Entering 2025, a brand-new set of rules has taken effect for all wireless device manufacturers planning to enter the Japanese market. Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) has carried out a series of intensive and profound revisions to the Radio Law and related technical standards. The core of this transformation is to extend regulatory focus from traditional RF performance conformity to product cybersecurity, software full-life-cycle management, and public safety emergency capabilities. Understanding these new regulations is no longer an option to optimize costs, but a survival prerequisite for whether products can legally enter the Japanese market.
1.Mandatory Cybersecurity: From Optional Feature to Certification Precondition
In the past, device information security was mostly a selling point for brand differentiation. However, starting in 2025, for specific categories of IoT devices, cybersecurity has become a mandatory certification requirement on par with RF testing.
According to the new regulations, all specific IoT devices accessing public networks (such as smart meters, industrial control systems, and certain vehicle-mounted IoT terminals) must submit a detailed self-conformity declaration report based on the IoT Device Security Standards when applying for MIC Certification. This report is no longer a formality, but requires a detailed elaboration of the device’s specific designs and measures across multiple core security dimensions, including (but not limited to) mechanisms to prevent malicious firmware tampering, secure boot functions to ensure system integrity, vulnerability management strategies after product launch, and the mandatory use of advanced encryption protocols such as TLS 1.3 or IPsec to protect communication security.
This means that manufacturers must deeply integrate these security architectures into product hardware and software design and development stages, and prepare complete technical documentation. Any deficiency or inadequacy in security requirements will directly result in the suspension of the certification process. This change marks that whether a product’s "network immune system" is sound has become as important as its wireless transmission performance.
2.Clear Software-Defined Boundaries: Any RF-Impacting Upgrade Must Be Re-Reported
With over-the-air firmware updates becoming standard for smart devices, MIC has clearly defined "red lines" for software management in 2025 to address regulatory challenges posed by "software-defined radio".
The new regulations explicitly state that any behavior causing "substantial changes" in a device’s RF characteristics through software updates must be applied for and approved by the original certification body. These "substantial changes" include (but are not limited to) adding operating frequency bands, increasing transmit power, or changing modulation methods or bandwidth. If a manufacturer pushes such software updates without reporting, the product’s original MIC Certification will be deemed invalid, and the circulation of the product in the Japanese market will be illegal.
At the same time, the new regulations have strengthened information disclosure requirements for users. For products with such functions, clear language must be used in the user manual or device settings interface to inform users that this device has been certified under Japan’s Radio Law, and any unauthorized third-party software modification may cause the device parameters to deviate from the certified state, resulting in the user assuming legal responsibility. This regulation extends compliance responsibility from the manufacturer to the usage stage, forming a full-link management and control system.
3.Emergency Communication Functions Become Mandatory Standard for Smartphones
Given Japan’s frequent natural disasters, ensuring unimpeded communication in extreme situations has always been a key focus of MIC. In 2025, two hardware-level emergency communication function requirements have officially taken effect, becoming insurmountable access conditions for mobile terminals such as smartphones.
The first is the "dual-SIM emergency switching" function, which was enforced on July 1, 2025. It requires that for phones supporting multiple SIM cards, when the primary SIM card cannot make an emergency call, the phone must automatically and seamlessly switch to another available SIM card and retry dialing. This function is directly related to the reliability of lifeline communications.
The second is the more critical "cross-operator emergency roaming" function. According to the Amendment to the Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Rules (2025 No. 54 Regulation) issued by MIC in May 2025, this function officially took effect on October 1, 2025. It requires that when the user’s contracted operator’s network is completely unavailable due to disasters or other reasons, the mobile terminal should automatically search for and access other available operators’ networks, allowing emergency calls without any manual user settings. This function aims to ensure that the public can maintain contact through other surviving networks when a single operator’s network is paralyzed due to a major disaster, greatly improving public safety resilience.
For devices certified before the new regulations took effect or in a special transition period, a certain buffer time may be granted. However, it is undeniable that all newly launched devices must meet these two mandatory requirements.
4.Continuous Evolution of Technical Standards: New Spectrum and New Measurement Methods
In addition to the above regulatory changes, MIC has also made important updates to specific technical standards, which manufacturers need to pay attention to during the R&D phase:
·Full Refinement and Activation of the 6GHz Band: Building on the already opened 5925-6425 MHz band, 2025 rules have focused on strengthening requirements for Wi-Fi 6E/7 devices operating in the 6425-7125 MHz band, including clear transmit power, out-of-band emissions, and Dynamic Frequency Selection rules. Meanwhile, a new "Very Low Power" device category and standards have been added for portable devices such as AR/VR headsets.
·New 433MHz Band for Automotive Electronics: Since February 27, 2025, MIC has officially approved the use of the 433.795-434.045 MHz band for automotive electronics such as TPMS and RKE devices, providing new spectrum resources for related products.
·Update to RF Exposure Assessment Methods: For portable devices operating in the 6-10GHz frequency range (e.g., 6GHz Wi-Fi devices), MIC has accepted the use of absorbed power density as the RF exposure assessment method since February 28, 2025, aligning with global technical trends.
The 2025 Japan MIC new regulations have built a more three-dimensional and strict regulatory framework. It requires manufacturers to deliver not only a performance-compliant device, but also a safe, reliable, and fully controlled product throughout its life cycle. BLUEASIA (+86 13534225140) provides professional certification consulting services.
