Background At the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (SC COP-12), held from 28 April to 9 May 2025, Parties adopted amendments to Annex A of the Convention to list three additional persistent organic pollutants (POPs): the pesticide chlorpyrifos and two groups of industrial chemicals, namely long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (LC-PFCAs) and related substances, and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (

Japan continues to strengthen its chemical management framework under the Chemical Substances Control Act (CSCA), introducing significant new restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in 2026. The latest amendments expand the scope of substances designated as Class I Specified Chemical Substances (Class I SCS)—the most stringent regulatory category under the CSCA—resulting in broad prohibitions on the manufacture, impo