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

1. Outline of the JIS

The JIS are a collection of national standards under the Industrial Standardization Act (JIS Act) that stipulate the types, quality and performance of products, data, services, and so forth, as well as test or assessment methods for ascertaining these types and quality.

Producers and service providers make use of JIS for the purpose of producing and providing quality products and services, while consumers and other product users make use of JIS to access quality products and services.

Related ministries and agencies have been establishing new standards or revising the existing ones in response to technological advancements, changes in social environments and other factors as necessary.

The establishment and revision of JIS is conducted by the competent ministers, including the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, through discussions by the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC).¹ (Regarding a proposal for establishing a new JIS or revising the existing one, which is to be prepared by an Accredited Standards Developing Organization,² the competent minister may swiftly establish or revise the JIS without holding discussions at JISC.)

Notes:

1. JISC is a committee established by METI under the JIS Act.
2. Accredited Standards Developing Organization is a private body who are accredited as having expertise in developing JIS by the relevant Minister.

2. Outline of the new establishment and revision of JIS

In October 2023, METI newly established 3 standards and revised 7 standards.
All standards were established or revised through discussions by JISC this month (see Appendix 1).
METI hereby introduces two of the standards established or revised this month.

The JIS shown in Item (2) below was established taking advantage of the Standardization System for Cultivating New Markets.

• For an outline of this system, visit the website here. (in Japanese)

(1) Establishment of the JIS for screws for timber structure (JIS A 5559)

Toward the realization of a decarbonized society, buildings of wood construction, which have not been widely introduced, are expected to disseminate. However, ensuring the strength and durability of joints of wooden components is a challenge in achieving this goal.

Screws for timber structures are metal screws that directly connect wooden components together. Compared to nails, bolts, and other hardware, they offer higher joint strength, lower cost, and a greater degree of freedom in construction. However, it is a challenge that many tests and procedures are required to prove the safety of the joints.

METI hereby announces that a JIS was established to stipulate the quality and test methods for performance such as earthquake resistance of screws for timber structures. This establishment is expected to contribute to eliminating inferior products, shortening construction periods, and thereby improving trust from architects, contractors, and other stakeholders. Moreover, it is expected to disseminate more reliable wooden buildings at lower cost (Appendix 2).

(2) Establishment of the JIS for test methods for evaluating performance of measuring instruments to ascertain the deterioration levels of generators, machine tools, etc. (JIS B 9947)

In the regular maintenance and inspection of generators, machine tools, etc., the lubricating oil in use is often contaminated by metal and other particles occurred by machine wear or immixture of contaminants from the outside of machine. The oil in use is therefore necessary to be measured its contamination levels to ascertain the deterioration levels of such machines. In recent years, measuring instruments (counters for identifying air bubbles and particles in liquid) have been developed. The instruments feature the measuring capability for counting the particles in lubricating oil without removing air bubbles, and this feature brings more accurate maintenance and inspection to maintenance operators.

METI hereby announces that test methods were created for evaluating performance of measuring instruments to objectively demonstrate the reliability and effectiveness of the instruments and that a JIS for the test methods was established as JIS B9947. The dissemination of the measuring instruments having performance backed by the JIS is expected to enable the avoidance of shutting down critical infrastructure facilities, including power plants, or production facilities in machine manufacturing plants, Moreover, the instruments are also expected to ascertain the condition of such machines before they break down, thereby improving the operating rates and extending the life of such facilities (Appendix 3).

3. 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.

4. Past news releases

• For past news releases related to the establishment and revision of JIS, visit this website.

Related Links

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

• For details on the respective JIS, visit here : Search for JIS (in Japanese)

Related Materials

• Appendix 1: List of Newly Established and Revised JIS Publicly Notified on October 20, 2023(PDF:36KB)

Divisions in Charge

• Information on this press release:

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

• Information on the standards:

  International Standardization Division, Industrial Science, Technology and Environment Policy Bureau