Toys are the “friends” which children encounter first.
Toys are good friends who shed light on children’s fivesenses and foster their minds.
Toys represent each race and nation and are a measurementof cultural wealth.
By providing enjoyable, safe and affordable toys, we are
creators of culture who grant plenitude and lights to people’s livelihood from babies to the elderly.
Then, we, the people providing toys, promise to contributeto society proudly.

1Japan Toy AssociationChairperson

MICHIHIRO MAEDA

Children are the treasure which is entrusted to us by the future of humanity.
And toys are their friends and treasures which are essential to their growth.
We, at the Japan Toy Association, hope for the healthy development and growth of all children, takepride in engaging in the toy industry, and promote various businesses such as safety ensuring,development of industry, and international ex-change which brings together the power of the industry.
Especially, we conduct the Safety Toy Mark (ST Mark) program in order to ensure the safety ofchildren which is a parent’s greatest concern, whereas we promote “the accessible design toys” inorder to enable handicapped children to enjoy playing with toys with ease.
Intellectual property rights such as copyrights for toys increase value of the toy industry. We will makeefforts to protect intellectual property rights of Japanese toy companies, to eliminate infringing
products, and thus to enhance consumer protection.
Toys have power to directly affect children who are next generation of the society.
We will make it a mission of the JTA to provide gender-neutral toys in order to contribute to empowerchildren who will create a new era.

2NameThe Japan

Location

4-22-4 Higashi-Komagata, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, 130-8611 Japan
Tel.03-3829-2513 Fax.03-3829-2510

Number of173（as of July 1, 2022）

Chairperson

Michihiro Maeda

Foundation

On August 1, 1967
1962
1967
1971
1974
1975
1990
1995
2000
2001
2003
2006

History

2007
2008

2009

March

Started the “Suggestion of Small Convexity”(The promotion project for the universal-use toys)
July
Establishment of the Toy Product Liability Center as well as
Product Liability Mutual Aid ProjectJune
The “Japan Toy Association” merged the “Japan International Toy
Exhibition Association”.
October Started the seminar certifying the qualification of the toy advisers
for department stores.
JulyThe open to the public event “Exhibition of Future Toys” was heldat Pacifico Yokohama.
Resumed the “Open to the Public Event” at the Tokyo Toy Show
JulyOrganized “Japan Pavilion” at Int. Toy Fair Nuremberg
Establishment of “Japan Toy Awards”
Revision of toy regulation in Japan Food Sanitation Law(Enhancement of Designated Toys, Introduction of requirement ofpaint coating, etc.)
December Organized Special PR Event for Christmas season
January Opened “Website to search ST approved toys”.
April
Established “Toy Community Network” for toy specialist shops
FebruaryJune
October20132014
2016

AprilApril
October

2019https://www.toys.or.jp/“Japan International Toy Exhibition Association” was founded.
The first “Japan International Toy Exhibition” was held.
The Japan Toy Association was founded. (Location: Kotobuki Taitoku, Tokyo)
October Safety Toy Mark Program was established
October Toys General Liability Mutual Aid Project was started.
September Participated in the International Council of Toy Industry (ICTI).

October

2018

URLFebruary
October
August2011

2017

Toy Association

Promoted Tohoku Kids Expo at Sendai University

Moved to new legal entity status(general incorporated association)
Hosted ICTI Annual General Meeting in Tokyo
Exhibited the “Accessible design toys" booth at the International
Home Care & Rehabilitation Exhibition
April
Import tariffs for toys were repealed
November The "50th anniversary book of JTA" was publishedMay
Decided the measures to prevent airway obstruction accidents ininfants caused by toys (Revision of Toy Safety Standard)
December The JTA was awarded "Prime Minister's Commendation" for thecontribution of promoting "Accessible design toys"3Committee
General aﬀairs

Tasks
Management of rules, budget and accounting, asset management, operation of General
Meeting and Board Meeting, supervision of the head officeMembership

Extension of membership, relationship among members, honor of industrial contributors

Safety and Environment

Planning and management of ST Mark program, Establishment and maintenance of toy
safety standard
Aﬀairs relating to planning and implementation of Tokyo Toy Show (including the Opento the Public Event)Intellectual property rights, customer services, universal-use toys, supervision of theMutual Aid Projects
Holding seminars for Board Directors, Provisions of information to the public and members, operation of the website
International activities of ICTI and ACTI (including CARE Process )Toy Exhibition
Industry Development
Education, Information,and Publication
International aﬀairs4

June 28, 2023
Position

NameCompany
Name

Position

Chairperson

Michihiro Maeda

EPOCH Co., Ltd.

President

Vice Chairperson

Harumasa Saito

Masudaya CorporationPresident

Vice Chairperson

Masanobu Todokoro

AGATSUMA Co., Ltd.

President

Vice Chairperson

Hiromasa Matsuura

Combi Corporation

Chairperson

Vice Chairperson

Kazuhiro Kojima

TOMY Company, Ltd.

President

Vice Chairperson

Kazuhiro Takenaka

Bandai Co., Ltd.

President

Managing Director

Masaru Kanke

The Japan Toy Association

Ex-Official, The Small andMedium Enterprise Agency

Executive Director

Yoshifumi Ito

Hakuhinkan Co., Ltd.

Chairperson

Executive Director

Hiroyuki Usami

T-ARTS Company, Ltd.

President

Executive Director

Junichi Onda

Onda Enterprises Ltd.

President

Executive Director

Hajime KatoMaruka Corporation

President

Executive Director

Akihiro Sato

MegaHouse Corporation

President

Executive Director

Tokubei Yamada

Yoshitoku Co., Ltd.

President

Director

Yasutoshi Okano

Marusho Co., Ltd.

President

Director

Toshio Kashima

Tenyo Co., Ltd.

President

Director
Director

Hideki Kamishita
Chizuko Kiribuchi

Beverly Enterprises Inc.
People Co., Ltd.

President
Honorary chairperson

Director

Kazuhiro Kumamoto

Kumamoto Co., Ltd.

President

DirectorTakeshi Kodaira

PILOT CORPORATION

Director

Kunihiro Kobayashi

Hanayama Co., Ltd.

Director,Senior Executive Officers
President

Director

Masakazu Kobayashi

Kawada Co., Ltd.

President

Director

Keita Sato

Japan Plastic Toy
Manufacturer’s AssociationChairperson

Director

Masahiro Takaya

Sanyo Pleasure Co., Ltd.

President

Takayuki Nakano

JJ Inc.

President

Director

Koichi Nakamura

Ishikawa Toy Co., Ltd.

President

Director

Jun Nomura

JoyPalltte Co., Ltd.

President

Director

Hideki Hayakawa

President

Director

Hisashi Fujisawa

Konami Digital Entertainment Co.,Ltd.
The Japan Toy Association

DirectorToshiyuki Mizutani

Happinet Corporation

Ex-Official, Ministry ofEconomy, Trade and Industry
Executive Officer

Director

Naoko Miyazaki

Segatoys Co., Ltd.

President

Director

Kuniyasu Muraoka

Osaka Toy Industry Association

Director

Director

Seiichi Yano

Yanoman Corporation

Chairperson

Director

Toshitaka Yoshino

SEKIGUCHI Co., Ltd.

President

Auditor

Hiroyuki Shioda

Chairperson

AuditorKazuyuki Shimizu

Japan Inﬂatable Vinyl Products
Manufacturers Association
Japan Plamodel Industry
Association
5Chairperson

The first priority of parents is the safety of the toys with which their children play.
The safety of toys in Japan is assured by the ST Mark program operated by the JTA.
The JTA established “Toys Safety Standard” in 1971, in consultation with the authorities
concerned, academic experts and representatives of consumers.
Based on the agreement between toy companies and the JTA, the toys which have been
approved by the designated testing bodies of the ST standard are allowed to put the ST
Mark on their products or packages.
“ST Marks” on the toys show that the Association ensures that the toys were carefully
manufactured in the safety aspect.

(1) Mechanical and Physical Properties
The standard stipulates the necessary shape and strength of toys and conformity tests shall be conducted in order to prevent children from being injured.
(2) Inﬂammability
Stuﬀed toy, toy tent, toy house, toy that children wear shall be tested to makesure whether the prohibited materials such as Celluloid are not used, or whether the materials of toys are within the scope of inﬂammability or not.
(3) Chemical properties
Toys are tested to make sure that harmful substances are not used in thematerials of toys.

The JTA sets Mutual Aid Programs to indemnify ST licensees for losses or damages suﬀered by accidents caused by
defects of toys bearing ST Mark.
ST Mark licensees are obliged to join the Toys General Liability Mutual Aid Program and the Product Liability Mutual Aid
Program run by the JTA.
The covered benefits (maximum amount) are 100 million yen for physical injury, 20 million yen for property damage,and 100 thousand yen for consolation payment.

6

The Japanese toy market is the third largest after the United States
and China, and many toy retailers and wholesalers as well as
manufacturers are engaged in the toy business.
Every year the JTA holds the “Tokyo Toy Show,” the largest toyexhibition in Japan. It has provided opportunities to introduce new
products and to develop business relationships, thus attracting many
toy retailers, distributors, and other toy-related business people.
Since 2008, the JTA has been presenting “Japan Toy Awards” toencourage the development of high-quality toys with market relevance.
Award-winning toys and other nominated toys are exhibited at theAward corner during the show.

The Tokyo Toy Show 2022 was held for two days (Buyers Days only) on June 16 and 17, 2022, atthe Tokyo Big Sight West Hall 1–2, Atrium, with 96 exhibitors (93 from Japan and 3 from overseas).
The two-day exhibition attracted 12,656 visits.
We are very pleased as organizer to reconfirm the fascinating nature of toys which attracted manyvisitors who held vigorous sales discussions and a number of mass media who reported the Tokyo
Toy Show.
■Japan toy Award 2022 winner products list (https://toys.or.jp/toyshow/awards.html)

7

A barrier-free society in which people with disabilities can enjoy a normal life without barriers is required
to be realized. The "universal design" movement is being promoted in product planning and manufacturing
to realize the barrier-free society.
As part of the toy industry's contribution to society, the Association is promoting "Accessible design toys"(formerly "Small Convex" proposal), a universal design for toys.
"Accessible design toys" refers to toys that have been designed with "considerations"* so that children
with visual or hearing difficulties can play with them in the same way as normal children.
The Association's Committee for Industry Development certifies “Accessible design toys.” Over the past
30 years, more than 4,000 accessible design toys have been certified.
In addition, the Association has created a catalog of accessible design toys and distributed it toschools for the blind, toy retailers, and wholesalers throughout Japan.
At the end of December 2019, the Association was awarded the Prime Minister's Commendation in the"Distinguished Service Award for the Promotion of Barrier-Free Universal Design " for its achievements inpromoting accessible design toys for 30 years.
* The term "considerations" in the context of accessible design toys refers to such innovations as
adding "small convex" to toys, such as the protrusion ("convex") on the "5" of a touch-tone phone.
These innovations allow people with visual difficulties to play with the toys. Our goal is to make toys
into "common-use products" that can be used by people with and without disabilities.
Toys designed with "considerations" for people with visual difficulties are marked with a "Guide Dog
Mark" featuring a Labrador Retriever, which serves as a guide dog for people with visual difficulties.
Toys designed with "considerations" for people with hearing difficulties are marked with a "Rabbit
Mark" featuring a rabbit design.
The International Council of Toy Industry (ICTI: 17 participating countries) held in Australia in 1992
approved these marks as "international common marks." In 1993, the United Kingdom, the UnitedStates, and Sweden also started the "accessible design toys for people with visual difficulties" activities.

C) 2004 TAKARATOMY○Othello、8The JTA runs various Mutual Aid Programs at a reasonable premium by making use of the scale merits of thePrograms.
Product Liability Mutual Aid Program
Overseas Product Liability Mutual Aid Program
Mutual Aid Program for Product Recall
Mutual Aid Program for Credit (the credit insurance for receivables in case of bankruptcy of client companies)
Mutual Aid Program for Distribution (the general transport insurance of distribution of toys, the marine
insurance of out-ward voyage cargo)
Note 1: The JTA provides the Toys General Liability Mutual Aid Program in case of an accident caused by toys
bearing ST Mark. The toy company contracting the ST Mark license agreement with the JTA shall join thisProgram
Note 2: Among the Mutual Aid Programs of the Association, the Toys General Liability Mutual Aid Program ismanaged and operated by the JTA. Concerning other Mutual Aid Programs, the JTA has contracts withinsurance companies to secure the sustainable operation of these Mutual Aid Programs.

The JTA promotes international relationships.
① Participating in the activities of the ICTI (International Council of Toy Industries)* and the ACTI (Asia Council of ToyIndustries). The activities include ICTI's establishment of the ”Code of Business Practices **.”
② Participating in the development of the international standard for toys safety as the National Committee to ISO/ TC181(Technical Committee for toys safety).
③ Relating with toy associations in other countries.
* ICTI (International Council of Toy Industry)
The ICTI (International Council of Toy Industry) is the international council which consists of Associations ofthe toy industry around the world.
It was established in 1974 for the improvement of toy safety and promotion of development for the toyindustry. The participating nations are: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Taiwan,Netherlands, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Great Britain, and United States.
The current Chairperson is Mr. Ulrich Brobeiil (Germanny).
**Code of Business Practices
Many worker’s death after fires at toy factories in Thailand and China in 1993 leads the International Councilof Toy Industry (ICTI) to determine to establish the Code with which a toy company should comply concerning
work safety of a toy factory, and to start the drafting work. The ICTI adopted all documents relating to theCode of Business Practices till June 2002.

9

The JTA provides the public with information on the toys and toy business through itswebsite.
The members-only section of its website shares announcements of competent authorities
or information on the toy industry.
Japan Toy Market

hundred million yen

YOY････

97.3％

104.6％

101.2％

108.5％

Y2017

Y2018

Y2019

Y2020

Y2021

Import

2,443

2,545

2,433

2,330

2,802

Export413

460427490

757

hundred million yen

10The Japan Toy Association
4-22-4, HIGASHI-KOMAGATA,SUMIDA- KU, TOKYO
130-8611, JAPANＴＥＬ．81-3-3829-2513
ＦＡＸ．81-3-3829-2510
2022.10.17