• 2026-05-27 10:33:27

On 20 April 2026, Singapore's Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) in Tokyo to enhance bilateral regulatory collaboration. The press release (issued on 21 April 2026) notes that the MOC aims to promote reliance for health products, establish mutual reliance for Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) inspections, and support information exchange on emerging technologies.

• 2026-04-28 01:22:14

In alignment with the latest regulatory guidance on SaMD and cybersecurity for network-connected devices, the framework for managing ancillary network infrastructure (such as VPN gateways) has been refined. This includes an extensive definition of responsible matrices, lifecycle security maintenance, and the implementation of proactive security controls to mitigate cyber risks.

• 2026-04-23 08:41:55

Japan's orthopedic medical device market is drawing increasing global attention, supported by strong import activity and rising clinical demand. In 2023, orthopedic equipment accounted for the largest share of Japan's medical device imports at 14.9%, while orthopedic appliances alone reached US$2.67B in imports in 2024. With nearly 30% of the population aged 65 and above and more than 3.4M orthopedic procedures performed annually, Japan continues to see growing demand for advanced musculoskeletal solutions.

• 2026-04-01 03:38:31

Following the latest release of the "Procedures for Changes to Raw Materials of Medical Devices", PMDA has provided a side notice with Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and concepts for specifying raw materials in applications. In this article, we have extracted several questions that foreign manufacturers may need to pay attention to.

• 2026-02-25 03:48:52

PMDA recently released the revision for managing changes to raw materials used in medical devices. The revision clarifies the scope of minor change notifications that do not impact safety or performance and consolidates the criteria for determining applicability in low-risk cases or where sufficient prior usage experience exists.

• 2026-01-30 04:39:59

Recently, in the tempu bunsho (Japanese approved IFU) of pharmaceuticals containing hydroxycarbamide as the active ingredient, a warning was issued that, when taking this drug, glucose measurement results may show values higher than the actual glucose level (false high values).
Accordingly, similar warnings should also be included in the tempu bunsho of blood glucose measuring devices. Therefore, for blood glucose measuring devices using the enzyme electrode method, a voluntary review of the tempu bunsho should be conducted, and, if necessary, revisions and dissemination of information to should be implemented.

• 2025-11-21 07:03:32

PMDA updated the document requirements for QMS conformity inspections on October 1, 2025. The following is a summary of the revisions to the submission requirements for the QMS Conformity Inspection documents, comparing the version dated January 18, 2024 with the version dated October 1, 2025.

• 2025-10-27 02:31:38

PMDA released a notification for the medical industry to reference the "Practical Guide for Radio Wave Management of Medical Telemetry Devices", prepared and released by the Electromagnetic Compatibility Conference Japan (EMCC). The purpose of the guide is to provide operational guidelines for radio management of medical telemeter systems (wireless physiological monitoring devices used in hospitals and healthcare facilities), ensuring interference prevention, safety, and proper use. In addition, the guide is intended to promote the development and utilization of practical manuals tailored to individual user groups, such as nurses, clinical engineers, and hospital administrators or administrative staffs.

• 2025-09-24 09:35:21

On September 4, 2025, Qualtech hosted a webinar focusing on the medical device regulatory landscapes of Japan and South Korea. Led by our Japan and South Korea Registration Team Leaders, the session offered participants a structured overview of both markets, covering regulatory frameworks, registration pathways, and key updates shaping compliance today.

• 2025-09-24 07:40:52

PMDA has revised the approach to biological safety evaluation and abolished the previous notification issued on Jan 6, 2020. The revised approach focuses on providing practical instructions for preparing regulatory submissions.