Japan Toy Safety Law: Magnet & Absorbent Resin Toys

On May 16,2023,the Japanese Cabinet passed the "Partial Amendment to the Enforcement Order of the Consumer Product Safety Law." This regulation newly includes certain magnetic toys and toys made of water-absorbent synthetic resin as "specific products" in Annex 1 of the Consumer Product Safety Law,subjecting them to strict supervision.

Magnet Set

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Water - inflated Ball

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Impact of the New Regulations on Magnet Toys and Water - absorbent Synthetic Resin Toys

Under the new regulations,the supervised magnet toys are limited to products that interact with other magnets through the attraction of magnets for toy or other entertainment purposes,and the size of a single magnet formed by the magnet or the part using the magnet is smaller than the size specified by the Ministry of Economy,Trade and Industry (METI).And water - absorbent synthetic resin toys are limited to those using synthetic resin parts that expand when absorbing water,and the size before water absorption is smaller than the size specified by METI.

Application of ISO 8124-1 standard in new regulations

The regulation amendment refers to the requirements of ISO 8124 - 1,stipulating that the product size should be smaller than the size that can be inserted into a small - part cylinder.To ensure that these two types of toys can be naturally excreted from the body even if accidentally swallowed,it is required that the magnetic flux index of the magnets in magnet toys should be less than 50kG².mm²,and the size expansion rate of water - absorbent synthetic resin toys after water absorption should not exceed 50%.

It should be noted that the new regulations require that even magnet products for users over 14 years old must comply with the new regulations.

Implementation Date of the New Regulations

The new regulations are expected to come into force onJune 19,2023At this time,all kinds of products need to meet the new safety regulations.

Suggestions from the Customs to Export Enterprises

According to Japan’s "Consumer Product Safety Act," products that are "deemed to pose a high risk of harm to the life or physical health of general consumers due to their structure,materials,or conditions of use" are classified as "specific products." Such products that fail to meet the standards are not permitted to display the METI Product Safety (PS) mark.Therefore,relevant export enterprises should pay attention to the requirements of this regulatory amendment and take steps to improve product material selection and design before the regulation takes effect.Additionally,after the implementation of the regulation,the production and sale of magnet toys and water-absorbing synthetic resin toys that do not comply with international standards in terms of size or magnetic properties will be prohibited to prevent safety incidents caused by accidental ingestion by consumers.Export enterprises must ensure their products comply with Japan’s new regulations to guarantee consumer safety.

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