Japan and Singapore Sign IoT Security Mutual Recognition MoU

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency (CSA) signed a memorandum of cooperation covering cybersecurity schemes for IoT products. Japan’s JC-STAR is a security requirements conformity assessment and labeling scheme, while Singapore’s CLS is the Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme; the framework treats certain technical criteria under the two schemes as mutually equivalent.

The memorandum was signed on March 18, 2026, and operations under the mutual recognition arrangement are scheduled to begin on June 1, 2026. It is positioned as the second mutual recognition arrangement following mutual recognition with the United Kingdom’s PSTI Act.

This international cooperation uses overlapping standards between the schemes to promote IoT product security measures in both countries.

Manufacturers are expected to benefit from reduced burdens in using the schemes because conformity verification procedures will be waived for requirements recognized as equivalent between JC-STAR★1 and CLS Level 1.

IPA plans to promote the wider adoption of IoT products with appropriate security measures and advance cooperation with other countries that have similar schemes.

However, specific conformity certification methods and operations for manufacturers have not yet been finalized, and the procedures required for actual applications and certification will depend on information to be announced later.

Under mutual recognition, requirements regarded as equivalent among the CLS Level 1 security requirements and the JC-STAR★1 security requirements will be recognized, and conformity verification procedures will be waived. In addition, when obtaining CLS Level 2 or higher or JC-STAR★2 or higher, the same requirements deemed equivalent between CLS Level 1 and JC-STAR★1 will also be eligible for exemption.

The background includes an increase in cyberattacks targeting IoT devices and the exploitation of vulnerabilities. Since 2020, countries have introduced or considered security labeling schemes for IoT products. In Japan, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry published a scheme development policy in August 2024, and IPA has operated JC-STAR since 2025, accepting applications for ★1.

Singapore was an early global pioneer in launching the CLS security labeling scheme for IoT products and played a leading role in launching GCLI, an international assessment framework, in October 2025.

Going forward, specific conformity certification methods and operations for manufacturers will be decided in consultation with the Singapore government and published on the IPA website once determined. IPA will also work with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to advance information sharing with relevant organizations toward mutual recognition with countries other than the United Kingdom and Singapore that have similar schemes.