A partial handbook update, prompted by a May advisory
On July 31, 2026, the secretariat of Japan's Sustainability Standards Board (SSBJ) updated and republished part of its existing handbook. The update covers "Disclosure When Not Fully Complying with All Provisions of SSBJ Standards," now revised to Version 2.0. The direct trigger was an advisory the SSBJ published on May 27 titled "On References to SSBJ Standards in Annual Securities Reports," reflecting confusion companies had over how to cite the standards in their securities filings.
Handbook ≠ standard — no legal force
The first thing to clarify is that "updating the handbook" and "amending the SSBJ standard" are two different events. The SSBJ handbook is an explanatory document prepared by the secretariat without board deliberation; it is not the SSBJ standard itself. As a result, a company can still declare compliance with the SSBJ standards even if it doesn't follow the handbook's guidance. The basis for a compliance claim rests on the standard document itself.
That said, regulators and auditors may reference the handbook as an interpretive aid, so the absence of legal force doesn't mean it can simply be ignored. The SSBJ secretariat also states explicitly that the handbook "may be replaced without notice," with topics selected based on the frequency of stakeholder questions and the secretariat's resources.
Scope
\
Status
A secretariat-authored explainer. No board deliberation, no legal force, and not the SSBJ standard itself.
Trigger
A May 27 advisory on references to SSBJ standards in annual securities reports.
For disclosure teams preparing annual securities reports, the practical step is to check the latest Ver. 2.0 against their own disclosure policy and document, internally, the basis and verification process behind any statement of compliance with the standards. Given the handbook can be replaced without notice, this shouldn't be a one-time check — it calls for an ongoing monitoring process.