Yes. If a scale's reading sets the price charged to a customer or a certified quantity a third party relies on, it falls under the Measurement Act's (計量法) non-automatic weighing instrument (非自動はかり) category, one of 18 regulated Specified Measuring Instruments (特定計量器), and the model needs type approval (型式承認) plus per-unit verification (検定) before it can be used for that purpose. This sits entirely apart from PSE electrical-safety certification.
Which Scales Are Regulated Under the Measurement Act (計量法)?#
A scale is regulated when its reading determines a transaction (取引) price or a certified (証明) quantity, not because of what kind of scale it physically is. A retail checkout scale that weighs produce to set a per-kilogram price, a shipping or postal scale that sets a billed freight charge, and a commercial kitchen or food-portioning scale used to price a product by weight are all non-automatic weighing instruments (非自動はかり) within the Measurement Act's closed list of 18 Specified Measuring Instruments (特定計量器). The same list also covers watt-hour meters (電力量計) and taxi meters (タクシーメーター), instruments that share the same transaction or certification logic even though they measure something entirely different from weight.
This is the deliberate mirror image of the determination covered in Does a Multimeter or Clamp Meter Need PSE Certification to Import Into Japan? (2026). A diagnostic multimeter is read by a technician for internal reference; nobody's bill changes based on the number on the display, so the Measurement Act never engages. A checkout scale exists for exactly the opposite reason: the number on the display is the bill. Same regulatory logic, opposite outcome, because the use is opposite.
A scale used only for internal reference, such as a company's own inventory tracking where no sale is priced by weight, does not trigger the transaction or certification test and sits outside the regime entirely. The determining question is always what the reading is used for, never the instrument model. The same physical scale, sold to two different buyers, can be regulated for one and unregulated for the other.
Does PSE Certification Cover the Measurement Act Requirement Too?#
No. PSE certification under the DENAN Act (電気用品安全法) and Measurement Act (計量法) type approval run on independent logic and check completely different things, so clearing one says nothing about the other. PSE asks whether a mains-powered electrical appliance on Japan's designated product list is safe to connect to the grid. The Measurement Act asks whether a reading used to set a price or a certified value is accurate enough to trust.
An electric commercial scale can therefore land in any of four positions: PSE-only (an electrical appliance not used for pricing), Measurement Act-only (a mechanical or battery-powered scale used for pricing), both (a mains-powered checkout scale that both plugs into the grid and sets a transaction price), or neither (a non-electrical scale used only for internal reference). Checking only the PSE designated list and assuming that answer is complete is the most common gap we see. For the PSE side of that analysis, including how Japan separates the two certification tracks a scale can sit in, see Diamond PSE vs Circle PSE: How Japan Classifies Your Electrical Product for Import (2026) and the broader framework in Do You Need PSE, PSC, or Food Safety Certification to Import Into Japan? (2026 Guide).
What Is Type Approval (型式承認) for Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments?#
Type approval (型式承認) is the mechanism that lets a scale model clear verification (検定) as a batch rather than requiring an independent inspection of every single unit sold. A manufacturer, importer, or foreign manufacturer applies for type approval on a given non-automatic weighing instrument model, and once granted, that approval streamlines the per-unit verification every individual scale still has to pass before it is used for a priced transaction or a certified measurement.
Type approval testing for a non-automatic weighing instrument model covers six areas: material, labeling and marking, error and accuracy performance, durability, resistance to electromagnetic interference, and basic performance. The application process is administered through Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (産業技術総合研究所, AIST), which publishes application guidance aimed specifically at manufacturers, importers, and foreign manufacturers of non-automatic weighing instruments, an acknowledgment that this is a live import pathway, not an edge case.
This is a structurally different compliance track from a Notifying Supplier (届出事業者) filing under the DENAN Act, which an importer handling both PSE and a priced scale will need to run in parallel. See PSE Certification for Foreign Manufacturers: DENAN and the Notifying Supplier Model for how that separate filing obligation works.
Who Conducts Verification (検定) for a Commercial Scale in Japan?#
Verification (検定) for a non-automatic weighing instrument can be performed either by a prefectural Weights and Measures Inspection Office (計量検定所) or, since April 1, 2018, by a designated verification body (指定検定機関) authorized to carry out the error verification (器差検定) step for this category. Fuel meters were authorized for the same designated-body route at the same time, reflecting a broader move by the regulator to license private verification bodies alongside the standing government inspection offices rather than route every unit through the prefectural system alone.
Error verification is the accuracy check: it confirms the scale's reading stays within the tolerance the type approval established for that model. An importer bringing in a type-approved model still needs to plan for this per-unit step before the scale is deployed at a point of sale or used to certify a billed quantity; type approval streamlines verification, it does not eliminate it.
When Is a Scale Outside Measurement Act Scope?#
A scale sits outside the Measurement Act (計量法) whenever its reading never determines a price charged to a customer and never produces a certified value a third party relies on. A warehouse scale used only to confirm a pallet matches an already-agreed shipment weight, a scale used purely for a company's own internal stock reconciliation, or a scale used to spot-check incoming goods against a supplier's stated weight without that check itself setting the price paid, all sit outside the regime on the same logic that keeps a diagnostic multimeter out of PSE scope.
That exemption is use-based, not model-based, so it is not permanent for a given unit. The same scale model redeployed from an internal-check role to a checkout or billing role crosses into transaction or certification use the day its reading starts determining what the customer pays. An importer standardizing on one scale model across multiple deployment contexts needs to track that boundary per deployment, not assume a single applicability determination covers every unit shipped under the same SKU.
Key points:
(a) The trigger is the use, not the instrument: a scale is a regulated non-automatic weighing instrument (非自動はかり) only when its reading sets a transaction price or a certified value a third party relies on, among 18 Specified Measuring Instruments (特定計量器) defined by the Measurement Act (計量法).
(b) Type approval (型式承認) through Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (産業技術総合研究所, AIST) streamlines the per-unit verification (検定) process that follows, and verification itself can run through a prefectural Weights and Measures Inspection Office (計量検定所) or, since April 2018, a designated verification body (指定検定機関).
(c) Measurement Act status and PSE status under the DENAN Act (電気用品安全法) are independent checks: an electrical commercial scale can be regulated under one, both, or neither, so clearing the designated PSE product list alone does not answer the transaction/certification question, and clearing Measurement Act type approval alone does not answer the electrical safety question.
Frequently Asked Questions#
My scale already passed Circle PSE. Do I still need to check the Measurement Act separately?
Yes, if the scale is used to price a sale or certify a quantity relied on by a third party. PSE and the Measurement Act (計量法) evaluate completely different risks, electrical safety versus measurement accuracy for billing, and a pass under one certification carries no weight under the other. Check both lists independently for any scale that both plugs into the mains and determines what a customer is charged.
Does a scale used only for my own company's inventory tracking need type approval?
No, provided no sale is ever priced by that scale's reading. The Measurement Act's transaction (取引) and certification (証明) triggers require the reading to set a price charged to someone else or produce a certified value a third party relies on; a purely internal stock count does not meet that bar. If the same scale is later redeployed to price a sale at checkout, the determination changes for that deployment.
Is a shipping scale used to calculate freight charges to a customer treated the same as a retail checkout scale?
Yes. Both are non-automatic weighing instruments (非自動はかり) under the Measurement Act (計量法) because both readings set a billed amount, a retail price in one case and a freight charge in the other. The use, not the industry context, is what brings a scale into scope, which is why a postal or logistics scale pricing a shipment faces the identical type approval (型式承認) and verification (検定) requirement as a supermarket scale.
Conclusion#
A commercial scale entering Japan needs two independent checks, not one: PSE electrical-safety status under the DENAN Act (電気用品安全法) if it is mains-powered, and Measurement Act (計量法) status if its reading sets a price or a certified value. Assuming a PSE pass covers both, or assuming all measuring instruments are exempt the way a diagnostic multimeter is, both lead to the wrong answer for a scale whose entire purpose is a priced transaction. For an import compliance check that spans both the Measurement Act and DENAN Act determinations, see the Attorney for Customs Procedures service page.
This article is informational only and does not constitute legal, tax, or regulatory advice. Consult a qualified advisor before acting on the content. Last updated: October 2026.