Japan Certified Reference Materials (CRM) Market Definition and Overview
The Japan certified reference materials (CRM) market reached USD 130.43 million in 2025 and is expected to reach USD 284.21 million by 2035, growing with a CAGR of 8.1% during the forecast period 2026-2035. The market growth is supported by rising requirements for measurement traceability, accuracy, and testing services in the pharmaceutical industry, chemical industry, food safety, environmental monitoring, and advanced materials sector. According to the National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), AIST's NMIJ CRM Catalogue 2026-2027 contains reference materials for industrial materials, high-purity inorganic and organic substances, clinical and bioanalysis, polymers, environmental and food analysis, gas mixtures, and thermophysical properties. The catalogue mentions two new materials that have been distributed since September 2026, one of which is a tantalum nitride (TaN) dot-array certified reference material.
Increasing demand for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) testing services is also being generated by Japan's growing demand for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) testing services. In April 2026, Shimadzu GLC Ltd. announced the launch of the distribution of Restek Certified Reference Materials, which will be used in PFAS testing through the use of liquid chromatography -tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. Shimadzu GLC Ltd.'s line of products includes 3-, 4-, 10-, and 24-component PFAS mixtures, including PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, and PFNA standards in particular, at costs starting from JPY 25,500 up to JPY 83,200 per 1 mL unit, net of VAT.
Japan Certified Reference Materials (CRM) Market Key Takeaways
- Inorganic certified reference materials dominated the Japanese market in 2025, holding a significant revenue share of 56%.
- Stricter analytical quality assurance and measurement traceability serve as a primary market driver, holding a 30% growth impact. The expansion of semiconductor and advanced materials manufacturing contributes a 25% growth impact on market demand.
- Rising pharmaceutical and biotechnology quality control standards represent a 20% growth impact for reference material demand.
- Japan’s national standard target for absorbed dose to water maintains a 0.8% relative expanded uncertainty, compared to the 2.0% user-level IAEA target.
Japan Certified Reference Materials (CRM) Market Scope
| Metrics | Details |
| 2025 Market Size | USD 130.43 Million |
| 2035 Projected Market Size | USD 284.21 Million |
| CAGR (2026-2035) | 8.1% |
| By Product Type | Organic, Inorganic |
| By Application | Quality Control & Assurance, Method Validation, Regulatory Compliance Testing, R&D & Analytical Development, Calibration & Instrument Validation |
| By End-User Industry | Consumer Industry, Contract Testing, University / Non-Profit, Energy Industry, Environmental Testing, Health Care, Industrial / Manufacturing, Materials / Mining |
| Report Insights Covered | Competitive Landscape Analysis, Company Profile Analysis, Market Size, Share, Growth |
Japan Certified Reference Materials (CRM) Market BCG Matrix: Company Evaluation
Stars include FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation and Kanto Chemical Co., Inc., which have established chemical and laboratory reagent businesses that support analytical testing and quality control. Question Marks include KANSO TECHNOS Co., Ltd. and KISHIDA CHEMICAL Co., Ltd., which have relevant capabilities in environmental analysis, chemical products, and laboratory testing applications.
Potential includes KATAYAMA CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES Co., Ltd., which operates in the specialty chemical sector and could benefit from demand for application-specific reference materials and analytical testing solutions. Tailenders include Seishin Trading Co., Ltd., whose trading-oriented business positioning may provide access to laboratory and industrial customers but does not, by itself, establish a leading position in CRM manufacturing or certification.
Japan Certified Reference Materials (CRM) Market Dynamics
Driver Impact Analysis
| Driver | Market Growth Impact (%) | Demand Concentration | Impacted Use Case | Strategic Impact |
Increasing Demand for Stricter Analytical Quality Assurance and Measurement Traceability | 30% | Pharmaceutical, chemical, food-testing, and accredited laboratories | Analytical calibration, method validation, measurement traceability, and quality control | Strengthens recurring demand for certified, traceable reference materials and encourages suppliers to expand certified product portfolios. |
Expansion of Semiconductor and Advanced Materials Manufacturing | 25% | Semiconductor manufacturing hubs, advanced materials laboratories, and precision chemical producers | Trace impurity analysis, high-purity material testing, thin-film characterisation, and contamination control | Creates opportunities for specialised CRMs with stringent purity specifications and highly accurate certified values. |
Growing Need for Environmental Contaminant Monitoring | 20% | Environmental testing laboratories, water utilities, industrial monitoring facilities, and public research institutes | PFAS analysis, heavy-metal detection, wastewater testing, and soil contamination assessment | Supports development of pollutant-specific CRMs and expands demand for matrix-matched environmental reference materials. |
Rising Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Quality Control Requirements | 20% | Pharmaceutical manufacturers, biotechnology companies, contract research organisations, and clinical laboratories | Drug substance testing, impurity profiling, analytical method validation, and biomolecule characterisation | Encourages suppliers to develop high-purity, application-specific CRMs and strengthen compliance-oriented quality assurance offerings. |
Increasing Demand for Stricter Analytical Quality Assurance and Measurement Traceability
The growing emphasis on reliable, reproducible, and traceable analytical measurements is a key driver supporting demand for certified reference materials (CRMs) in Japan. In 2025-2026, laboratories across pharmaceutical, chemical, environmental, and advanced manufacturing industries increasingly require dependable reference materials to validate analytical methods, verify instrument performance, and strengthen quality-control procedures.
In May 2025, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan, the Measurement Standards Subcommittee meeting minutes show that Japan reviewed the certification of 7 standard solutions covering 7 rare-earth elements: scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, and samarium. The meeting also referenced a second Intellectual Infrastructure Development Plan covering 17 elements, with the 7 solutions selected following an industrial needs survey. In addition, the minutes specify a target relative expanded uncertainty of 0.8% for Japan’s national standard for absorbed dose to water, compared with a 2.0% target for user-level measurements recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Japan Certified Reference Materials (CRM) Market Segment Analysis
The Japan certified reference materials (CRM) market is segmented based on product type, application, end-user industry, and region.
Inorganic Certified Reference Materials Dominate the Japan CRM Market Due to Extensive Use in Elemental Analysis and Regulatory Compliance
The inorganic segment dominates the Japan certified reference materials (CRM) market, with a market share of 56% in 2025, due to its extensive use in elemental analysis, chemical testing, environmental monitoring, and industrial quality control. Inorganic certified reference materials (CRMs) constitute the analytical foundation for elemental and metal analysis across environmental monitoring, pharmaceutical quality control, food safety, geological surveys, industrial metals testing, and clinical chemistry.
Governed by the dual-accreditation framework of ISO 17034 (reference material producer competence) and ISO/IEC 17025 (testing and calibration laboratory competence), inorganic CRMs are mandated inputs for every laboratory operating in a regulated environment globally. The market's structural architecture reflects decades of methodological investment; NIST's Standard Reference Materials program alone certifies and provides over 1,200 SRMs with well-characterised composition or properties, establishing the primary metrological benchmark to which all downstream inorganic standards must trace traceability.
Japan Certified Reference Materials (CRM) Market Competitive Landscape
- The Japan certified reference materials (CRM) Market is characterised by chemical reagent manufacturers, analytical testing organisations, and specialised reference-material suppliers that support laboratory calibration, industrial quality control, and regulatory testing. FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation, Kanto Chemical Co., Inc., KISHIDA CHEMICAL Co., Ltd., and KATAYAMA CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES Co., Ltd. participate in Japan’s chemical and analytical reagent supply ecosystem, while KANSO TECHNOS Co., Ltd. provides analytical and environmental testing expertise, and Seishin Trading Co., Ltd. contributes through specialised chemical and laboratory product distribution. Competitiveness depends on the availability of high-purity materials, traceability to recognised measurement standards, certification quality, technical documentation, and the ability to supply materials for specialised analytical applications.
- Key players include FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation (Japan), KANSO TECHNOS Co., Ltd. (Japan), Kanto Chemical Co., Inc. (Japan), KATAYAMA CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES Co., Ltd. (Japan), KISHIDA CHEMICAL Co., Ltd. (Japan), and Seishin Trading Co., Ltd. (Japan).
Key Developments
- April 2025: Goodfellow, a UK-based supplier of advanced materials and metals, acquired Bureau of Analysed Samples, a UK-based manufacturer of certified reference materials for chemical and spectroscopic analysis, and Suisse Technology Partners, a Switzerland-based materials testing, analytical, and surface technology services provider.
- June 2025: AnalytiChem Holding GmbH, a Germany-based manufacturer and supplier of specialized laboratory chemicals, analytical standards, and certified reference materials, acquired Chem Service, Inc., a U.S.-based chemical manufacturer headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, specializing in high-purity analytical standards and certified reference materials.
- February 2026: LGC Group, a UK-based global life sciences, diagnostics, and analytical solutions company, acquired the ChromaDex Reference Standards portfolio from Niagen Bioscience, Inc., a U.S.-based biotechnology company, specialising in NAD+ science and healthy-ageing solutions.
Why Choose DataM?
- Technological Innovations: Explores advancements in certified reference materials, including SI-traceable standards, high-purity chemical solutions, rare-earth-element reference materials, and improved analytical methods, supporting accurate measurements and reliable laboratory calibration across Japan’s industrial and research sectors.
- Product Performance & Market Positioning: Evaluates CRM suppliers based on certified-value accuracy, measurement uncertainty, homogeneity, long-term stability, certification quality, and product portfolio breadth, highlighting how companies differentiate through specialised reference materials and reliable analytical performance.
- Real-World Evidence: Examines CRM applications in semiconductor manufacturing, pharmaceutical testing, environmental monitoring, food safety, chemical analysis, and advanced materials research, demonstrating their importance in analytical accuracy, product quality assurance, regulatory testing, and measurement consistency.
- Market Updates & Industry Changes: Tracks developments in Japan’s measurement standards infrastructure, reference-material certification, laboratory accreditation, rare-earth-element analysis, and advanced analytical testing, identifying changes that influence CRM demand, product development, and quality-assurance requirements.
- Competitive Strategies: Analyses how leading suppliers, including FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation, Kanto Chemical Co., Inc., KISHIDA CHEMICAL Co., Ltd., and other specialized providers, strengthen their market positions through product diversification, certification capabilities, technical expertise, and laboratory-focused customer support.
- Pricing & Market Access: Assesses CRM pricing differences according to purity, certification requirements, analyte concentration, matrix complexity, packaging size, and production scale, while examining supplier availability, procurement channels, lead times, and the cost implications of specialized or imported reference materials.
- Market Entry & Expansion: Identifies growth opportunities arising from semiconductor quality control, pharmaceutical development, environmental testing, rare-earth recycling, and advanced manufacturing, while evaluating strategies such as developing application-specific CRMs, strengthening SI traceability, expanding specialized product portfolios, and building partnerships with Japanese laboratories and industrial customers.
Target Audience 2026
- Certified Reference Material Manufacturers and Suppliers
- Chemical and Analytical Reagent Companies
- Semiconductor and Electronics Manufacturers
- Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies
- Environmental Testing Laboratories
- Food and Beverage Testing Organizations
- Automotive and Advanced Materials Manufacturers
