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New Establishment and Revision of the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) (March 2023)

- JIS established and revised for methods of testing performance of touch sensing covers of service robots, methods of measuring power generation performance of spherical solar cells, clothing sizes, and more-

Japanese

March 20, 2023

Economic & Industrial Policy

The Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) are a collection of national standards stipulating the criteria for mineral or industrial products, data, and services in Japan, including their quality, performance and test methods. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has been revising and newly establishing these standards in response to societal and technological changes. METI publicly introduces the newly established and revised standards that are especially important for the economy and the public once a month in a press release.

1. Outline of the new establishment and revision of the JIS

In March 2023, METI established 10 new standards and revised 97 existing ones. 
Among these standards, there are 2 revised standards submitted by the Japanese Standards Association (JSA), an Accredited Standards Developing Organization.
The major ones will be briefly explained here. After discussions by the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee, ① and ② were established, and ③ was revised (see Appendix 1).

Note: ① and ② were established using the Standardization System for the Creation of New Markets.
Follow the link  for an overview of the system

① A JIS was established for methods of testing the performance of touch sensing covers for service robots

Due to the aging population and labor shortage, the demand for service robots is expected to increase for use in homes, stores, factories and other locations. Given this, it is necessary to ensure safety in the event of collision or contact (e.g., between robot and humans or equipment). However, balancing costs is a challenge, as increasing the sensitivity of such devices requires more sensors, and for other reasons.
Under these circumstances, a protective device called an impact-absorbing touch sensing outer cover (hereinafter referred to as "touch-sensing cover") has been developed. It performs the two functions of enabling collision detection with fewer sensors and absorbing impact in the event of a collision. However, there was no unified method of objectively evaluating the touch detection and shock absorption performance of such devices. Therefore, a method of testing the touch sensitivity and impact absorption of the touch-sensitive cover has been established as a JIS.
As a result, it is now possible to quantitatively evaluate the touch-sensitive cover's performance, and the installation of these covers on service robots is expected to further ensure safety and improve reliability (Appendix 2).

  • Example of an application of the touch-sensitive cover

  • Example of performance test equipment

② Establishment of a JIS for measuring the power generation performance of spherical solar cells

Spherical solar cells are capable of receiving light from all directions, and generate efficiently during all daylight hours. Based on the characteristics of spherical solar cells, a Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) for measuring power generation performance was established using the Standardization System for the Creation of New Markets.*
The establishment of this JIS is expected to promote the spread of spherical solar cells, expand the adoption of renewable energy, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (Appendix 3).

③ Revision of JIS on clothing sizes

Most of the clothes sold to the general public have a size indication based on a JIS (e.g., S/M/L). This makes it easier for consumers to buy clothing of the size they want.
There are currently changes in the environment, such as the diversification of purchase forms (e.g., online sales), diversification of consumer preferences, long-term changes in the body shapes of the Japanese people, and an increase in inbound consumption. Therefore, it is necessary to review the JIS appropriately.
This revision mainly adds the SS/3L/4L/5L and unisex sizes.
This is expected to give consumers more choices when purchasing clothing (Appendix 4).

Range indication for adult men's clothing sizes (indication by chest and waist measurements)
Unit: cm
Label SS S M L LL 3L 4L 5L
Basic body
dimensions		 Chest 72 to 80 80～88 88～96 96～104 104～112 112～120 120～128 128～136
Waist 60 to 68 68～76 76～84 84～94 94～104 104～114 114～124 124～134
Height
(Reference)		 145～155 155～165 165～175 175～185 175～
[Source: JIS L4004 Table 16]
Range indication for adult women's clothing sizes (height of 154 cm to 162 cm)
Unit: cm
Label SS S M L LL 3L 4L 5L 6L
Basic body dimensions Bust 65 to 73 72 to 80 79～87 86～94 93～101 100～108 107～115 114～122 121～129
Hips 77 to 85 82 to 90 87～95 92～100 97～105 102～110 107～115 112～120 117～125
Height 154 to 162
Waist 52～58 58～64 64～70 69～77 77～85 85～93 93～101 101～109 109～117
[Source: JIS L4005 Table 15]
Range indication for unisex sizes
Label SS S M L LL 3L 4L 5L
Basic body
dimensions		 Chest / bust －a) －a) －a) －a) －a) －a) －a) －a)
Waist －a) －a) －a) －a) －a) －a) －a) －a)
Height －a) －a) －a) －a) －a) －a) －a) －a)
Notea) Basic body dimensions indicate values acceptable for clothing manufacturers and distributors.
[Source: JIS L4004 Table 17]

2. Outline of the JIS

The JIS stipulate the types and quality of products, data, services, etc., test or assessment methods for ascertaining these types and quality, and standard values that businesses are required to meet. Producers, service providers, product users and consumers and other stakeholders make use of these standards for purposes such as being able to access quality products and services with peace of mind.
METI has been establishing new standards or revising existing ones for the JIS in response to technological advancements, changes in the social environment and other factors, as necessary.
For more information on the JIS, visit the following websites:

For details on the respective JIS, visit the following website (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 for inquiries about the respective JIS

If you wish to inquire about the details regarding the JIS introduced during this establishment and revision, please contact the division in charge shown in Appendix 1 by 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 in the email.

Reference materials

Related website