Standards in Japan are the responsibility of the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee. JISC is a grouping of national committees, under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

There are several accreditation bodies: the principal ones are the Japan Accreditation System for Product Certification Bodies of JIS Mark (JASC), International Accreditation Japan (IAJapan), and the Japan Accreditation Board for Conformity Assessment (JAB). JASC is active in certification, IAJapan in laboratory accreditation, and JAB in both areas. JASC is a committee under JISC. IAJapan was established in 2003, operated by the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation. JAB is a private non-profit foundation established in 1993 on the recommendation of JISC.

Legal metrology is the responsibility of the National Measurement Institute of Japan. NMIJ AIST operates as part the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).

NMIJ AIST is also the principal national measurement institute, active in all the technical areas recognised by BIPM. Limited national metrological activities are carried out at other institutes, listed in the table below.