The Measurement Act is a law that aims to establish standards for measurement, ensure the proper implementation of measurements, and thereby contribute to economic development and cultural improvement (Article 1 of the Measurement Act).
Under the Measurement Act, measuring instruments used for measurement in trade or certification, or primarily for use in the daily lives of general consumers, that require standards regarding their structure or error to ensure proper measurement are designated as "specified measuring instruments" (Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the Measurement Act).
The following 18 items are designated as specified measuring instruments: (1) taxi meter, (2) mass meter*, (3) thermometer*, (4) leather area meter, (5) volume meter*, (6) flow meter*, (7) density hydrometer*, (8) aneroid pressure gauge*, (9) flow meter*, (10) total calorimetry*, (11) maximum demand power meter, (12) energy meter, (13) reactive energy meter, (14) illuminance meter, (15) sound level meter, (16) vibration level meter, (17) concentration meter*, and (18) hydrometer* (Article 2 of the Enforcement Order of the Measurement Act). For measuring instruments marked with an asterisk (*), further detailed conditions are specified, so please refer to the Enforcement Order of the Measurement Act for details.
Specified measuring instruments used for trade or certification must have passed "verification" or similar procedures and bear a "verification mark" (Article 16, Paragraph 2, Subparagraph A of the Measurement Act) or a "conformity mark" (Article 16, Paragraph 2, Subparagraph B of the Measurement Act). Furthermore, for specified measuring instruments for which it is deemed appropriate to set an expiration date, an expiration date is set for the verification mark, etc. (Article 18 of the Enforcement Order of the Measurement Act and Appendix 3 of the Enforcement Order of the Measurement Act). The expiration date of the verification mark varies depending on the specified measuring instrument: 5 years for sound level meters, 6 years for vibration level meters, and 2 to 10 years for other specified measuring instruments.
The conditions for passing the inspection of specified measuring instruments are stipulated in each item of Article 71 of the Measurement Law. Of these, the "technical standards," "inspection tolerances," and methods for verifying them are defined in the "Regulations for the Inspection and Verification of Specified Measuring Instruments." Chapter 1 of the Regulations for the Inspection and Verification of Specified Measuring Instruments is the general provisions, and Chapters 2 and beyond define the technical standards, inspection tolerances, etc., for each specified measuring instrument.
The Regulations for the Verification and Inspection of Specified Measuring Instruments are being revised to cite Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS), but technical standards and verification tolerances for sound level meters, vibration level meters, etc., are stipulated within these regulations. Sound level meters are covered in Chapter 20 (Articles 814 to 849) of the Regulations for the Verification and Inspection of Specified Measuring Instruments, and vibration level meters are covered in Chapter 21 (Articles 850 to 881) of the Regulations for the Verification and Inspection of Specified Measuring Instruments.
In future installments, we plan to introduce other laws and regulations related to weighing and measurement.
(Excerpt from the email newsletter issued on August 24, 2011)
