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

In August 2022, METI established 8 new standards and revised 25 existing ones. Of these, METI believes that the following new and revised standards are especially important.
Among these standards, there are 8 established standards and 10 revised standards submitted by the Japanese Standards Association (JSA), an accredited standards developing organization (see Appendix 1).

1. Establishment of JIS for EPUB accessibility-conformance and discoverability requirements for EPUB publications

A Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS X 23761) has been established to evaluate the accessibility of electronic publications that can be read even by people who cannot read printed books. This JIS was established in order to ensure consistency with the corresponding international standard (ISO/IEC 23761) which was standardized based on a proposal by Japan.
This establishment is expected to make it easy for people who cannot read printed books due to certain reasons (e.g., visual or developmental disabilities) to obtain electronic publications that are accessible to them.

2. Revision of the JIS for conservation of toilet water

Efficient use of water—a valuable resource—is a global trend. An international standard has been established for conserving water when flushing toilets. METI has now revised the JIS to standardize the classification of amounts of water saved when flushing toilets (urinals) and methods of testing their water-conserving performance.
It is expected that by clarifying the classifications of water quantities used for flushing and unifying the testing methods, it will be possible to create guides for selecting water-conserving products, disseminate the said products, and therefore reduce the quantities of water consumed. In addition, it is expected that the spread of Japanese products that are both excellent in water conservation and hygiene will be promoted through cooperation in developing overseas national standards based on this JIS, thereby leading to global contribution of sustainable use of water.

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, doing so as necessary.
For more information on the JIS, visit the following websites:

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

For details on the respective JIS, visit the following website (in Japanese).

• Search for JISLink

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 this time, please contact the division in charge shown in Appendix 1 (International Electrotechnology Standardization Division for 1 and International Standardization Division for 2) by email. When sending an 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.

• Appendix 1: List of Newly Established and Revised JIS Publicly Notified on August 22, 2022(PDF:116KB)PDF

• Division in charge

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

• Regarding the standards

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