Ultra-violet (UV) filters are pollutants of arising concern due to its persistence in water environment. In previous
researches, UV filters have been reported in pristine coral environment in Okinawa, Japan. The main objective of this research is to review the spatiotemporal variation of 12 of the 16 UV filters, categorized as 3 groups by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the Act to Modernize the Regulation of Sunscreen Products in the United States proposed in 2019. The target area is the Japanese coral reef environment in Ryukyu Trench, Ryukyu Islands, and Okinawa trough, for highlighting its toxicological and bioaccumulating impacts on coral reefs ecosystems. The web of science database from 2000 to 2020 was searched with the key words: anthropogenic activities, persistent organic pollutants, sunscreens, UV filters, UV protection, sunblock, UV stabilizer, coral, Japan, and Okinawa. Most of the studies agreed that organic UV filters such as oxybenzone, octinoxate or octocrylene significantly degrade the water quality, which may have potential risk to coral ecosystems. In addition, the wide spread of UV filters has shown a perceivable presence in some Okinawa beaches, containing around 1.4 µg/L oxybenzone during summer season. Nevertheless, oxybenzone at some reef sites have been found to be around 0.01 µg/L which is almost 500 times lower than the LC50 range of 5.4 to 14.5 µg/ for Acropora cervicornis larvae. More toxicological and bioaccumulate studies on coral reef bleaching by UV filters have to be performed to support this statement and re-evaluate their ecological risks in coral reef ecosystems at different season and complex environmental exposure.