Small Appliances Into Japan: PSE Rules, Recall Data and Importer Duties

Hair dryers, electric kettles, rice cookers, chargers and power banks all fall under Japan’s Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Act (PSE, 電気用品安全法), administered by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), but they do not all follow the same certification route. METI’s official item lists sort 341 appliance types into a self-declared “non-specified” category and 116 into a third-party-certified “specified” category, current as of 2026-09-27.

For an overseas brand or factory shipping any of these products to Japan for the first time, the practical questions are which list each product sits on, what a wireless feature adds, and who is legally the importer once the goods clear customs. The table below covers the products most often sourced from overseas factories, with METI’s own item numbers.

Key points

• Hair dryers, kettles and rice cookers self-certify under the circular PSE mark; chargers and AC adapters need third-party certification under the diamond PSE mark.
• A wireless feature such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi adds a separate technical conformity (Giteki) requirement under the Radio Act, on top of PSE.
• In METI’s own test-buy programme, roughly half the electrical products sampled failed in both FY2021 and FY2022.

Which PSE category does each small appliance fall under?

METI assigns each appliance type a fixed item number on one of two lists, and that number decides whether the business’s own conformity check is enough or a registered inspection body has to sign off first.

The lithium-ion battery item is worth noting on its own: it is the 341st and final entry on METI’s 341-item non-specified list, and it only covers cells with a volumetric energy density of 400 Wh/L or above, excluding automotive, moped, medical and industrial-machinery batteries. A charger sold in the same box as that power bank is judged separately, against item 115 on the specified list (METI non-specified electrical appliance list; METI specified electrical appliance list).

The two routes differ in who signs off. A non-specified item can carry the circular PSE mark once the importer or manufacturer completes its own conformity check against METI’s technical standards; no registered inspection body is required. A specified item needs the diamond PSE mark, which follows an inspection by a METI-registered inspection body, and self-testing is not accepted for that category. See Terra Vista’s PSE certification overview for how the two routes differ in practice, and PSE certification cost in Japan for what each route typically involves.

Whichever mark applies, METI’s marking rules are specific about what may appear on the product and who may put it there. Its guidance lists four permitted elements: the PSE mark itself; the name of the notifying business (届出事業者, the manufacturer or importer that has filed its business notification with METI) or its registered abbreviation or trademark; the registered inspection body’s name (specified items only); and the rated voltage, current and other ratings. The first three must sit close together. Only the notifying business may affix these marks; a reseller that neither manufactures nor imports the appliance must confirm the labelling is already correct before listing it for sale (METI PSE marking rules, procedure_08.html).

Does a small appliance with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi need Giteki certification too?

Yes. Any small appliance that transmits a radio signal, such as a Bluetooth-enabled hair dryer or a Wi-Fi-connected kitchen scale, needs Japan’s technical conformity mark (技適マーク) under the Radio Act, separately from PSE. Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC, 総務省) confirms that Bluetooth devices such as headphones and speakers need the mark even when they only receive audio, because pairing with a phone or computer sends an identification signal (MIC technical conformity mark Q&A).

Using a radio-equipped device without the mark can be a Radio Act violation carrying up to one year’s imprisonment or a fine of up to ¥1,000,000, rising to five years or ¥2,500,000 where the device interferes with a radio station serving the public, per the same MIC guidance. The mark itself follows one of two routes, technical conformity certification for individual units or construction design certification for mass production, and both are carried out by a certification body registered with MIC.

What do Japan’s own recall and inspection numbers show for imported small appliances?

On 2022-04-15, Tiger Corporation recalled about 1.333 million electric water boilers and rice cookers, including its steam-less VE thermal pots and microcomputer-controlled rice cookers made between 2020-03-21 and 2022-02-20, after finding that the plug material on some power cords was inconsistent and units that failed the technical standard had been mixed in, per METI’s recall notice (METI recall notice, 220415-1).

METI’s own market test-buy programme (試買テスト) shows a failure rate close to one in two for both years reported here. In FY2021 METI tested 176 products across 60 categories and 89 failed (50.6%); 155 of the 176 were imports. In FY2022 it tested 163 products across 59 categories and 81 failed (49.7%); 142 of the 163 were imports (METI test-buy reports, FY2021 and FY2022).

Lithium-ion batteries add a fire hazard. Japan’s National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE, 製品評価技術基盤機構) recorded 1,860 accident reports for products with lithium-ion batteries between 2020 and 2024, of which about 85% (1,587) were fires, with reports peaking each year between June and August. NITE does not break out power banks within that total, so there is no published power-bank figure (NITE accident statistics, accessed 2026-09-27).

Who is legally the importer once a small appliance clears Japanese customs?

Japan’s Product Liability Act (製造物責任法) treats anyone who imports a product in the course of business as its 製造業者, the same legal position as the manufacturer, so the importer is liable for defects without the injured party having to prove negligence. An importer of electrical appliances must also file a PSE business notification (事業届出) with its regional METI bureau within 30 days of starting the import business and keep its self-inspection records for three years. See who can act as importer of record in Japan for how that role is usually structured.

Electrical machinery and appliances (電気機械器具) are also one of the four sectors covered by the Household Goods Quality Labelling Act (家庭用品品質表示法), alongside textiles, synthetic resin goods and miscellaneous manufactured goods. For the items the Act designates, Japanese-language labelling is the responsibility of the manufacturer, the seller, or a labelling agent appointed by either, per Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency. Settling the PSE route and the importer role before the label is finalised avoids relabelling a shipment that has already left the factory.

Where to start: a PSE route sheet

Terra Vista Co., Ltd., a Japan-incorporated company, can act as the 輸入者 (importer of record) for electrical appliances in this category, which makes it the notifying business responsible for the PSE route and the Japanese-language label. The first document is a PSE route sheet: which list each product sits on, what testing or certification it needs, and what the label must show, returned within three business days.

Request a PSE route sheet (3 business days)

For hair dryers specifically, what Japanese consumers value in the hair dryer market covers what tends to matter after certification; for working with the factory once a product is cleared for import, see Terra Vista’s supply chain and sourcing page. For the compliance sequence beyond this one category, see six questions that set a compliance route and cross-border compliance for Japan market entry.

Official sources to check first

• METI · Non-specified electrical appliances (341-item list): item numbers for hair dryers, kettles, rice cookers and power banks.
• METI · Specified electrical appliances (116-item list): item number for AC adapters and chargers.
• METI · PSE marking rules: the four elements a label may carry and who may affix them.
• MIC (Soumu) · Technical conformity mark Q&A: which wireless features trigger the Giteki requirement.
• METI · Tiger Corporation recall notice (2022-04-15).
• NITE · Lithium-ion battery product accident statistics, 2020–2024.

Frequently asked questions

Is a hair dryer classified as specified or non-specified PSE in Japan?

Non-specified. METI’s official list places 毛髪乾燥機 (hair dryers) at item 218 of the 341-item non-specified category, so the circular PSE mark follows the business’s own self-declared conformity check, not a third-party inspection.

Do chargers and power banks need the same PSE certification?

No. AC adapters and chargers (直流電源装置) sit on METI’s 116-item specified list at item 115 and need diamond PSE certification from a registered inspection body. Power banks (lithium-ion cells rated 400 Wh/L or above) sit on the 341-item non-specified list at item 341 and use self-declared conformity instead.

Does a Bluetooth-enabled small appliance need Giteki certification as well as PSE?

Yes. PSE covers electrical safety; Japan’s technical conformity mark (技適マーク) under the Radio Act covers the radio function separately. Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications confirms that even receive-only Bluetooth devices need it, because pairing transmits a signal.

Who is responsible for PSE labelling on an imported appliance?

The notifying business (typically the importer) is the only party allowed to affix the PSE mark, its own name and the product’s electrical ratings, per METI’s marking rules. A reseller that neither imports nor manufactures the appliance must confirm this labelling is already correct before listing it for sale.

What happens legally once an appliance is imported into Japan?

The importer automatically becomes the appliance’s 製造業者 (manufacturer-equivalent) under Japan’s Product Liability Act, carrying no-fault liability for defects, and must file a PSE business notification with its regional METI bureau within 30 days of starting the import business.

Related pages

Related: PSE certification in Japan; PSE certification cost in Japan; PSE recall cases in Japan; Japan importer of record; Japan hair dryer market and consumer value; Three-gate check for Japan; Terra Vista contact page.