Japan's land ministry has posted a draft ordinance that would rewrite parts of the Building Standards Act Enforcement Rules, and interested firms have until October 26, 2026 at 5pm to respond. The Housing Bureau's Building Guidance Division is running the consultation under case number 155260722, tied to a Cabinet Order (No. 284 of 2026) that already amended the underlying enforcement order.
The bigger change for industry is a new "structural type certification" inside the existing type-conformity system, sitting alongside the current whole-building and equipment-excluded certification tracks. That category was created by the companion Cabinet Order; the draft ordinance's job is to add the matching paperwork in the enforcement rules. Builders using parts approved under this new category would have to submit extra documentation on equipment loads when filing for building confirmation, but the rule also removes certain paperwork they would otherwise need to submit for those same certified parts. Manufacturers of load-bearing structural materials and materials designated under Article 37 of the Building Standards Act could newly seek certification under the existing type-component manufacturer certification system, extending a status that already covers other building parts.
A second, narrower change trims daylighting rules. Certain senior day-service centers, limited to first-category day-service operations under the elderly welfare law, would be excluded from the daylighting standard that currently applies to child welfare facility rooms; which facilities qualify is to be spelled out in a later ministry notification. Builders of those facilities would need to submit new documents at the confirmation stage proving eligibility for the exclusion.
Both changes are scheduled for promulgation at the end of October 2026 and take effect November 1, 2026, the same day as the underlying Cabinet Order. The draft remains a public-comment proposal, not a finalized ordinance. Two follow-on ministry notifications are still pending: one to specify which senior day-service centers qualify for the daylighting exclusion, and one to set the exact documents required for structural-certification submissions.