Overview
Business entities manufacturing or selling products in Japan are subject to various laws and product safety standards, which vary depending upon the industry or product segment. Market-driven product and service standards are also prevalent.
Japan’s national standardization body is the Japan Industrial Standards Committee (JISC), which plays a central role in standards activities in Japan, covering a wide range of products and technologies. JISC:
- establishes and maintains Japan Industrial Standards (JIS);
- administers accreditation and certification;
- participates in international standards activities, including work with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC); and
- develops measurement standards and technical infrastructure for standardization.
Existing JIS standards are reviewed and revised every five years. Once a new or revised draft JIS standard has been prepared, JISC posts these draft standards for a sixty-day public comment period. The JISC website also provides information regarding how foreign entities may participate in the JIS drafting process. A list of newly published JIS standards can be found on the website of the Japan Standards Association (JSA). Newly established or revised standards are also listed by METI.
Standards
The voluntary Japan Industrial Standards (JIS) mark, administered by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), applies to nearly 743 different industrial product categories and consists of over 10,773 standards as of March 2019. Adherence to JIS is also an important determinant for companies competing on bids in the Japanese government procurement process. Products that comply with these standards will be given preferential treatment in procurement decisions under Japan’s Industrial Standardization Law. JIS covers industrial and mineral products except for 1) medicines; 2) agricultural chemicals; 3) chemical fertilizers; and 4) foodstuffs, agricultural and forest products designated under the Law Concerning Standardization and Proper Labeling of Agricultural and Forestry Products.
The Japan Agricultural Standards (JAS) is another voluntary but widely used product standard system administered by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). The Council for Agricultural and Forestry Standards, a JAS Council consisting of consumers, manufacturers, commercial users, and academic experts, establishes JAS’s standards. Existing JAS Standards are reviewed every five years by each JAS Council.
JAS certification is a complicated process requiring approval by a Registered (Overseas) Certified Body (ROCB). There are only four approved ROCB for forest products and three for organic products. The current list of approved ROCBs can be found on the MAFF.
More information on the JAS labeling system can be found at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).
Testing, Inspection and Certification
Under the JIS mark scheme, product certification bodies accredited by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) conduct tests to verify compliance of products with JIS and audit the quality management system of facilities at which the products are manufactured. Any products manufactured at a factory that successfully passes such an audit will be authorized to affix the JIS mark. Additional information on this process can be found on the JISC website.
Accreditation
The two major non-governmental accreditation bodies in Japan are the International Accreditation Japan (IA Japan) within the quasi-governmental National Institute of Technology and Evaluation and the Japan Accreditation Board (JAB). IAJapan operates several accreditation programs including the Japan National Laboratory Accreditation System (JNLA) and the Japan Calibration Service System (JCSS). A list of laboratories accredited by JAB is available on the JAB website.
A limited number of testing laboratories in the U.S., not listed on the websites noted above, have also been designated by various Japanese government agencies to test and approve U.S. products for compliance with Japanese mandatory certification standards and laws. Products not covered by these arrangements must be tested and approved by Japanese testing labs before these products can be sold in Japan.
For registered conformity assessment bodies recognized by Japan for electrical appliances, or for other information on third-party conformity assessment for electrical products, visit METI.
Publication of Technical Regulations
Each Japanese ministry posts draft regulations for public comment on their respective websites. These draft regulations can also be found in a consolidated list, available in Japanese, on the e-Gov Portal. The website was designed to help facilitate public participation in Japan’s regulatory process by improving the public’s ability to find, view, and comment on regulatory actions. It should be noted that although U.S. entities may submit comments on draft regulations, the amount of time given for submissions varies widely and all comments must be submitted in Japanese. Finalized technical regulations and standards are published in Japan’s national gazette known as the Kanpo (Japanese language website).
Contact Information
Japan Industrial Standards Committee (JISC)
Secretariat Office
Tel: (81-3) 3501-9471; email: jisc@meti.go.jp
Japanese Standards Association (JSA) Secretariat Office
Tel: (81-3) 4231-8650; email: po@jsa.or.jp
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ)
Secretariat Office
Tel: (81-29)-861-4346; email: nmij-info-ml＠aist.go.jp
Building Center of Japan (BCJ)
International Dept.
Tel: (81-3) 5283-0497; Contact Form:
Telecommunication Technology Committee (TTC) Secretariat Office
Tel: (81-3) 3432-1551; email: info@ttc.or.jp
Japan Cable Television Engineering Association (JCTEA)
Secretariat Office
Tel: (81-3) 5273-4671; email: jctea-info@catv.or.jp
Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB) Tel: (81-3) 5510-8590; email: info-arib@arib.or.jp
Japan Accreditation Board for Conformity Assessment (JAB)
Customer Service, General Affairs Dept. Tel: (81-3) 3442-1210; Contact Form
Japan National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE)
Tel: (81-3) 3481-6685; Contact Form:
International Accreditation Japan (IAJapan) Quality Manager Tel: (81-3) 3481-1946; Contact Form
Measurement Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (MLAP)
Tel: (81-3) 3481-1633; Contact Form
Japan National Laboratory Accreditation System (JNLA)
Tel: (81-3) 3481-1939; Contact Form
Japan Calibration Service System (JCSS)
Tel: (81-3) 3481-8242; Contact Form
Accreditation System of National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (ASNITE)
Tel: (81-3) 3481-1946; Contact Form
Third-party Conformity Assessment for Electrical Products in Japan (PSE) Japanese Draft Standards, Regulations and Public Comment (e-Gov)
Japan’s National Gazette (Kanpo) (Japanese only)
“Notify U.S.” / ePing
Use ePing to review proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures
The ePing SPS&TBT platform (https://epingalert.org/), or “ePing”, provides access to notifications made by WTO Members under the Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), distributed by the WTO from January 16, 1995 to present. ePing is available to all stakeholders free of charge and does not require registration unless the user wishes to receive customized e-mail alerts. Use it to browse notifications on past as well as new draft and updated product regulations, food safety and animal and plant health standards and regulations, find information on trade concerns discussed in the WTO SPS and TBT Committees, locate information on SPS/TBT Enquiry Points and notification authorities, and to follow and review current and past notifications concerning regulatory actions on products, packaging, labeling, food safety and animal and plant health measures in markets of interest.
Notify U.S., operated and maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) since 2003 to distribute and provide access to notifications (and associated draft texts) made under the WTO TBT Agreement for US stakeholders, has reached its end of life. Per obligation under the TBT Agreement, each WTO Member operates a national TBT (and an SPS) Enquiry Point. National TBT Enquiry Points are authorized to accept comments and official communications from other national TBT Enquiry Points, which are NOT part of the WTO or the WTO Secretariat. All comment submissions from U.S. stakeholders, including businesses, trade associations, U.S domiciled standards development organizations and conformity assessment bodies, consumers, or U.S. government agencies on notifications to the WTO TBT Committee should be sent directly to the USA WTO TBT Inquiry Point. Refer to the comment guidance at https://tsapps.nist.gov/notifyus/data/guidance/guidance.cfm for further information.