VCCI (Japan) Summary: Voluntary EMI Control, Class A/B and Filing

VCCI is Japan’s voluntary emission-control scheme for information technology and multimedia equipment. Japan has no law covering this, so VCCI relies on a membership system that it says has an effect equivalent to legal regulation. The VCCI mark is not a certification mark: it shows that the product meets VCCI’s EMI limits.

1. What VCCI is

• Voluntary scheme: set up on 19 December 1985 by four industry associations and made a general incorporated foundation in April 2009.
• Emissions only: VCCI’s public materials describe emission (disturbance) requirements only. We could not confirm a VCCI immunity standard.
• Members confirm conformity themselves: the member is responsible for making every covered product meet the technical requirements.

2. Current technical requirements

The technical requirements are VCCI-CISPR 32:2016, based on CISPR 32 Ed.2.0, and the operating rules are VCCI 32-1:2016. A test report must state the VCCI standard name (for example VCCI-CISPR 32/2016).

VCCI also publishes reference documents, such as the guidance for writing test reports (VCCI 32-1-A:2023, applied from 20 December 2023). The regulation text is members-only, so check the member pages for exact wording.

3. Which equipment is covered

• Covered equipment is multimedia equipment (MME): information technology, audio and video equipment, broadcast receivers, entertainment lighting control equipment and similar.
• Exclusions and special cases are set out in the member regulations. If in doubt, ask VCCI before filing.

4. Choosing Class A or Class B

• Class B is mainly for residential environments and is meant to protect broadcast reception. Broadcast receivers are Class B.
• Class A covers other equipment that meets the Class A limits.
• The member decides the class based on Article 6 of the operating rules. A product meant for homes is Class B; VCCI’s FAQ gives a product used only in non-residential places such as museums as a case where Class A is possible.
• The limits follow CISPR 32, so see the CISPR 32 summary for the Class A and B limit tables instead of repeating them here. Also check them against the VCCI technical requirement document for your edition.

5. Filing flow

• Step 1: join VCCI as a member.
• Step 2: run the conformity test at a VCCI-registered measurement facility. An FCC report alone cannot be used for filing.
• Step 3: specify the class and submit the online conformity notification before shipment.
• Step 4: after the acceptance notice, ship the product and apply the label.
• Step 5: VCCI may later run sampling tests on products on the market.

The flow page says acceptance takes about one week, while the FAQ says four to five business days and advises leaving at least about two weeks. The wording differs, so plan with margin. An acceptance has no expiry date.

6. VCCI mark and Class A wording

• Class B products carry the VCCI mark. Class A products carry wording, the mark (VCCI-A), or both.
• Japanese wording is required. Colour is free, and products with a display may show it electronically.
• The Class A wording says that this is a Class A device, that using it in a residential environment may cause radio interference, and that the user may then be required to take appropriate measures.

Official sources

• VCCI overview FAQ: https://www.vcci.jp/faq/general/about/
• Conformity notification flow: https://www.vcci.jp/general/flow.html
• Class decision FAQ: https://www.vcci.jp/faq/general/classification/
• Test report FAQ: https://www.vcci.jp/faq/report/report-general/