As a designated testing organization under the Fire Service Law, the Japan Fire Engineering Qualification Center (hereinafter called "the Center") has conducted all works related to qualification examinations for "hazardous materials engineers" and "fire protection engineers" on behalf of all prefectures in Japan since 1985, and has also been entrusted with issuing "license cards" as a part of said examination activities since 1988.

   Both hazardous materials engineers and fire protection engineers take charge of the important tasks, from the personnel standpoint, of respectively ensuring the safety of hazardous materials facilities and properly handling of hazardous materials. As the importance of their tasks increases in conjunction with technical innovation as well as the larger scale and height of buildings, to secure people's safety, we also keenly feel the weight of our responsibilities as an examination organization.
   It is important to secure superior hazardous materials engineers and fire protection engineers and dedicate to each affair.
   We've strongly been thinking our part which administering these examinations as a designated examination organization stipulated by the Minister of General affairs is especially important

   Since its establishment up to the end of the fiscal 2008, the center has tested about 11,750,000 applicants in total for hazardous materials engineers and about 1,280,000 applicants in total for fire protection engineers. Since 1988, the Center has also issued license cards to about 6,360,000 hazardous materials engineers and about 640,000 fire protection engineers.

   We would like to express our appreciation to related organizations for their understanding and cooperation which have made possible this steady expansion of the Center's activities.

   It is our intention to further advance our activities with the aim of fulfilling our vital mission of protecting human lives and property from fire disasters, and we ask that you continue to extend your support and cooperation.

JAPAN FIRE ENGINEERING QUALIFICATION CENTER

Headquarters
Daido Seimei Kasumigaseki Building, 19th floor
Kasumigaseki 1-4-2 Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 〒100-0013
TEL：03-3597-0220
FAX：03-5511-27511

Testing Division, Central Testing Center
Hatagaya 1-13-20 Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 〒151-0072
TEL：03-3460-7798
FAX：03-3460-7799

   Qualification of persons engaged in handling hazardous materials was initially achieved by "hazardous materials chief officers" qualification tests administered by city mayors, town headmen, and village headman based on the Fire Service Law enacted in 1948. With subsequent amendment of the Fire Service Law, the qualification system was revised into a standard national test which, from 1960, has been administered under the jurisdiction of prefectural governors.

   Regarding fire protection engineers, the Fire Service Law initially included no stipulations regarding personnel engaged in the installation, maintenance, and inspection of fire protection equipment, with certain cities, villages, and towns conducting the qualification examinations according to their own ordinances. Following amendment of the Fire Service Law, however, qualification examinations for fire protection engineers have been administered under the jurisdiction of prefectural governors since 1966, as in the case of qualification examinations for hazardous materials engineers.

   The Fire Service Law was later partially amended in December of 1984 to increase the efficiency of examination activities by establishment of a designated examination organization system to administer qualification examinations for hazardous materials engineers and fire protection engineers.

   The Japan Fire Engineer Qualification Center (hereinafter called "the Center") has handled these two types of national qualification examinations since April of 1985 as a designated examination organization stipulated by the Fire Service Law.