MIC revises 200MHz band radio regulations and sets transiti…

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) promulgated amendments to radio-related regulations targeting transmission equipment for 200MHz band broadband mobile wireless communications in an extraordinary issue of the Official Gazette dated October 29, 2026 (Reiwa 8). These consist of one ministerial ordinance and two legal notices, all of which come into effect on the date of promulgation, October 29. Transitional measures have been established for radio stations that have already received licenses and for existing technical standards conformity certifications.

The framework for the amendments lies within the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Radio Act (Radio Regulatory Commission Ordinance No. 14 of 1950) and the Ordinance Regulating Radio Equipment (Radio Regulatory Commission Ordinance No. 18 of 1950) under the Radio Act (Act No. 131 of 1950). Both are signed by Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, Hayayuki Fujii, and were promulgated and enforced on the same date. The tolerance values for technical standards and the frequency designations are amended via MIC Notice No. 307 of 2010 and MIC Notice No. 322 of 2023, respectively.

Ministerial Ordinance Treating Antenna Power Display as Average Power

MIC Ordinance No. 121 (Ministerial Ordinance to Partially Amend the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Radio Act) revised the definition of 200MHz band broadband mobile wireless communications listed in item 3 among the transmission equipment covered by Article 4-4, Paragraph 2 of the said Ordinance. This paragraph stipulates that, notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the antenna power of the listed transmission equipment shall be expressed as average power (pY).

Target communication methods: Multiplexing methods combining Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), and Time Division Duplex (TDD) methods using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA).
Frequency range: Changed from “exceeding 170MHz and up to 202.5MHz” before the amendment to “exceeding 170MHz and up to 217.5MHz” after the amendment.
Supplementary Provisions: Effective from the date of promulgation.

Tolerance Values for Unwanted Emissions Shift Frequency Band Classifications Upward

MIC Notice No. 391 amends MIC Notice No. 307 of 2010, which established the tolerance values for the intensity of unwanted emissions for transmission equipment of radio stations performing 200MHz band broadband mobile wireless communications, based on the provisions of Appended Table 3 of the Ordinance Regulating Radio Equipment. In accordance with the expansion of the band, the frequency band classifications to which the tolerance values apply have been shifted upward.

Classification for 3.2 microwatts or less: Changed from “exceeding 207.5MHz and up to 215MHz” before the amendment to “exceeding 222MHz and up to 230MHz” after the amendment.
Transmission equipment for land mobile stations or portable stations: Average power in any 100kHz bandwidth shall be 1 microwatt or less.
Exceeding 230MHz and up to 1GHz: For transmission equipment with antenna power of 1 watt or less, 50 microwatts or less; for transmission equipment exceeding 1 watt, 25 microwatts or less (both as average power in a 100kHz bandwidth).
Supplementary Provisions: Effective from the date of promulgation.

Removal of Old Band from Frequencies Used Exclusively by Wide-Area Radio Stations

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Notice No. 392 amends Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Notice No. 322 of 2023, which stipulates the frequencies designated by the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications pursuant to the provisions of Article 103-2, Paragraph 2 of the Radio Act and the Remarks of Appended Table 8, based on Article 51-9-9 of the Regulations for Enforcement of the Radio Act. Regarding the areas in the upper column of Appended Table 7 of the Act (areas listed in item 1), the ranges “207.5 MHz or more and 222 MHz or less” and “exceeding 103.5 MHz and 108 MHz or less” have been removed from the enumeration of frequencies used exclusively by wide-area radio stations.

Starting point of the new enumeration: Exceeding 715 MHz and 748 MHz or less
Main categories remaining in the conventional enumeration: Exceeding 815 MHz and 845 MHz or less, exceeding 1,710 MHz and 1,785 MHz or less, exceeding 2,110 MHz and 2,170 MHz or less, exceeding 4,500 MHz and 4,600 MHz or less
The designation of shared frequencies used by radio stations other than wide-area radio stations shall be according to Table 2 after the amendment

Transitional Measures for Existing Licensed Stations and Existing Certifications

The supplementary provisions of Notice No. 391 include provisions to protect existing equipment, rather than applying the amended tolerance values uniformly. As long as telecommunications carriers continue to operate existing stations, they will be treated as sufficient under the previous tolerance values.

The conditions for radio equipment of 200 MHz band wideband mobile radio communication stations that are currently licensed or have applied for a license at the time of enforcement shall follow the example of Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Notice No. 307 of 2010 prior to the amendment
Technical Regulations Conformity Certifications or Construction Design Certifications (Article 38-2-2, Paragraph 1; Article 38-24, Paragraph 1 of the Radio Act) received at the time of enforcement shall remain valid after enforcement
The examination of requests for Technical Regulations Conformity Certifications, etc., made at the time of enforcement shall follow previous examples, and certifications received through such examinations shall remain valid after enforcement

Required Actions for Design and Manufacturing

This amendment simultaneously aligns the tolerance values for unwanted emissions at the boundaries of adjacent bands and the frequency designations for wide-area radio stations by expanding the upper frequency limit of 200 MHz band wideband mobile radio communication to 217.5 MHz. Telecommunications carriers are required to make decisions on continuing operations based on the transitional measures for existing stations. Radio equipment manufacturers are required to provide the average antenna power display for newly designed and manufactured devices and to review spurious emission designs in accordance with the band divisions, including the range exceeding 222 MHz and 230 MHz or less.

Official Sources

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Ordinance No. 121: “Ministerial Ordinance to Partially Amend the Regulations for Enforcement of the Radio Act,” promulgated and enforced on October 29, 2026 (Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, Hayayuki Fujii)
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Notice No. 391: “Partial Amendment to the Matter of Determining the Permissible Values of Spurious Emissions for the Transmission Equipment of Radio Stations Performing Broadband Mobile Wireless Communications in the 200 MHz Band,” promulgated and enforced on October 29, 2026
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Notice No. 392: “Partial Amendment to the Matter of Determining the Frequencies Designated by the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Pursuant to the Provisions of Article 103-2, Paragraph 2 of the Radio Act and the Remarks of Appended Table 8,” promulgated on October 29, 2026
Published in: Official Gazette Extra (October 29, 2026)