Reading JIS X 4051 online

Inasmuch as the “Requirements for Japanese Text Layout” Note refers (and defers) a lot to JIS X 4051, “Formatting Rules for Japanese documents”, it is helpful to also read it (or, for some of us at least, to look at the diagrams and puzzle through some of the text). You can buy the printed book from the Japanese Standards Association Web Store, or you can view (but not print) the PDF version within your browser. Here’s how:

  • Go to http://www.jisc.go.jp/app/JPS/JPSO0020.html, enter “X4051” in the first text input field (the one with the “JIS” prefix), then press enter.
  • On the next page, select “JISX4051”.
  • On the following page, there’ll be links to the PDFs of the parts of JIS X 4051. You can view them in your browser, but you can’t print them. (If your browser launches in an external application to view PDFs, all you might see is a bunch of blank pages.)