcement Order of the Consumer Product Safety Law, which designates specific products under the Consumer Product Safety Law:

1. Entertainment goods made of magnets (used as toys or other entertainment goods by combining magnets with other magnets, and the individual magnets or parts that use the magnets that make up the magnets are limited to those that are less than or equal to the size specified by the Ordinance of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry).
2. Toys made of water-absorbent synthetic resin (limited to those using synthetic resin that swells when absorbing water and are less than the size specified by the Ordinance of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry before water absorption).

Assessment of any existing/new products that match newly designated products/toys to make sure they are compliant with latest requirements.

UL Solutions to offer laboratory testing and/or advisory services on assessing compliance against new requirements.

References

Cabinet Order to Partially Revise the Enforcement Order of the Consumer Product Safety Law for the Safety of Children