PSE Mark

What is the PSE Mark?

The PSE Mark is a Japanese safety mark used for electrical appliances and materials regulated under the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act.

For products covered by the Act, the PSE Mark and other required indications may be necessary before the product can be sold or displayed for sale in Japan.

For overseas manufacturers, exporters, forwarders and importers dealing with electrical products for the Japanese market, the PSE Mark is important because products sold overseas cannot automatically be sold in Japan.

Even if a product is sold legally in another country, it cannot be marked with the PSE Mark and sold in Japan unless the required obligations under Japanese law have been properly handled.

Overview

The PSE Mark is used for electrical appliances and materials subject to the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act.

The Act divides regulated products into two broad groups: specified electrical appliances and materials, and electrical appliances and materials other than specified electrical appliances and materials.

A diamond-shaped PSE Mark is used for specified electrical appliances and materials. A round PSE Mark is used for electrical appliances and materials other than specified electrical appliances and materials.

This relationship between round and diamond marks is different from the PSC Mark system. Readers should not assume that the meaning of the mark shape is the same across different Japanese product safety laws.

The PSE Mark is not simply a government-issued logo. It is a mark used by a notifying supplier, meaning the business operator who has submitted the required notification under the Act, after fulfilling the required obligations such as conformity with technical standards, inspection, record keeping and labelling, where applicable.

Main Indications

Products subject to the PSE system may need several indications, not only the PSE Mark itself. These may include:

• PSE Mark
• Name of the notifying supplier
• Name of the registered conformity assessment body, for specified electrical appliances and materials where applicable
• Rated voltage, rated current, power consumption and other required ratings

It is not enough for a product to simply have a PSE-like mark printed on it. The importer should check whether the required business name, ratings and other legally required indications are properly shown.

Key Points for Import Practice

When importing electrical products into Japan, forwarders and importers should check the following points:

• Whether the product is subject to the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act
• Whether it is a specified electrical appliance or a non-specified electrical appliance
• Whether the diamond PSE Mark or round PSE Mark applies
• Whether conformity with Japanese technical standards has been confirmed
• Whether notification as an importer or manufacturer is required
• Whether self-inspection and preservation of inspection records are required, especially for non-specified electrical appliances and materials
• Whether accessories such as AC adapters, chargers and power cords are also subject to the Act
• Whether the product body, package, instruction manual and sales page are consistent

For imported products, the main product itself may not always be the only issue. Accessories such as AC adapters, chargers, power cords, plugs or rechargeable battery-related components may separately fall under the Act.

Therefore, importers should check not only the main product but also bundled items and accessories before selling the product in Japan.

Important Notes for Overseas Suppliers

Overseas suppliers may assume that CE marking, UL certification or other foreign standards are enough for sale in Japan. In practice, this is not always correct.

Compliance with foreign safety standards does not automatically mean compliance with the Japanese Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act.

Overseas suppliers should provide the Japanese importer with product specifications, circuit diagrams or technical specifications where required for conformity review, test reports, manuals, rating labels, adapter information, power cord information and other documents needed for Japanese compliance review.

The final responsibility for selling the product in Japan usually rests with the Japanese importer or seller. Therefore, overseas suppliers should not print or use PSE-related indications without confirming the importer’s position and the applicable Japanese requirements.

Common Issues in Import and Sales

• The importer checks only the main product and overlooks the AC adapter, charger or power cord.
• The product has overseas certification, but Japanese PSE requirements have not been confirmed.
• A PSE-like mark is printed without proper business notification or conformity procedures.
• The notifying supplier name or rating information is missing.
• The product category is misunderstood because the commercial product name is too broad.
• The product is sold through e-commerce before PSE requirements are confirmed.
• Inspection records or technical documents are not properly retained.

These issues can lead to sales suspension, product correction, recall, consumer complaints or regulatory response.

Relationship with E-commerce and Small-Lot Imports

The PSE system is also important for e-commerce sales and small-lot imports.

A small import volume does not automatically remove the need to check PSE requirements. If the product or its accessory is subject to the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act, the importer or seller should confirm the applicable obligations before offering it to consumers in Japan.

This is especially important for products purchased from overseas e-commerce platforms, direct overseas manufacturers or trading companies that are not familiar with Japanese electrical product safety regulations.

Relationship with Post-Sale Safety Measures

PSE compliance is not only a pre-sale marking issue.

Electrical products may create risks such as smoke, fire, electric shock, overheating or abnormal operation. Therefore, importers should also pay attention to accident information, consumer complaints, repair records and recall-related issues after sale.

Importers should manage PSE indications, inspection records, sales records, lot information and responsibility sharing with suppliers so that they can respond quickly if an accident or defect is found.

Practical Notes for Shipments to Japan

For overseas forwarding offices, the PSE Mark is not usually a customs clearance document in the narrow sense. However, it is highly relevant to whether the imported electrical product can be sold legally in Japan after arrival.

Forwarders should pay attention when the cargo includes electrical appliances, AC adapters, chargers, power cords, plugs, lithium battery-related devices or household electronic goods.

If the product appears likely to fall under Japanese electrical product safety regulations, the importer should be advised to confirm the applicable PSE requirements before shipment or sale.

Key Point

The PSE Mark is a Japanese safety mark for electrical appliances and materials regulated under the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act.

For importers and overseas suppliers, the key point is to confirm whether the product and its accessories are subject to the PSE system before sale in Japan. The required notification, conformity confirmation, inspection, records, labelling and post-sale safety response should be checked before importing or offering the product to Japanese consumers.