Japan Ex Certification: Type Examination of Explosion-Protected Electrical Equipment

In Japan, explosion-protected electrical equipment must pass a type examination (kata-shiki kentei) by a body registered with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) before it is manufactured in or imported into Japan. This is required by Article 44-2 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act. Each unit must carry the type examination pass label, and equipment without it may not be used. Certificates are valid for three years. IECEx test reports can be used as test evidence, but neither an IECEx nor an ATEX certificate replaces the Japanese examination.

"JPEx" and "Japan Ex" are names used by certification bodies and consultants. They are not legal terms. The law refers to type examination of explosion-protected electrical machinery and equipment (防爆構造電気機械器具). For how Japan fits alongside other national schemes, see Ex certification by country.

Legal basis

The validity period is the period during which that type may be manufactured or imported, not how long installed equipment can be used or sold. Group I (mining) equipment is not examined, because mines with firedamp fall outside the Industrial Safety and Health Act. Equipment whose maximum ratings do not exceed 1.5 V, 0.1 A and 25 mW (per the IEC limits) is not treated as an ignition source under the user rules in Articles 280 to 282 of the Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health, unless connected equipment can push it above those values.

Two technical routes

Equipment is examined to one of two routes. TIIS states that an application must use one route only; parts of both cannot be combined.

Under the MHLW notice of August 12, 2021 (Kihatsu 0812 No. 5), the accepted guideline parts are Parts 1 to 9 of the 2015 edition, Parts 2 to 5, 7 and 9 of the 2018 edition, and Parts 1, 8 and 11 of the 2020 edition. The 2020 update reflects IEC 60079-0:2017, IEC 60079-15:2017 and IEC 60079-28:2015. For each part, the applicant picks one edition. Part 10 (special protection "s") is not used for examination.

Each guideline part corresponds to a specific IEC edition. TIIS states that equipment certified abroad can in principle be examined only if it was assessed to the same IEC edition as the guideline, and that newer editions may be accepted case by case. IEC published edition 8 of IEC 60079-0 in June 2026, so discuss edition differences with the body before relying on new reports. The JIS C 60079 series itself (IEC adoptions, several of which date from 2004 to 2010) is not the examination basis for the international route.

Registered type examination bodies

For many years TIIS (Technology Institution of Industrial Safety) was the only body. The MHLW list of registered type examination bodies dated July 1, 2026 shows eight bodies registered for explosion-protected electrical equipment:

Registrations run for five years and are renewed, so check the current MHLW list. Only TIIS is also an IECEx certification body based in Japan. Japan's IECEx member body is the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC).

Using IECEx and ATEX test reports

The 2021 notice sets out three ways foreign test data can enter a new type examination:

1. Any IECEx ExTR for the model, issued by an ExCB while its acceptance was valid, can be submitted as the applicant's "results of tests conducted in advance" (Machinery Inspection Rules, Article 6(1)(4)). The Japanese body still decides what it examines on the actual equipment. MHLW first allowed this in January 2017.
2. An ExTR from a designated foreign inspection body can replace examination of the actual equipment if it shows conformity with the guideline in use, including Japan's national differences, and was produced by that body's listed staff within the designation period. TIIS lists DEKRA Certification B.V. as the designated body for Ex equipment, with a designation running to April 5, 2026; check whether it has been renewed. Even when all tests are omitted, TIIS asks for one complete sample to compare with the drawings.
3. ATEX test reports from a notified body that is also an IECEx ExCB can be used as prior test results if they cover all the content of an ExTR and are in Japanese or English. This was added by a notice of March 5, 2020.

Ex components, Ex cable glands, thread adapters and blanking elements are not examined on their own. They are tested as part of the equipment they are built into. A component certificate held by the same registered body, to the same guideline, can be used until it expires.

What is examined besides the product

Article 8 of the Machinery Inspection Rules also requires the applicant to have manufacturing and inspection facilities, a responsible production manager, an inspection organization and written inspection rules. For equipment made abroad, the foreign manufacturer must have equivalent arrangements. These are described in documents submitted with the application, and the body confirms the routine tests required by the guidelines from those documents. The rules do not provide for periodic surveillance audits like the IECEx QAR; control comes through the documented arrangements and the three-year renewal.

Marking

• The type examination pass label (Form 11 of the Machinery Inspection Rules) goes in a visible place on each unit and shows the pass number. Equipment that has not passed may not carry the label or anything easily confused with it.
• The explosion-protection marking follows the route used. For the international route, the MHLW notice requires marking according to the guideline's marking rules: group (IIA/IIB/IIC or IIIA/IIIB/IIIC), temperature class or maximum surface temperature, and EPL. The same data are entered on the application and the certificate.

Type examination pass label  (with pass number)
Ex db IIB T4 Gb              (international route)
d2G4                         (Construction Standard route example)

See Ex markings explained, gas groups and temperature classes.

Japanese type examination compared with ATEX and IECEx

Practical steps for exporters

1. Confirm which JNIOSH-TR-46 edition matches the IEC edition in your ExTR, and whether a national-differences supplement is needed.
2. Choose a registered body. Ask whether your ExTR is accepted as prior test results only, or whether the designated-body route can replace testing.
3. Decide who applies: you as the foreign manufacturer, or your importer. The certificate holder controls renewals.
4. Budget a sample and a nameplate that fits the pass label.
5. Track the three-year expiry; renewal must be applied for before it lapses.

TIIS also launched a separate voluntary "TIIS certification" on May 13, 2024 for occupational safety products; it is not the legal type examination and in principle does not cover products that need it. Classification of hazardous locations and equipment selection remain the employer's responsibility. This page summarizes the certification rules; confirm details with a registered body.

Frequently asked questions

What is JPEx certification?

JPEx is an informal name used by certification bodies for Japan's legal type examination of explosion-protected electrical equipment under Article 44-2 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act. The examination must be done by a body registered with the MHLW.

Does Japan accept IECEx certificates?

No. An IECEx CoC does not replace the Japanese type examination. An IECEx ExTR can be submitted as prior test results, and an ExTR from a designated foreign inspection body can replace testing of the actual equipment, but the Japanese examination and pass label are still required.

How long is a Japanese Ex type examination certificate valid?

Three years. It must be renewed by a renewal examination applied for before expiry. The period limits when the type can be manufactured or imported, not how long installed equipment can be used.

Who can issue Japanese Ex certificates besides TIIS?

The MHLW list of July 1, 2026 shows eight registered bodies for Ex equipment: TIIS, NCS, Eurofins E&E CML, CSA Group Testing UK, DEKRA Certification B.V., TÜV Rheinland Industrie Service, UL Taiwan and KSC.

Do Ex components need Japanese type examination?

Not on their own. Ex components, cable glands, thread adapters and blanking elements are examined as part of the equipment they are built into.

Sources

1. e-Gov: Industrial Safety and Health Act, Articles 42 and 44-2 to 44-4 (Japanese)
2. e-Gov: Machinery Inspection Rules, Articles 6 to 14 (Japanese)
3. MHLW: Notice Kihatsu 0812 No. 5 (2021) on Article 5 criteria and use of ExTRs (Japanese)
4. MHLW: Notice of March 5, 2020 on type examination applications using ATEX reports (Japanese)
5. MHLW: List of registered type examination bodies, July 1, 2026 (PDF)
6. TIIS: Structure of the Explosion-Proof Construction Standard (Japanese)
7. TIIS: Designated foreign inspection body system (Japanese)
8. IECEx: Certification Bodies (ExCBs)