Overview
The EU-Japan Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and JC-STAR Technical Working Group (TWG) brings together leading European experts to analyse, compare and map the cybersecurity requirements and conformity assessment approaches of the European Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and Japan's JC-STAR scheme.
The group provides a structured forum for collaboration between standardisation experts and researchers. Its work focuses on identifying similarities and gaps between the two frameworks, while fully respecting the regulatory autonomy of both jurisdictions.
The TWG supports evidence-based technical cooperation by conducting detailed comparative analyses and facilitating continuous dialogue between European and Japanese stakeholders. The group contributes to strengthening international cooperation on cybersecurity standards between Europe and Japan.
Objectives
The Technical Working Group aims to support closer cooperation between the European Union and Japan by delivering robust technical analyses that can inform future policy discussions on the similarities and gaps between the CRA and JC-STAR frameworks.
Its objectives are to:
Compare and map cybersecurity requirements across the two frameworks for relevant product categories, including smart home devices, communication equipment, routers, modems and network devices.
Analyse and compare Conformity Assessment Procedures (CAPs) to identify common approaches an, differences.
Identify regulatory gaps, implementation differences and areas of alignment that may facilitate future cooperation.
Foster continuous knowledge exchange between European and Japanese experts from government, industry, academia and standardisation organisations.
Provide technical evidence that supports the European Commission's ongoing work on EU-Japan cooperation on cybersecurity standardisation.
By reducing technical complexity and improving transparency between the two schemes, the group's work contributes to facilitating market access, supporting manufacturers operating across both regions and promoting greater global convergence on cybersecurity practices.
Task Force results
The Technical Working Group is expected to deliver a series of practical outputs that support both technical collaboration and future policy development, including:
- Comprehensive technical mapping reports comparing the cybersecurity requirements of the CRA and JC-STAR across selected product categories.
- A detailed comparative analysis of the Conformity Assessment Procedures (CAPs) adopted by both frameworks.
- Executive summaries highlighting the main findings, levels of alignment and policy-relevant recommendations.
- Recommendations identifying areas where additional technical work or policy dialogue may strengthen cooperation between Europe and Japan.
Collectively, these outputs will provide a solid technical foundation for future discussions on regulatory cooperation, and strengthen long-term EU-Japan collaboration in cybersecurity standardisation.