ISO 22301 certification in Japan

ISO 22301 certification in Japan at a glance

The Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act defines disasters to include storms, heavy rain, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, and the Cabinet Office's Business Continuity Guidelines, revised in March 2023, build corporate continuity planning around that exposure. The guidelines list ISO 22301 among their references but say plainly that they are not intended to set out the necessary and sufficient conditions for ISO 22301 certification; an organisation seeking a certificate works to the standard's own requirements. Financial institutions carry a further expectation from the Financial Services Agency's 2024 cybersecurity guidelines, which call for incident response and contingency plans. Certification is granted by a certification body accredited for business continuity management systems, for example by ISMS-AC, after audits that test the business impact analysis, continuity strategies and exercise results. Sterling's Tokyo office turns an existing disaster plan into a certifiable management system, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included in the engagement.

Who needs ISO 22301 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.

• Businesses planning for earthquakes, storms and other disastersThe Cabinet Office Business Continuity Guidelines set the national reference for corporate continuity planning.
• Financial institutions and their critical third partiesThe FSA cybersecurity guidelines expect incident response and contingency plans.
• IT and cloud providers to government and financeCustomers ask for assured continuity of hosted services.
• Manufacturers in supply chains with continuity clausesBuyers ask suppliers to evidence continuity arrangements.

ISO 22301 requirements in Japan

Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22301 requires a company to prove six things about how it keeps operating when something goes wrong.

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: ISO 22301 explained →

• ISO 22301 requirements, clause by clause in plain language
• The documents ISO 22301 expects

How to get ISO 22301 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 ISO 22301 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.

• The ISO 22301 certification process, step by step
• ISO 22301 internal audit

How long does ISO 22301 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.

• Number of sites and critical activities in scope
• Business impact analysis and risk assessment for natural hazards
• Exercise and test results available before stage 2
• Certification body scheduling around Japanese holiday periods

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

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does ISO 22301 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 critical products and services
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting
• Exercise programme and alternate-site arrangements
• Integration with ISO/IEC 27001 or ISO/IEC 20000-1

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

• What makes up the cost of ISO 22301

ISO 22301 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 ISO 22301 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.

ISO 22301 in Japan: questions clients ask

More on ISO 22301 for Japanese organisations

• ISO 22301: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement ISO 22301
• Sterling in Tokyo
• ISO 22301 certification in Japan and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Japanese businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Japan often combine ISO 22301 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 21 standards Sterling delivers in Japan →