Hachisu, H. 2008. The standards of the rearing environment for laboratory animals in Japan. AATEX (Alternatives to Animal Testing and Experimentation) 14, 57-59.

In Japan, the Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ) provides guidelines for laboratory animal facilities and equipment. Guidelines are not legally binding but serve as the authority for proper facilities and equipment management. The first guideline draft, proposed in 1966, was comprehensively revised from 1979 to 1983 and version 1 was published in 1983. Revision was begun by the AIJ and version 3 followed in 1996. The AIJ published the latest guidelines in June 2007. Revisions involved technical engineering experts working for 2 years with laboratory animal experts. Main references for guidelines are the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) Design Policy and Guidelines and ILAR guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals. Information on facilities and equipment reflects technical advances but, due to the lack of sufficient objective scientific evidence and information, rearing environment standards for laboratory animals have not been reviewed since version 1 was published. An organization on guideline revisions, including the specification of laboratory animal rearing environments, must be set up.