Belue Creative Launches JC-STAR ★3 (Level 3) Conformity Assessment and Certification Support Service

Belue Creative Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Toshiro Owada; hereinafter, "the Company") announces the commencement of its "JC-STAR ★3 (Level 3) Conformity Assessment and Certification Support Service" for companies aiming to acquire ★3 (Level 3) certification under the "Security Requirement Conformity Assessment and Labeling Scheme based on Japan Cyber-Security Technical Assessment Requirements" (hereinafter, "JC-STAR") operated by the Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA).

---

## Background
In recent years, with the widespread adoption of IoT products, various devices are connected to networks in homes, businesses, and social infrastructure, leading to improved convenience and efficiency.

On the other hand, with the increase in IoT products, the risk of cyberattacks is also rising, making product-level security assurance a critical issue. In response to this situation, Japan has developed JC-STAR as a labeling scheme to visualize conformity to security requirements for IoT products.

JC-STAR defines conformity labels according to the security level of products, and applications for ★1 (Level 1) have been accepted since March 2025. While ★1 can be acquired through self-declaration of conformity by manufacturers, ★3 (Level 3), scheduled to begin accepting applications in the future, requires conformity to more advanced security requirements and necessitates a third-party evaluation by a JC-STAR assessment body.

Furthermore, for ★3 target products, acceptance for communication devices and network cameras is currently planned, and specialized security knowledge and testing environments are expected to be required for evaluation.

Given these circumstances, the Company will provide services to support efforts towards acquiring JC-STAR ★3.

Figure 1: JC-STAR Conformity Standard Classification

---

## Service Overview
This service supports companies aiming to acquire the ★3 (Level 3) conformity label under the IoT product security conformity labeling scheme "JC-STAR" by assisting with necessary preparations and pre-assessment responses. Leveraging its expertise as a JC-STAR verification provider, the Company will support companies in their pre-checks and application preparations for undergoing JC-STAR ★3 conformity assessment.

This will enable a smooth assessment process.

Specifically, it involves document reviews and practical tests to understand the conformity status of the products to be assessed, as well as organizing the interpretation of assessment requirements and designing processes.

Additionally, the service comprehensively supports a series of responses from application preparation to assessment completion, including QA support for conformity assessment by the assessment body.

As shown in Figure 2 below, we will provide phase-by-phase support aligned with the timeline.

Figure 2: Overall Image of JC-STAR ★3 Certification and Label Acquisition Support ※1

※1: The scope of support for each task will be determined through individual consultation.
Please note that as of March 19, 2026, the "★3 (Level 3) Assessment Guide" has not yet been issued, so the scope may change after consultation.
※2: Document reviews and practical tests will be conducted based on security requirements ★3.
※3: Process design will be limited to items where processes are defined in security requirements ★3.
※4: The development and maintenance process setup and operation cover the entire embedded software development and maintenance process, including those not defined as security requirements ★3. The implementation period can be at any time.

The overall image from the application preparation phase to the application phase and JC-STAR ★3 (Level 3) acquisition is as follows. It shows the scope of support in this service and the overall process including the assessment body and certification body.

Figure 3: Image of JC-STAR ★3 Acquisition

※ The Company supports application preparation and pre-assessment responses as a JC-STAR verification provider.
※ Conformity assessment is conducted by JC-STAR assessment bodies, and certification is performed by IPA.

---

## Belue Creative Inc.'s Initiatives
As a specialized company supporting the security assurance of IoT products, we will contribute to improving IoT product security in Japan and realizing a safe digital society through our support for the JC-STAR system.

### Inquiries regarding this matter
Belue Creative Inc.
TEL: 03-6206-2066
Email: info@belue-c.jp
URL: https://belue-c.jp/
Head Office Location: Jinno Bldg 4F, 2-1-8 Nihonbashi Horidomecho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

### About Belue Creative Inc.
Belue Creative Inc. is a group of information security professionals that globally provides advanced information security services (security diagnostics, penetration tests, etc.) and information security consulting leveraging its high-level technical expertise. We have sincerely pursued customer satisfaction in vulnerability diagnostics, achieving over 12,000 systems cumulatively.

Our strength lies in providing end-to-end support from diagnostics to operation according to customer needs, and we develop and offer our unique security service 'SPM (Secure Package Management Service) ※5'.

Head Office Location: Jinno Bldg 4F, 2-1-8 Nihonbashi Horidomecho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

※5: The security service 'SPM (Secure Package Management Service)' is a next-generation, purely domestic vulnerability diagnostic solution that can detect vulnerabilities not discoverable by traditional platform diagnostics.
※ Company names, product names, and service names mentioned in this press release are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Company or their respective companies and organizations.