On May 1, 2023, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan revised Appendix 12 of the Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law and issued the new J62368 - 1: 2023 standard, which covers the safety requirements for audio/video, information and communication equipment. This standard is based on the IE62368 - 1: 2018 standard of the International Electrotechnical Commission, but also includes specific requirements of Japan.

The new J62368-1: 2023 standard has been updated and supplemented in numerous areas, including outdoor products, insulating liquids, work units, wireless energy transmission devices, and new requirements for fully insulated wires; it also updates requirements for optical radiation hazards, equipment openings, glass fixation tests, sound pressure, internal and external conductors, rail-mounted equipment, horizontal external force tests, flame spread control in circuits, capacitor discharge tests, solid insulation, and batteries.

The update of this standard has also impacted Japan's PSE (Product Safety of Electrical Appliance & Materials) certification, which refers to the conformity inspection system stipulated by the Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law. The PSE certification imposes strict regulations on the market access of specific electrical and electronic products as well as non-specific electrical products.

The transition period between the old and new standards is as follows:The old standard will be abolished on April 30, 2026, and before the expiration, enterprises can choose to use the new or old standard to issue certificates. For the existing PSE marks, if it is a diamond - shaped PSE mark, the old - standard certificate can remain valid for 5 years, not restricted by April 30, 2026, and can be used until the expiration date on the certificate; for the round - shaped PSE mark, the standard upgrade needs to be completed before April 30th.

These changes mean that relevant enterprises exporting to Japan need to study and compare the old and new standards, conduct conformity assessment of existing products, improve product design, refine the production process, and contact a qualified third - party certification body for certification upgrade.