In 2008 DSRI (The Distribution Systems Research Institute) celebrates its 35th anniversary, while GS1 Japan commemorates its 30th since establishment.
After the establishment of GS1, we changed the name of DCC-Japan to GS1 Japan in January 2005. We created EPCglobal Japan within DSRI in January 2004.

For details on the 30-year history of GS1 Japan, see the chronology at the end of this publication.

Here are highlights of the present status of the GS1 Standard in Japan:

The registration of GS1 Company Prefixes continues to increase with food products accounting for the largest share. In addition, businesses and individuals registering for online distribution of music products and sales promotion of products on the Internet have been on the rise recently.

Interest in the GS1 Standard is increasing in the healthcare industry, too, mainly to ensure the safety of patients, and some hospitals have started introducing the GS1 Standard system. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare strongly recommends the use of the GS1DataBar for patient safety infrastructure. With these developments in the background, a GS1 healthcare conference will be held in Tokyo in October 2008.

In FY 2003, EPCglobal Japan began supporting RFID pilots by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). In FY 2007, seven projects, including those in book publishing, healthcare, aircraft manufacture and international transportation and logistics were undertaken, and EPC tag were used in some of these projects.

Interest in food security and safety has been growing mainly in the processed food industry, along with an increasing need for systems for managing best-before dates and achieving traceability. Thus the use of GS1- 128 for meat products has been spreading and, at METI's request, GS1 Japan has started studying the use of the GS1 DataBar in the retail industry.

Registrations in the Japan Item Code File Service/Integrated Flexible DataBase (JICFS/IFDB), the product database
GS1 Japan constructed about 20 years ago, have reached some 4 million items by making joint use of
databases for each domestic industry.

Ryutsu POS Database Service (RDS), a system created for the effective use of POS data, collects data from
about 400 stores and provides not only manufacturers but also retailers with comparative information about
competitors on its website.

GS1 Japan will strive further to encourage the wider adoption of the GS1 Standard in Japan and would like to
contribute to the creation of mechanisms for supplying products to consumers on a timely basis, at low cost,
and with safety, while enabling various industries to achieve more efficient and safer distribution. We will also
promote the effective use of the GS1 Standard to revitalize small and medium businesses here in Japan, where
the ratio of such companies is particularly high.
In addition, we will work to strengthen and increase our communications with GS1 member organizations
and organizations related to standardization.