(Published) The “Joint Comparative Study of Neon and LED,” which the All Japan Neon-Sign Association (NEOS) and the Japan LED Association (JLEDS) are jointly promoting, has finally taken concrete form. To begin with, NEOS will make 3 samples (large, medium and small) and bring these to the Matsushita Electric's light laboratory in Shiodome, so that measurements can be made on January 17 (Thursday).

Afterward, JLEDS will fabricate equivalent samples using LED and analyses will be conducted from a variety of angles, from raw data measurements, sensory (visual) evaluations and luminance tests from a distance to cost comparisons.

The working group continues its vigorous activities, so that some results can be obtained by March, and the anticipation of the parties concerned is growing steadily.

In June 2007, an advertisement board of a multi-tenant building fell down in Shinjuku, injuring 2 people. Responding to this, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism requested all owners of advertisement boards and similar objects mounted on external walls of buildings to check the conditions of the suspensions and report the results. Furthermore, it ordered relevant local authorities within Japan to provide appropriate guidelines.

Following this, the Metropolis of Tokyo and other municipalities from every region of the country are requesting traders concerned to check suspensions. NEOS, on its part, is expecting active cooperation from its members in order to secure the safety of outdoor advertisement.