[Future development of the Japanese chemicals regulation data search system and the effective use of the IRPTC legal file].

After ten years of international cooperation in developing the IRPTC Legal File, its usefulness in searching for chemicals regulation data from abroad and in Japan was studied. The superiority of the database in offering summaries of the legal texts from 50 countries and 7 international organizations was obvious, but the need for improvements in the coverage and the accuracy of the data was found. The development of a Japanese database of legal information on chemicals based on international information exchange is desirable.