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  5. 21st Northeast Asia Standards Cooperation (NEAS) Forum Held in Tokyo

21st Northeast Asia Standards Cooperation (NEAS) Forum Held in Tokyo

- Promoting Cooperation in International Standardization between Japan, China, and the ROK -

July 27, 2023

From July 24 (Mon.) to 26 (Wed.), 2023, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) held the 21st Northeast Asia Standards Cooperation (NEAS) Forum in Tokyo. About 150 stakeholders in the field of standardization participated in the forum from national standardization bodies, standard associations, and other organizations in Japan, China, and the Republic of Korea (ROK). They exchanged information on policies and activities for standardization and delivered presentation on proposals for trilateral cooperation in developing international standards.

Overview of the forum

From July 24 (Mon.) to 26 (Wed.), 2023, the 21st NEAS Forum was held at Toshi Center Hotel in Tokyo. It was hosted by the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC), whose secretariat is served by METI. About 150 stakeholders in the field of standardization participated in the forum in person or online from national standardization bodies, standard associations, and other organizations, including experts of standardization in the private sector, in Japan, China, and the ROK. They exchanged information on policies and activities for standardization in the three countries. In addition, the representatives of the Central Secretariat of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Asia-Pacific Regional Center of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) participated in the forum as well, and delivered speeches on their policies for regional commitment in the Asia region.

Moreover, participants held discussions on proposals for the three countries to jointly cooperate in developing international standards for some specific fields. Japan proposed cooperation in developing international standards concerning “international standardization to ensure ergonomic safety and comfort” and a “testing method of K-value as a freshness index for fish”. If the three countries agree on cooperation for these proposals at a later date, they will establish working groups respectively for each proposal consisting of experts in these countries and start collaborative activities.

Along with the convening of the NEAS Forum, a Japan-China-ROK trilateral meeting, a Japan-China bilateral meeting, and a Japan-ROK bilateral meeting were held between the governments. In addition, the Japan-China-ROK Joint Young Professionals Program (a program for fostering young human resources in the field of standards) was held back-to-back with the NEAS Forum for the first time.

METI expects that standardization cooperation in the Northeast Asia region will be facilitated through activities under the NEAS Forum, thereby contributing to progress in international standardization activities.

Note: Northeast Asia Standards Cooperation (NEAS) Forum
NEAS Forum was initiated in 2002 aiming to promote cooperation, information exchange, and joint proposal of standards as part of the standardization activities among Japan, China, and the ROK. Its secretariats are served by the national standardization bodies (i.e., JISC, the Standardization Administration of China, and the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards) and the standards associations in the three countries. The forum is held once a year in each country on a rotating basis. The 2023 forum was hosted by Japan and was held in person for the first time in four years.

Division in Charge

Technical Regulations, Standards and Conformity Assessment Policy Division, Industrial Science, Technology and Environment Policy Bureau