The Japan Electric Lamp Manufacturers Association has applied to obtain Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) certification in an effort to standardize LED lighting systems, which have largely been divided into two categories.
The industry organization comprising such companies as Toshiba Corp. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. is seeking to standardize a safety bayonet cap for a straight tube LED lamp that was developed jointly by domestic makers. Straight tube LEDs are mainly used for ceiling lighting in offices.
Demand for straight tube LED lamps has soared as companies seek to replace fluorescent lamps as an electricity-saving measure. While LED lamps with a bayonet cap compatible with fluorescent lamps are also available, the association warned such lamps are at risk of dropping or causing electrocution. In 2010, it decided to develop a bayonet cap specifically for LED lamps.
Major domestic companies in the lighting business--not only Toshiba and Mitsubishi, but also Panasonic Corp. and other manufacturers--are producing LED lamps with caps specifically made for them.
LED lamps with bayonet caps compatible with fluorescent lamps continue to be produced by major foreign competitors including South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. and Philips Electronics in Europe, as well as Japanese household goods maker Iris Oyama Inc. and others.
The association is expected to obtain the JIS certification, which observers believe will lead to widespread use of LED lamps with caps specifically for LED lamps, mainly in such places as offices of public organizations.
