# JAN-13

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/jan-13
> research date 2026-10-03 · extracted at 2026-10-03
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [GTIN (JAN code) — GS1 Japan](https://www.gs1jp.org/code/jan/about_jan.html)
- [International Article Number (JAN) — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Article_Number)

## Overview

**JAN** (Japanese Article Number, JANコード) is Japan's name for the GS1 product identification number and its EAN/UPC barcode symbol: a 13-digit standard type or an 8-digit shortened type, fully compatible with [EAN-13](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/ean-13) and [EAN-8](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/ean-8) <sup>[1][1]</sup><sup>[2][2]</sup>. JAN numbers are recognisable by the GS1 prefixes **45** and **49**, which are allocated by GS1 Japan (Distribution Systems Research Institute, 一般財団法人流通システム開発センター) <sup>[2][2]</sup><sup>[4][4]</sup>. GS1 now treats the JAN code as the Japanese name for the GTIN <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

## History

- **1978** — Japan joined the EAN association and introduced the JAN code; use of the JAN standard began that year <sup>[1][1]</sup><sup>[5][5]</sup>. The same year the barcode symbol was standardised in Japan as **JIS B 9550** (共通商品コード用バーコードシンボル, "bar code symbol for common product code") <sup>[3][3]</sup>.
- JAN was originally issued the EAN flag code (prefix) **49** <sup>[1][1]</sup><sup>[4][4]</sup>.
- **1987** — the standard was renumbered **JIS X 0501** when the information-processing division of JIS was established <sup>[3][3]</sup>.
- **1992** — JAN was issued a second flag code, **45** <sup>[1][1]</sup><sup>[4][4]</sup>.
- **January 2001** — the manufacturer code for newly registering companies changed to 7 digits (9 digits including the flag code) <sup>[1][1]</sup><sup>[4][4]</sup>.
- **2004** — **JIS X 0507** was published as the Japanese translation of ISO/IEC 15420:2000 (the EAN/UPC symbology specification); JIS X 0501 was withdrawn in **2009** <sup>[3][3]</sup>.

## Technical specification

- **Symbology:** the JAN symbol is the EAN/UPC linear symbology (JIS X 0507 ≡ ISO/IEC 15420) <sup>[3][3]</sup>; it is printed on packaging so it can be read by barcode scanners <sup>[2][2]</sup>.
- **Types:** a 13-digit **standard type** and an 8-digit **shortened type** (JAN-8) for packages where print space is limited; the shortened type has two variants, one of which is the GTIN-8 "one-off key" <sup>[2][2]</sup><sup>[6][6]</sup>.
- **13-digit structure** (GS1 Japan) <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
  1. **GS1 company prefix** (GS1事業者コード) — 9, 10 or 7 digits, always beginning with `45` or `49`;
  2. **Item reference** (商品アイテムコード) — the remaining digits, assigned by the brand owner (e.g. to distinguish size or colour) <sup>[6][6]</sup>;
  3. **Check digit** — 1 digit.
- **Character set:** digits 0–9 only; the check digit is computed modulo 10 <sup>[4][4]</sup>.
- **Number assignment:** GS1 Japan centrally manages and lends company prefixes; each company sets its own item references <sup>[3][3]</sup>. Registration must be renewed every 3 years <sup>[6][6]</sup>.
- **Content:** the code carries no price or description — at the POS it is a lookup key into a price/product master (price look-up, PLU) <sup>[3][3]</sup>.
- **Example:** `4901234567894` — prefix `49`, followed by company prefix/item digits and check digit `4` (the playground sample on this page).

## Use cases

- **Retail POS and inventory:** the JAN symbol on consumer packaging drives POS checkout, inventory control and supply-chain management in Japan <sup>[3][3]</sup><sup>[6][6]</sup>.
- **Online and multi-channel sales:** JAN registration is cited as a prerequisite for listing products on e-commerce platforms and in physical retail channels, and for sales-data analysis <sup>[6][6]</sup>.
- **Books (書籍JANコード):** Japanese books carry a two-tier barcode called the *book JAN code* — the upper bar encodes the 13-digit ISBN (see [Bookland EAN (ISBN)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/bookland-ean)), the lower bar encodes the domestic 4-digit "C-code" book classification plus the price <sup>[7][7]</sup>. ISBN/book codes are administered by the Japan Book Code Management Center, separately from JAN company prefixes which are administered by GS1 Japan <sup>[8][8]</sup>.

## Implementations

JAN is symbology-identical to EAN-13/EAN-8, so any EAN encoder/decoder handles it.

| Repo | Lang | Kind | Stars | Last active | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [WhyNotHugo/python-barcode](https://github.com/WhyNotHugo/python-barcode) | Python | encoder | 656 | 2026-07 | Ships a dedicated `JapanArticleNumber` ("JAN") class that subclasses EAN-13 and validates prefixes 450–459 / 490–499 <sup>[9][9]</sup> |
| [metafloor/bwip-js](https://github.com/metafloor/bwip-js) | JavaScript | encoder | 2420 | 2026-08 | `ean13`, `ean8`, `ean2`/`ean5` add-ons <sup>[10][10]</sup> |
| [lindell/JsBarcode](https://github.com/lindell/JsBarcode) | JavaScript | encoder | 5893 | 2026-06 | EAN-13, EAN-8, EAN-5, EAN-2 <sup>[10][10]</sup> |
| [zxing/zxing](https://github.com/zxing/zxing) | Java | decoder | 34114 | 2026-09 | EAN-8, EAN-13, UPC/EAN extension 2/5; maintenance mode <sup>[10][10]</sup> |
| [mchehab/zbar](https://github.com/mchehab/zbar) | C | decoder | 1370 | 2026-10 | EAN-13/UPC-A, UPC-E, EAN-8 <sup>[10][10]</sup> |
| [ericblade/quagga2](https://github.com/ericblade/quagga2) | TypeScript | decoder | 910 | 2026-09 | Browser scanner with `ean_reader` / `ean_8_reader` <sup>[10][10]</sup> |

## Comparison

- **JAN vs. [EAN-13](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/ean-13) / [EAN-8](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/ean-8):** the same symbology and number structure; "JAN" simply denotes an EAN/GTIN number issued under the Japanese prefixes 45 and 49 <sup>[1][1]</sup><sup>[4][4]</sup>. The two are distinguishable only by prefix.
- **JAN vs. [UPC-A](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/upc-a):** the 13-digit JAN code is compatible with UPC <sup>[3][3]</sup>; an EAN-13 beginning with `0` represents a 12-digit UPC-A <sup>[4][4]</sup>.
- **Standard vs. shortened type:** use the 13-digit standard type by default; the 8-digit shortened type is intended for packages with insufficient printing area <sup>[6][6]</sup>.

## Fun facts

- Japanese books are one of the few retail goods carrying **two stacked JAN-family barcodes** — the global ISBN on top and a Japan-only classification/price bar below <sup>[7][7]</sup>.
- The open-source python-barcode library hard-codes the JAN prefix ranges `450–459` and `490–499` and rejects any other prefix when the "JAN" type is requested <sup>[9][9]</sup>.

## Status

**Active.** GS1 Japan continues to issue 45/49 company prefixes and documents the JAN code as the Japanese name for the GTIN, the international product identifier <sup>[2][2]</sup><sup>[11][11]</sup>. The Japanese symbology standard is JIS X 0507 (aligned to ISO/IEC 15420), after JIS X 0501 was withdrawn in 2009 <sup>[3][3]</sup>. The standard has been subsumed into GS1's GTIN system <sup>[1][1]</sup>.

## Sources

[1] [International Article Number (Japanese Article Number)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Article_Number) — Wikipedia, accessed 2026.
[2] [GTIN（JANコード）とは](https://www.gs1jp.org/code/jan/about_jan.html) — GS1 Japan, accessed 2026.
[3] [JANコード / EANコード](https://www.weblio.jp/content/EAN%E3%82%B3%E3%83%BC%E3%83%89) — Weblio (Japanese Wikipedia mirror), accessed 2026.
[4] [Description of GTIN-13, EAN-13](https://activebarcode.com/codes/ean13) — ActiveBarcode, accessed 2026.
[5] [GS1](https://pedia.3rd-in.co.jp/wiki/GS1) — 3rd-in Pedia, accessed 2026.
[6] [JANコードとは](https://squareup.com/jp/ja/glossary/jan-code) — Square Japan, accessed 2026.
[7] [本のバーコードはなぜ2段?](https://news.allabout.co.jp/articles/o/84439/) — All About News, accessed 2026.
[8] [資料に関するFAQ（ISBN・JANコード）](https://www.ndl.go.jp/jp/data/faq/item.html) — National Diet Library, accessed 2026.
[9] [python-barcode `barcode/ean.py` (JapanArticleNumber)](https://github.com/WhyNotHugo/python-barcode/blob/main/barcode/ean.py) — GitHub, accessed 2026.
[10] GitHub repository pages/READMEs: [bwip-js](https://github.com/metafloor/bwip-js), [JsBarcode](https://github.com/lindell/JsBarcode), [zxing](https://github.com/zxing/zxing), [zbar](https://github.com/mchehab/zbar), [quagga2](https://github.com/ericblade/quagga2) — GitHub, accessed 2026-10.
[11] [GTIN（JANコード）](https://www.gs1jp.org/code/jan/) — GS1 Japan, accessed 2026.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Article_Number
[2]: https://www.gs1jp.org/code/jan/about_jan.html
[3]: https://www.weblio.jp/content/EAN%E3%82%B3%E3%83%BC%E3%83%89
[4]: https://activebarcode.com/codes/ean13
[5]: https://pedia.3rd-in.co.jp/wiki/GS1
[6]: https://squareup.com/jp/ja/glossary/jan-code
[7]: https://news.allabout.co.jp/articles/o/84439/
[8]: https://www.ndl.go.jp/jp/data/faq/item.html
[9]: https://github.com/WhyNotHugo/python-barcode/blob/main/barcode/ean.py
[10]: https://github.com/metafloor/bwip-js
[11]: https://www.gs1jp.org/code/jan/

## Deployments

_No country reports mention this standard by name._