Benefits of Eased Regulations
The Ministry of Environment announced on May 20 that simplified approval procedures related to the Act on Registration, Evaluation, Etc. of Chemicals and the Chemicals Control Act have led to a supply increase of up to 61 percent in relation to chemicals especially vulnerable in terms of supply.
According to the ministry, the simplified approval procedures have been applied to 15 types and 37 cases of chemicals in 32 companies so far. “Specifically, the Chemicals Control Act has been applied to 12 cases of 11 companies with regard to facility approval and the Act on Registration, Evaluation, Etc. of Chemicals has been applied to four types and 25 cases of chemicals in 24 companies with regard to chemical registration and registration exemption,” the ministry explained.
The facility approval for the former companies was expedited from 75 days to 30 days on average. As a result, the supply of vulnerable chemicals such as hydrofluoric acid has been improved from 105,000 tons to 166,000 tons. Likewise, registration of chemicals such as hydrogen fluoride in the Act on Registration, Evaluation, Etc. of Chemicals was expedited and the daily domestic supply has been increased from 1,900 tons to 122,000 tons.
The simplified procedures were adopted to facilitate the business of local semiconductor companies, secondary battery manufacturers, and the like after Japan's export ban and the outbreak of COVID-19.