JASTI: Japanese Audit Standard for the Textile Industry

From September 2023, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry launched the Study Group on the Strategy for Forming Rules for Responsible Business Conduct in the Textile Industry and held discussions through the working group examining the development of JASTI and other bodies. Based on international certifications and the realities of Japan’s textile industry, it examined audit requirements, evaluation criteria, and the operational framework for a third-party audit system.

JASTI was established following the Textile Industry Subcommittee of the Manufacturing Industries Subdivision of the Industrial Structure Council held on March 19, 2025.

Textile companies accepting specified skilled workers are subject to the additional requirement that they conduct business in compliance with international human rights standards, and third-party audits based on JASTI have been added as one of the applicable certifications and audits. The audits aim to raise awareness of and strengthen human rights initiatives in Japan’s textile industry.

JASTI incorporates the ILO’s core labor standards and covers the minimum requirements that small and medium-sized enterprises and others must comply with, focusing primarily on social and human rights matters. In addition to domestic laws and regulations, it includes policy development, organizational framework building, and other elements.

The judgment criteria for third-party audits are divided between initial audits and audits from the second onward, encouraging ease of implementation and continuous improvement. Audits are conducted through document-based and on-site reviews by audit organizations approved by the designated audit organization secretariat designated by the Japan Textile Federation.

The designated audit organization secretariat will begin operations on April 1 through the Human Rights Due Diligence Promotion Consortium, while the Japan Federation of Social Insurance and Labor Consultant Associations is scheduled to begin operations in July. The federation will begin providing pre-audit consulting and post-audit follow-up support in April.