The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has opened a public comment period on draft changes to Japan's export-control rules, covering controlled goods, controlled technologies, payment procedure and licensing paperwork. Comments are accepted from 19 October to 18 November 2026, and METI says it will use them as reference for its final decision without replying individually. Nothing here is in force.
Goods and technologies
The Security Trade Control Division's notice lists four changes to goods under the Export Trade Control Order. It adds nucleic acid synthesis equipment that has no joining function and deletes equipment that only joins nucleic acids. It adds additive-manufacturing equipment for making explosive devices. It changes sampling oscilloscopes to real-time oscilloscopes, and it deletes underwater lighting equipment.
The draft ministerial order gives the technical detail. For automated nucleic acid synthesis equipment, the draft replaces a test of continuous length above 1.5 kilobases at an error rate under 5% with one of above 0.5 kilobase. It adds tetraethylguanidine to the list of substances that can serve as military chemical-agent precursors.
For processors, the draft keeps the control on a total processing performance (TPP) of 6,000 or more. It adds a band of 1,600 to under 6,000 with a performance density of 5.92 or more, excluding chips not designed for data-centre use. A draft circular defines performance density as TPP divided by the applicable die area in square millimetres. In one laser category, the single-transverse-mode rated-output trigger rises from 1,000 watts to 2 kilowatts. One primary-cell category's continuous power-density threshold moves from 350 to 500 watts per kilogram.
On technology under the Foreign Exchange Order, the notice adds technology for using inorganic-fibre moulded articles, for using transmission equipment and wireless transmitters of improvised-explosive-device countermeasure equipment, and for using submarines and ship noise-suppression equipment. It also adds design or manufacturing technology for air-cushion vessels and similar craft, and use technology for devices that jam improvised explosive devices. The draft order also adds a control on design technology for gas-turbine axial compressors that meet stated parameters, including a stability margin of 20% or more and a mean stage pressure ratio above 1.2.
Payment and procedure
The draft cabinet order would add exports under Article 1, paragraph 3 of the Export Trade Control Order to the transactions exempt from the ban on making payments before a licence or approval is obtained. It would also delete one clause from the definition of goods temporarily landed for a foreign destination.
A separate draft notice, on goods imported free of charge for re-export, would extend the category of goods exported from Japan and repaired here to goods calibrated or inspected here. The circulars also amend blanket-licence handling, licence-application document guidance and the interpretation circular.
Timing and caveats
The draft ministerial order would take effect two months after promulgation, and applicants could file licence applications before that date. Acts committed before enforcement would stay under the old penalty rules. The notice gives no promulgation date. Exporters should check the old-and-new comparison tables for the exact parameters before drawing conclusions about any product line, since the control triggers are written as technical specifications rather than sector labels.