Protecting Lives Without Language Barriers: JSA Revises JIS for Disaster Evacuation Guidance Signs

The Japanese Standards Association (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Hiroshi Asahi) issued a revised Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) regarding the 'Natural disaster safety way guidance system' on March 23, 2026.

This revision aims for consistency with the Japan-led international standard (ISO 22578) and integrates a separate standard specifically for tsunami evacuation (JIS Z 9097), while newly adding volcanic eruptions and earthquakes to its scope. The goal is to realize a society where everyone can instantly grasp evacuation routes even in situations where language is not understood or in the darkness of night.

### [Background of Revision] In recent years, extreme weather and mega-disasters have occurred frequently on a global scale. Based on lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake, Japan built an evacuation guidance sign system to quickly guide people to safety using pictograms rather than words, establishing JIS Z 9098 in 2016. This Japanese-born standard gained international recognition and was issued as the international standard ISO 22578 in 2022. This revision aims to increase alignment with this international standard and ensure more reliable signage operation within Japan.

### [Main Points of Revision]

**1. Expansion of Scope and Integration of Standards:** The tsunami evacuation guidance sign system, previously a separate standard (JIS Z 9097), has been integrated to ensure consistent and easy-to-understand operation as a comprehensive disaster evacuation guidance sign system. Responding to recent needs, 'Volcanic Eruption' and 'Earthquake' have been added to the scope, introducing a new pictogram for 'Cinder Shelter (Evacuation Trench)' to protect lives from falling volcanic rocks.

**2. Unification of Evacuation Guidance Sign Systems by Disaster Type:** The system consists of four types of signs. Previously, configurations and installation examples were specified for each type of natural disaster, leading to many redundancies. To resolve these overlaps and clearly express requirements for each sign, the constituent requirements common to all disaster types have been unified and standardized.

**3. Display Method for Suitability Marks:** Regarding suitability marks ('O' or 'X' marks) that indicate whether an evacuation site is appropriate for a specific disaster, color-coding into green (O) and red (X) is now permitted, taking into account cultural differences.

### [Expected Effects] By popularizing this standard in municipalities and facilities nationwide, 'seamless guidance' corresponding to the type of disaster becomes possible. As the number of foreign visitors to Japan increases, it is expected to promote rapid evacuation actions beyond language barriers.