AS9100 certification in Japan

AS9100 certification in Japan at a glance

JAQG, the aerospace quality centre of the Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies, runs the JIS Q 9100 certification system in Japan and publishes the 9100-series guidance documents, supply chain handbook translations and Japanese versions of Nadcap audit criteria that suppliers work from. JIS Q 9100 is Japan's edition of the 9100 aerospace quality management standard, so a supplier certified under it appears, like any 9100 holder, in the IAQG's OASIS database that aerospace primes use to check their supply chains. Certificates are issued by certification bodies operating under IAQG rules with the relevant accreditation, after audits that probe configuration management, first article inspection, counterfeit-part prevention and special-process control. Suppliers moving into aerospace from automotive or general industrial work usually start from an ISO 9001 base. Sterling's Tokyo office builds the 9100 system around the supplier's products and customer requirements, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included in the engagement.

Who needs AS9100 in Japan, and what happens without it

In Japan the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• Aerospace parts and assembly suppliersJAQG runs the JIS Q 9100 certification system for the Japanese aerospace industry.
• Special-process suppliers (heat treatment, NDT, coatings)JAQG publishes Japanese translations of Nadcap audit criteria alongside 9100 documents.
• Manufacturers moving from automotive or industrial work into aerospaceAerospace primes check supplier 9100 certification in OASIS.

AS9100 requirements in Japan

Strip away the vocabulary and AS9100 asks a supplier to prove six things about delivering aerospace products safely and on time.

In Japan these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: AS9100 explained →

How to get AS9100 certified in Japan

One team from the Tokyo office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Nationwide from the Tokyo office, on-site where the scope requires; remote delivery for distributed teams.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against AS9100 and the Japanese requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

How long does AS9100 certification take in Japan?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Japan these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Product and process complexity, including special processes
• Configuration management and first article inspection maturity
• Customer-specific requirements from aerospace primes

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does AS9100 certification cost in Japan?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In Japan these factors move both.

• Number of sites and product lines
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting
• Special-process controls and Nadcap alignment

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

AS9100 consultants and certification bodies in Japan

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers AS9100 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Japan are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

AS9100 in Japan: questions clients ask

More on AS9100 for Japanese organisations

• AS9100: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement AS9100
• Sterling in Tokyo
• AS9100 certification in Japan and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Japanese businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Japan often combine AS9100 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 21 standards Sterling delivers in Japan →