Comprehensive Review of Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS)

1. Background

JIS is a set of national standards for mineral and industrial products, data, and services in Japan, established under the Industrial Standardization Act, commonly known as the JIS Act. JIS serves as the foundation for domestic market transactions and is widely effective in ensuring product quality and standardizing specifications.

The New International Standards Strategy, formulated by the Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters in June 2025, states that government authorities should monitor the use of standards in public procurement based on the JIS Act’s provision requiring due regard to be given to JIS.¹ In the same month, METI and the Basic Policy Board of the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee （JISC）set forth in the Deployment of New Standards and Conformity Assessment Policies—Japan’s Standardization Acceleration Model 2025 that standards should be more proactively utilized in public procurement.

In view of these moves, METI plans to comprehensively review approximately 11,000 JIS (as of the end of March 2025) in existence. Specifically, METI will conduct exhaustive research on how each JIS standard is used in public procurement, identify standards that can be effectively applied in public procurement, and take concrete actions. The Secretariat of the Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters, Cabinet Office, will also support the use of JIS in public procurement.

(Reference) Summary for Comprehensive Economic Measures to Build a “Strong Japanese Economy” (Cabinet decision dated November 21, 2025) (Excerpt) The Government of Japan will advance the development of facilities for certification in strategically important technology fields. While considering the possibility of utilizing policy finance, the Government of Japan will strengthen domestic certification bodies through closer collaboration with foreign certification bodies, and reinforce the incorporation of JIS into public procurement based on the comprehensive review of JIS, with the aim of leveraging standards to develop and secure both domestic and overseas markets.

2. Details of the comprehensive review of JIS

(1) Exhaustive assessment of JIS

METI reviews JIS standards established, confirmed, and revised under the JIS Act every five years to ensure they remain appropriate. Approximately 2,200 standards are reviewed annually to complete a full cycle every five years. Based on the findings, necessary measures are taken, including revising or withdrawing certain standards.²

Starting this fiscal year’s JIS review, METI revised its survey form to monitor how JIS is used in public procurement and other areas more comprehensively. By drawing on survey results, METI will assess all JIS standards over the course of five years. While revising or withdrawing certain standards based on review results, METI will also take steps to incorporate specific JIS standards into public procurement procedures in cooperation with certain ministries, if it is deemed effective to do so.

(2) Advancing JIS incorporation into public procurement for identified areas

In parallel with the review described in (1) above, METI will start incorporating the three JIS standards listed below into public procurement procedures ahead of other standards. These three areas have been deemed effective for utilization in public procurement based on needs voiced by the industrial community and consumers. The Secretariat of the Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters, Cabinet Office, along with other ministries and agencies, will also cooperate with the initiative. Regarding JIS standards with additional identified needs, phased actions will also be implemented in advance, without waiting for the research findings and validations under (1).

Robot-related JIS

Robots and robotic devices—Safety requirements for personal care robots
JIS B 8445 (ISO 13482: identical)

Healthcare-related JIS

Electronic wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index meter
JIS B 7922 (ISO: none)

Service-related JIS

Translation services—Requirements for translation services
JIS Y 17100 (ISO 17100: identical)

3. Incorporation of JIS into public procurement

In incorporating JIS into public procurement, the following methods, for example, may be adopted, assuming that procurement rules, including those that ensure competitive conditions, are followed.

In procurement specifications:

• Include compliance with JIS (self-declared conformity)
• Include compliance with JIS, and, as a factor for consideration, third-party certification (e.g., JIS Mark certification, industry self-certification)
• Include compliance with JIS, and mandatory future acquisition of JIS mark certification
• Include mandatory acquisition of JIS Mark certification

METI will collaborate with the Secretariat of the Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters, Cabinet Office, and other ministries to discuss and clarify which JIS standards should be incorporated into public procurement procedures and how to do so, taking into account each JIS standard’s usage, the actual market situation, related procurement rules, and other factors.

Related provisions

1. Article 69 of the JIS Act stipulates as follows: “The national government and local governments must respect Japanese Industrial Standards when specifying technical requirements in mining or industry, when determining the specifications of products to be purchased and when specifying criteria relating to the matters set forth in the item (i) through item (xv) of Article 2, paragraph (1) in otherwise performing administrative work.”
2. Article 17 of the JIS Act stipulates as follows: “On or before the day on which five years have passed from the date on which the competent minister established, confirmed, or revised an industrial standard pursuant to the provisions of Article 11 (including as cases applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to the provisions of in Article 16), the minister must have the Committee deliberate on whether or not the industrial standards remains appropriate, and must promptly confirm the deliberations, and revise or withdraw that industrial standard if it is recognized necessary.”

Divisions in Charge

• International Standardization Division, Innovation and Environment Policy Bureau

• Standards and Conformity Assessment Policy Division, Innovation and Environment Policy Bureau

• Secretariat of Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters, Cabinet Office