Verified against primary sources as of 21 August 2026. Laws and figures change — confirm current requirements before relying on this page.
Japan: 4 verified country-layer records — legal permit (1), mandatory scheme (3). 3 accreditation bodies are listed for this jurisdiction. Each record below carries its legal instrument, who it binds, and the date it was last verified against its primary source.
- Records
- 4
- Accreditation bodies
- 3
National accreditation
Mandatory and regulatory records
Verified from primary sources, grouped by how binding each one is. None of these is a certificate; each carries the instrument it comes from and the date it was last checked.
Legal permit
How this jurisdiction is structured
Five bodies in the Global ACI registry, not a JAB/IAJapan duo
Japan's entry in the Global ACI Full Members registry lists five institutions: International Accreditation Japan (IAJapan), ISMS Accreditation Center, Japan Accreditation Board (JAB), Japan Accreditation Service for agriculture, forestry and fisheries (JASC), and the Voluntary EMC Laboratory Accreditation Center (VLAC). This hub currently links the three (IAJapan, JAB, VLAC) whose own websites and registries have been independently confirmed; ISMS Accreditation Center and JASC await the same confirmation before they get their own listing.
Official source ↗Last verified:
JAB accredits certification and verification bodies
The Japan Accreditation Board (JAB), a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation since July 2010 under Cabinet Office oversight (founded 1 November 1993), accredits management-system certification bodies, personnel certification bodies, product certification bodies, greenhouse-gas verification/validation bodies, laboratories (including medical laboratories), inspection bodies, reference-material producers and proficiency-testing providers.
Official source ↗Last verified:
IAJapan accredits laboratories under three programmes
International Accreditation Japan (IAJapan) operates under NITE (National Institute of Technology and Evaluation) through its Conformity Assessment Promotion Center, running three programmes: JCSS (calibration laboratory accreditation), JNLA (testing laboratory accreditation) and ASNITE (calibration, testing, reference-material producers, and — unlike the common "labs only" description — product certification bodies as well).
Official source ↗Last verified:
Employer's general duty — Industrial Safety and Health Act
The Industrial Safety and Health Act (Act No. 57 of 1972), Art. 3(1): "The employer shall not only comply with the minimum standards ... but also endeavor to ensure the safety and health of workers." Appointment thresholds (Cabinet Order No. 318 of 1972, cross-checked against the current Japanese text): a health officer and an industrial physician are required once a workplace reaches 50 employees, in any sector; a safety officer is required at 50 employees, but only in the sectors also subject to the general safety and health manager thresholds (100 or 300 employees depending on sector).
Official source ↗Last verified:
Trade & market access
19 agreements
| Agreement | Parties | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASEAN-Japan | ASEAN | In force 2008-12-01 | services entry into force 2020-08-01 |
| Brunei-Japan | Brunei | In force 2008-07-31 | |
| Chile-Japan | Chile | In force 2007-09-03 | |
| CPTPP | 11 members | In force 2018-12-30 | |
| CPTPP - United Kingdom's accession | United Kingdom | In force 2024-12-15 | |
| EU-Japan | European Union | In force 2019-02-01 | |
| India-Japan | India | In force 2011-08-01 | |
| Japan-Australia | Australia | In force 2015-01-15 | |
| Japan-Indonesia | Indonesia | In force 2008-07-01 | |
| Japan-Malaysia | Malaysia | In force 2006-07-13 | |
| Japan-Mexico | Mexico | In force 2005-04-01 | |
| Japan-Mongolia | Mongolia | In force 2016-06-07 | |
| Japan-Peru | Peru | In force 2012-03-01 | |
| Japan-Philippines | Philippines | In force 2008-12-11 | |
| Japan-Singapore | Singapore | In force 2002-11-30 | |
| Japan-Switzerland | Switzerland | In force 2009-09-01 | |
| Japan-Thailand | Thailand | In force 2007-11-01 | |
| Japan-Vietnam | Vietnam | In force 2009-10-01 | |
| United Kingdom-Japan | United Kingdom | In force 2021-01-01 |
WTO Regional Trade Agreements Information System (RTAIS) · retrieved