Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced in May that it would end the PSE certification exemption for Matter-enabled smart lighting products with local control capability. The new requirement takes effect October 1, 2026.
This directly affects LED drivers, smart bulbs and dimming modules with offline switches or physical-button direct control. From that date, such products must pass METI-designated dual-mode certification covering both 'local control safety' and 'communication' before entering the Japanese market. For suppliers who had come to rely on the Matter exemption, this is a clear change in market access.
Factories exporting to Japan — or planning to — should review their active SKUs now: which models have local control, which are cloud-only, and what testing each needs. Certification cycles in Japan are not short; waiting until October will miss the channel rollout window.
Source: NexusHome Intelligence (atfxcent.com)