Recent Activities

Development, revision and withdrawal of JIS

Based on JISC recommendations, 129 new standards were published, 336 standards were revised, 75 standards were withdrawn and 2,057 standards were confirmed in 2020FY. As of March 31, 2021, there are 10,912 active JIS.

Harmonization of JIS with international standards

Japan has stepped up efforts to harmonize JIS with international standards since the World Trade Organization (WTO)/Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) came into force in January 1995.

Consistency between JIS and International Standards
Total number of JIS	10,912 standards
Number of JIS with corresponding international standards	6,321 standards
JIS identical to international standards (IDT)	38%
JIS modified from international standards (MOD)	59%
JIS not equivalent to international standards (NEQ)	3%

(Figures as of Mar. 31, 2021)
(Note 1)
The degree of correspondence of the standards with international standards (IDT, MOD, NEQ) is in accordance with the definition of ISO/IEC Guide 21-1.
(Note 2)
The rate of harmonization is measured based on the "percentage of JIS with corresponding international standards."

References to JIS in technical regulations

As of March 31, 2021, there are 7,477 citations of JIS in 205 Japanese laws and regulations.

Major Japanese laws and regulations referencing JIS
Name of laws and regulations	Number of JIS References
Act on Securing Quality, Efficacy and Safety of Products including Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices (former Pharmaceutical Affairs Act)	1,330
Fire Service Act	650
Building Standards Act	638
Industrial Safety and Health Act	476
Measurement Act	469
Act on Safety Assurance and Quality Improvement of Feeds	292

(Note) In addition to the above, there are approximately 330 (as of Jan. 1, 2021) references to JIS in notifications under the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act.