ra-law-db

Public dataset workspace and installable runtime library for Japanese chemical law screening.

ra-law-db is now the canonical non-MCP API for direct law-screening consumers. ra-law-mcp is a thin wrapper over this package.

Direct package usage

Most consumers should install the package and use the bundled SQLite database directly:

pip install ra-law-db

uv add ra-law-db

from ra_law_db import get_law_screening_database

db = get_law_screening_database()

lookup_result = db.lookup(
    cas_number="75-09-2",
    language="ja",
    context={
        "material_form": "powder",
        "work_process": "weighing and mixing",
        "dust_generation": "medium",
    },
)
search_result = db.search(query="ジクロロメタン", mode="auto", limit=10, min_score=0.6)

Public runtime API:

• get_law_screening_database(law_db_path: str | None = None)
• LawScreeningDatabase.lookup(cas_number=None, substance_name=None, language="ja", context=None, percent=None, substances=None)
• LawScreeningDatabase.search(query, mode="auto", law_id=None, limit=20, min_score=0.6)
• LawScreeningDatabase.dataset_status()

Mixture screening (v0.5): pass percent (content in the mixture, 0–100) to evaluate concentration thresholds, or substances=[{"cas_number": ..., "percent": ...}] to screen several components at once; the latter returns {"results_by_cas": {cas: <lookup payload>}}.

Default behavior:

• If law_db_path is omitted, ra-law-db uses the packaged bundled SQLite database.
• law_db_path may optionally point to:
  • a direct SQLite file
  • a checked-out ra-law-db directory containing regulatory.sqlite3 and compatibility artifacts

Runtime artifact

The canonical runtime artifact is the bundled SQLite database:

• packaged path: src/ra_law_db/data/regulatory.sqlite3
• published repo artifact: regulatory.sqlite3

Normal installed consumers should rely on the packaged bundled database. CSV/JSONL files remain published for compatibility, inspection, and debugging, but they are not required for normal runtime use.

At runtime, the bundled database is resolved safely via importlib.resources and opened through a real filesystem path using importlib.resources.as_file(...).

MCP usage

ra-law-mcp consumes this package directly. In the normal case it does not need a separate ra-law-db checkout.

RA_LAW_DB_PATH is still supported as an override when you want to point the MCP server at:

• a custom SQLite bundle
• a local development checkout of ra-law-db

Directory layout

• regulatory.sqlite3: published SQLite bundle
• src/ra_law_db/data/regulatory.sqlite3: packaged SQLite bundle used by installs
• parsed/: normalized parsed entries and source snapshot manifests
  • source_snapshots.jsonl
  • law_entries.jsonl
• mappings/: CAS mapping outputs and unresolved entries
  • cas_mappings.jsonl
  • unresolved_entries.jsonl
• exports/: compatibility export files
  • regulatory_substances.csv
• masters/: public-safe law master datasets and alias rows
  • regulatory_index.csv: authoritative NITE-CHRIP CAS positive-list rows (v0.5 adds class_source, special_management, special_organic, threshold_pct, threshold_note, legal_number, legal_name, plus control_concentration / control_concentration_unit / control_concentration_basis (管理濃度, 作業環境評価基準 別表, on 特化則 第一・二類 / 有機則 第一・二種 / 鉛則 rows), oel_8h / oel_stel / oel_effective (濃度基準値, MHLW 一覧, on occupational_exposure_limit rows) and the 皮膚等障害化学物質 裾切値 in threshold_pct / threshold_note of skin_protection rows; older bundles without them still load)
    • women_rules rows (女性労働基準規則 第2条第1項第18号, every female worker per 第3条) are derived from the 特化則/鉛則/有機則 group names of the ish rows (mapping_method: legal_group_name_join, law id 361M50002000003); categories women_18_i (特定化学物質等), women_18_ro (鉛), women_18_ha (有機溶剤). They inherit the source ordinance's threshold_pct; legal_number ending in （２）のみ marks substances covered only through the 第三管理区分 branch. v0.5.1: lookup(context=...) with respirator_required_work (bool) and workplace_control_class (1/2/3) resolves the result to applies (WOMEN_RULE_WORK_COVERED) or not_applies (WOMEN_RULE_WORK_NOT_COVERED)
    • v0.5.2: an explicit dust_generation=false (the L3 answer) takes precedence over inferred powder/process hints and resolves dust_rule to not_applies (DUST_RULE_WORK_NOT_COVERED)
  • obligations.csv: per-(law_code, category_code) duties in Japanese — 法定管理措置マトリクス (健診種類・周期・記録年数、測定周期・記録年数、作業記録年数、作業主任者、掲示) and per-law checklists; category_code='*' is the per-law fallback, special_management / special_organic are virtual categories attached when a matched index row carries the flag
  • dataset_coverage.json: source-level update, hash, load, and mapping coverage
  • master_coverage.json: law-domain aggregate coverage and negative-conclusion capability

The runtime reads obligations from the obligations SQLite table when the bundle has one, else from masters/obligations.csv in a repo checkout, else from the packaged copy (src/ra_law_db/data/obligations.csv, kept byte-identical by a test).

Status semantics

• applies: an authoritative positive match establishes application.
• requires_context: the substance is listed, but concentration, quantity, use, process, business, or facility conditions are needed.
• not_listed (リスト非該当, reason NOT_ON_POSITIVE_LIST): the domain list is loaded, the query CAS is syntactically valid and unambiguous, and no row matches. Salts, isomers, mixtures and group designations (〜及びその化合物) still need a separate check.
• not_applies: used only when the screening dataset demonstrably supports a negative conclusion, an explicit authoritative negative exists, or every matched category has a threshold_pct and the given percent is at or below it (reason BELOW_THRESHOLD, with threshold: {pct, note, below_threshold}).
• unknown: no CAS candidate, dataset not loaded, or identity ambiguity (a name resolving to several CAS, or a CAS whose index rows carry a NITE identity note (※) in any law).

A CAS that is absent from the NITE-CHRIP index but present in the legacy 琉球大 layer (regulatory_substances) is still reported as requires_context for ish; its categories carry class_source: "legacy_regulatory_substances" and the notes say the class is legacy-derived. When one CAS matches both an unresolved family code (tokka, organic_solvent, poison_control_listed, prtr_current, cwc_listed, hazardous_material, controlled_narcotic) and a resolved class of the same family, the unresolved code is dropped from the obligations lookup (flags.tokka_class_unresolved still reports that the index itself did not resolve it).

Category payloads (categories[]) expose the index columns above verbatim: control_concentration (float) with its unit and 換算基準, oel_8h / oel_stel as normalised text ("2 ppm", "5 mg/m³") with oel_effective as an ISO date, and threshold_pct / threshold_note. None means the statute sets no value for that row (e.g. 第三類物質 have no 管理濃度), not "unknown".

Category rows that differ only by 政令番号 (e.g. 硫酸 listed twice as 劇物) are merged into one item carrying legal_numbers; narcotics items are labelled 麻薬向精神薬原料 vs 麻薬・向精神薬本体 from the 指定政令 citation; waste items use the category code waste_listed. For process-decided laws (dust_rule, occupational_health, waste) an unknown result's required_actions ask for the work or waste conditions rather than for the CAS (v0.5.1).

Each result also carries polarity (regulated_list, or permitted_list for the food-contact positive list), required_actions[] built from masters/obligations.csv ({action_code, label, required, kind, basis, condition, owner_hint}), a management object (health_checks, measurements, work_records, supervisors, notices, each with basis and kind), required_context_items[] ({key, label_ja, label_en}), ISH flags derived from index categories (with flags_source = index or legacy_regulatory_substances), class_sources (matched category code → class_source), and hard_duty. Every required_actions[] item carries all seven keys; generic guidance items (unknown / not_listed / not_applies) use kind: "info". The payload adds summary (status counts) and hard_duty_laws (laws whose matched class carries a mandatory obligation: 特化則第一・二類, 有機則第一・二種, 鉛, 製造禁止・許可, 毒劇, CWC Schedule 1, 麻薬・向精神薬本体).

The narcotics index publishes one code (controlled_narcotic) for 麻薬・向精神薬 and for 麻薬向精神薬原料 alike, so the runtime resolves it from legal_number: 法別表第1〜3 / 指定政令第1〜4条 → virtual category narcotic_scheduled (mandatory licence duties, hard duty); 法別表第4 / 指定政令第5条 → narcotic_precursor (営業届出・輸出入届出・記録 only, e.g. acetone, sulfuric acid); rows without a legal number keep the controlled_narcotic rows, which are conditional.

No dataset hit is not automatically a legal non-applicability finding. Results are screening output, not final legal determinations. Each result exposes its status reason, notes, dataset name/version/load state/coverage, source/update date, evidence, and manual-verification actions.

The runtime also returns process-context screening for the Dust Ordinance, Pneumoconiosis Act, special health examinations, and pneumoconiosis medical examinations. These cannot be determined from CAS alone; provide material form, work process, dust generation, work frequency, assignment history, and facility conditions.

Generation and releases

This repository is published by the private ra-law-scraper pipeline. The public repo contains the generated dataset and compatibility exports, not the private scraping workflow itself.

Release model:

• the package version moves with the bundled SQLite database
• a new bundled DB refresh should be released as a new ra-law-db package version
• direct consumers receive data updates by upgrading ra-law-db
• the private scraper performs a scheduled official-source refresh and opens a review PR; schema drift or missing core snapshots stops release generation

Development

uv sync --group dev
uv run pre-commit install
uv run pre-commit run --all-files
uv run pytest -q

Release

PyPI publishing is handled by GitHub Actions only when a matching v* tag is pushed. See docs/release.md for the cleanup and release checklist.

Notes

• SQLite is the canonical runtime format for downstream consumers.
• Alias data is published in masters/substance_aliases.csv and bundled into regulatory.sqlite3.
• Unresolved law entries are tracked in mappings/unresolved_entries.jsonl for manual review.
• ra-law-db remains law-source-driven. It is not replaced by CREATE-SIMPLE workbook data when ra-library / ra-mcp adopt a newer CREATE-SIMPLE methodology version.