In November 2008, JAB marked its 15th anniversary since establishment.
In September 2008, all certification bodies completed transition to the newly established ISO/IEC 17021 standard. JAB used this opportunity to reconfirm its determination to continue making efforts to further improve the quality of certification of organizations (companies, etc.), and to work towards enhancing confidence in its certification schemes.
Regarding Management System (MS) accreditation, the number of ISO 9001 certifications peaked and began to decline, while the number of ISO 14001 certifications plateaued. In the current economic climate, it is difficult to expect these numbers to pick up again anytime soon, which puts business in a very difficult situation. To make the situation worse, misconduct by certified organizations continues to be reported too often to leave unnoticed, and JAB considers these cases a threat to the credibility of third-party management system conformity assessment schemes. In July 2008, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry published "Guidelines for ensuring the credibility of the certification programs of management system standards". In response to this, JAB is determined to step up its efforts as an accreditation body and take a central role in securing confidence in the conformity assessment schemes, including the implementation of action plans devised in cooperation with certification bodies.
Moving on to the subject of Laboratory Accreditation fields, the medical laboratory accreditation service started up smoothly, and this, together with an increase in the number of accredited laboratories mainly in the chemical field, has lead to a continuation of the general trend towards a sound level of operating revenue. Regarding new business, the Food Safety Management System accreditation and certification scheme (FSMS: ISO 22000) is starting up satisfactorily, and some expansion can be expected in the future. Although still at the research stage, there are many initiatives being undertaken to create new certification schemes in various fields, such as the verification of greenhouse gases, Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) Management System, Business Continuity Management System (BCM) and product certification for market research services. JAB will continue taking appropriate actions with the aim of launching new business ventures that meet current global and social needs.
On the other hand, although there are some potentially promising areas in personnel certification, product certification, and inspection bodies, etc., very few have reached the stage of being granted accreditation.
JAB will continue to encourage activities in these areas at every opportunity.
Under the present circumstances, JAB will endeavor to fulfill its missions in order to help the Japanese economy and society advance. We hope to continue our current relationship of support and cooperation in the future.
