A first empirical analysis of JIS lifespan

— Implications for the review system of de jure standards —

Abstract

In this study, we normatively discuss the road map scenario to improve the management system of standards and then to improve the national innovation system. In AIST, there are many research projects of standards’ generation, but the research about the management of established standards is rare. For this purpose, factors related to the lifespan of de jure standards are examined. We especially focus on the effect of technological categories of standards on lifespans. Under the system used by the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee, the review period for standards is five years, and it has not been changed for several decades. The system of ISO has been in the same situation for several decades as that of Japan Industrial Standards (JIS). By using the record of about 4500 JIS standards, the de jure standards of some industrial technology areas are shown to have a tendency toward longer lifespans. Depending on the obtained study results, we proposed a road map scenario to improve the national innovation system through the management of standards, which incurs less administrative costs and makes timely market creation.