New Establishment and Revision of the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) (March 2021)

1. Outline of the new establishment and revision of standards

In March 2021, METI newly established 19 standards and revised 95 standards. Among these standards, it revised 6 standards based on proposals prepared by the Japanese Standards Association (JSA) that is Accredited Standards Developing Organization which can propose establishment, revision and etc. of JISwithout discussions at the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC), pursuant to the revision of the related law in July 2019 (see Appendix 1). In particular, METI believes that the following establishments of the JIS are especially important.

(1) Establishment of JIS for pneumatic low-velocity radiant heat and cool air supply units

Pneumatic radiant heat and cool air supply systems have advantages in energy saving as they are characterized by providing more comfort to users with less airflow compared to other heating and cooling equipment, in particular, in supplying cool wind. Pneumatic low-velocity radiant heating and cooling air supply units working as air outlets of the systems (hereinafter referred to as “air outlet units”) blow cool and hot air from a panel face installed on unit surfaces  making use of air supplied by air conditioners and also radiate cold and heat energy from the panel. Despite these advantages, there were no standards that objectively assess the performance of these units.

Against this backdrop, METI established a new JIS that stipulates the performance of air outlet units and test methods for performance thereof.* This establishment is expected to contribute to securing users’ trust in air outlet units, enhancing awareness of such units in related markets, expanding such markets and disseminating such units with technologies for energy efficiency and saving.

*Note: The JIS was established taking advantage of the Standardization Program for New Market Creation.**

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  Example of pneumatic low-velocity radiant heating and cooling air supply units (panel face)

(2) Establishment of the JIS for test methods for hygroscopic heat generation of textiles

“Hygroscopic heat generation materials” were developed in Japan as materials that absorb sweat and water and generate heat, and since then, a variety of clothing made of such materials has been become popular both in Japan and overseas. Against this backdrop, METI established JIS L1952-1 based on the international standard for “methods for measuring dynamic hygroscopic heat generation,” which was established based on the proposal of Japan aiming to objectively assess the performance of the materials, and it also established JIS L1952-2 for “test methods for heat keeping index of generated heat by humidification.”

This establishment of two JIS is expected to: allow manufacturers to objectively assess the performance of hygroscopic heat generation materials, help consumers smoothly understand the performance and quality of such materials, further improve and stabilize the quality thereof, and further expand related markets.

(3) Establishment of the JIS for translation services

It is important that people around the world can use access quality translations for accurate communications. To address this situation, METI established a new JIS, which satisfies corresponding international standards, for requirements for translation services, which translation service providers should meet to secure quality translations. This effort contributed to standardization of requirements for the quality of translation services and translation processes, and is expected to provide criteria on which translation service providers can improve quality and users of translation services can choose such providers.

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  Figure: Relationship between the outlines of the processes and items which are stipulated in the JIS

2. Outline of the JIS

The JIS stipulate types and quality of products, data, services, etc., test or assessment methods for ascertaining such types and quality, and the values of standards that businesses are required to meet. Producers, service providers, product users and consumers and other stakeholders, for example, make use of these standards in their approaches to accessing quality products and enjoying provision of services in a secured manner.

METI has been establishing new standards or revising the existing ones for the JIS in response to technological advancements, changes in social environments and other factors as necessary.

For more information on the JIS, visit the following websites:

• The Japanese Industrial Standards Committee website (in Japanese) :
• METI website for standardization and certification (in Japanese) :

For more information on the Standardization System for Cultivating New Markets, visit this website (in Japanese) .

For details of the respective JIS, visit the following website.

• JIS search service (in Japanese) :

3. Past news releases

For past news releases related to the establishment and revision of JIS, visit this website (in Japanese) .

4. Contact counter for the respective JIS

If you wish to make any inquiry on details of the respective JIS that have been publicized, please contact the divisions in charge of METI as shown in Appendix 1 by email. Please note that the division in charge of the JIS shown in Item 1 (1), (2) and (3) above is the International Standardization Division. When sending an email, please clearly indicate your name, the name of your company (if you send an email as a representative of a company or other entity), and your contact information.

• Appendix 1: New Establishment and Revision of the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) (March 2021)(PDF:185KB)

Division in Charge

Standards and Conformity Assessment Public Relations Office, Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau