Discovering NIRs: JPNIC – Japan Network Information Center

In this article, we will dive into the history of the Japan Network Information Center (JPNIC), the organization responsible for managing IP address resources within Japan. We will explore how JPNIC’s IPv4 transfer policy has developed over time and how these changes have influenced the process and eligibility of IPv4 address transfers. Special attention will be given to the requirements and procedures that apply to transfers both within JPNIC contracting organizations and between JPNIC and other recognized regional or national internet registries.

Whether you are an organization looking to release unused IPv4 space or a company in need of additional address resources considering JPNIC-managed space, this guide provides a clear overview of the IPv4 transfer application process under JPNIC’s current framework

What is JPNIC?

To properly understand what JPNIC is, we first need to look at the structure of global Internet number resource management — specifically, the hierarchy of Internet Registries. This includes an explanation of what a National Internet Registry (NIR) is, and where exactly JPNIC fits within this framework.

A National Internet Registry (NIR) is an entity that manages IP address space and Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs) at a national or economic level, operating under the authority of a Regional Internet Registry (RIR). In practical terms, an NIR receives large blocks of IP addresses from its parent RIR and then allocates them to domestic organizations — typically Internet Service Providers (ISPs), network operators, and large enterprises. These organizations are often referred to as Local Internet Registries (LIRs), although the specific terminology may vary by country.

The global system follows a clear hierarchical structure: IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) sits at the top, distributing number resources to five RIRs:

• RIPE NCC – Europe, Middle East, and parts of Central Asia
• APNIC – Asia Pacific
• ARIN – North America
• LACNIC – Latin America and the Caribbean
• AFRINIC – Africa

Out of these five RIRs, only APNIC and LACNIC, support the NIR model.

NIRs (National Internet Registries) operate mainly within the Asia Pacific region under the oversight of APNIC, the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) responsible for that area.

Currently active NIRs in the APNIC region include:

• JPNIC: Japan Network Information Center
• IRINN: Indian Registry for Internet Names and Numbers
• IDNIC – APJII: Indonesia Network Information Centre (Asosiasi Penyelenggara Jasa Internet Indonesia)
• CNNIC: China Internet Network Information Center
• KISA: Korea Internet & Security Agency
• TWNIC: Taiwan Network Information Center
• VNNIC: Vietnam Internet Network Information Center

Each of these NIRs is responsible for managing Internet number resources within its own jurisdiction. They handle IP address and ASN allocations, maintain reverse DNS delegations, operate Whois databases, and sometimes run national policy development processes in coordination with APNIC. Most also provide support, documentation, and application interfaces in their native languages, which significantly lowers the barrier to entry for local network operators.

In this structure, JPNIC serves as Japan’s official National Internet Registry. It acts as an intermediary between APNIC and the Japanese networking community, managing the allocation and registration of IP address space and AS numbers in Japan. At the same time, it participates in regional policy discussions and ensures that Japan’s local needs are represented within the broader Asia-Pacific Internet governance ecosystem.

A Brief History of JPNIC

JPNIC’s origins date back to the early growth of the Internet in Japan. As a response to the expansion of the Japanese Internet, in December 1991, the precursor to JPNIC – the Japan Network Information Center (JNIC) – was established at the University of Tokyo to take over management of the .JP country-code domain and IP addresses from informal volunteer groups. Over the next year, JNIC assumed responsibility for assigning IP address blocks in Japan (transferred from a prior Address Coordination Committee in mid-1992). As the Internet moved from research networks to commercial use, a more formal structure was needed in Japan. Thus in April 1993, JNIC reorganized itself as JPNIC (Japan Network Information Center), a membership-based organization comprising Internet service providers and network stakeholders. This 1993 reorganization is considered the official foundation of JPNIC as we know it.

JPNIC quickly became a key player in regional Internet governance. Later in 1993, JPNIC leaders took part in creating APNIC, the Asia-Pacific RIR. In fact, JPNIC offered resources (funding and office space in Tokyo) to support the initial setup of APNIC’s pilot project in September 1993. Throughout the mid-1990s, JPNIC expanded its services: it launched a WHOIS database and newsletters, introduced usage fees for IP and domain services (1995), and piloted new concepts like sub-allocations (assigning smaller blocks than class C to end-users).

By March 1997, JPNIC had received official government recognition as a non-profit organization in Japan. Around the same time, it also took over responsibility for issuing AS numbers (Autonomous System Numbers) within Japan. JPNIC’s mandate originally included both IP address management and the administration of the .JP top-level domain. However, as the Internet grew, these roles were split: a separate company, JPRS (Japan Registry Service), was established in 2000, and by April 2002 the entire JP domain registry function was transferred from JPNIC to JPRS under the JP ccTLD Sponsorship Agreement concluded between JPRS and ICANN. After the domain registry function transfer, JPNIC focused exclusively on Internet number resources (IP addresses and ASNs) and related infrastructure services.

From its start in 1991, JPNIC has grown into the central Internet address management body in Japan, coordinating closely with APNIC and other international organizations to support the Internet’s stable growth. Over the years, JPNIC has continued to expand its activities and adapt to the changing needs of the Internet community. It has promoted IPv6 adoption in Japan, operated Internet route registry services, and engaged in global policy forums. As of 2025, It remains the National Internet Registry for Japan under APNIC’s structure.

IP Address Policy Development Process in JPNIC

JPNIC’s IP address policies are developed through community-driven consensus within the Japanese Internet community, in coordination with the broader Asia Pacific region.

The policy development process for IP address and AS number policies is outlined in the JPNIC document “IP Address Policy Development Process in JPNIC”. This process aligns with APNIC’s model—open to public proposals, involving discussion via mailing lists and face-to-face meetings, and requiring consensus in both forums. Proposals that achieve consensus in Japan’s Open Policy Forum and receive approval from the JPNIC Board are formally adopted into JPNIC’s policy framework.

The Open Policy Forum in Japan serves as a platform for open discussion, coordination, and consensus-building on policies related to the allocation and management of IP addresses and AS numbers within the Japanese IP address community. Participation is open to all. The forum is managed by the Policy Working Group, a team of community volunteers independent of JPNIC staff. This structure ensures that the policy development process reflects community consensus, free from organizational influence. Once a proposal reaches consensus within the forum, JPNIC makes the final decision on its implementation.

JPNIC Policies vs. APNIC Policies

Since JPNIC operates within the APNIC region, It follows the regional policies for IP address management, but at the same time, JPNIC develops its own documentation and procedures suited to the Japanese operational environment. In general, the policies JPNIC uses have to stay in line with APNIC’s rules. That means JPNIC can introduce local practices or add more detailed steps, but it can’t go against the broader standards set by APNIC and the global Internet community. For instance, JPNIC provides all policy documents in Japanese to support local network operators and hosts its own policy discussions in Japanese, but the core principles — like justifying address needs and using space efficiently — remain the same as those defined by APNIC.

Historically, there were some differences. JPNIC began managing IP addresses before APNIC existed, so in the early 1990s it developed its own procedures independently. By the late 1990s, however, the global community had established tighter rules (like RFC 2050’s guidelines for conservation and aggregation). With APNIC now functioning as the regional authority, JPNIC recognized the need to align its policies. As JPNIC itself noted in 1999, “JPNIC’s policy had not always been the same as that of APNIC. However, with the recent release of APNIC policy documents, … there is a need for JPNIC to adjust its administration system and bring it into line with global trends.”. JPNIC undertook a comprehensive policy revision at that time to synchronize with APNIC’s standards, making IP address allocation checks more strict. Gaps between JPNIC and APNIC policies were closed by the early 2000s.

Today, JPNIC’s policies are essentially a localized implementation of APNIC’s. One unique aspect is language and community input: JPNIC runs an Open Policy Meeting in Japan (in Japanese) to discuss proposed policy changes, then feeds those into the APNIC policy process. Policy development remains bottom-up and consensus-driven, just as at APNIC, but JPNIC ensures Japanese stakeholders can participate fully in their native language. Another difference is in terminology and organizational roles. What APNIC calls a “member” or LIR is called an “IP Address Management Agent” in JPNIC’s context. These IP Agents perform the same function (obtaining IP blocks and assigning to end-users) but do not have voting rights in JPNIC’s member meetings unless they separately become formal JPNIC members. JPNIC essentially separates the corporate membership (for organizational governance) from the IP delegation function – whereas at APNIC, an address-holding member also participates in APNIC’s membership votes by default.

IPv4 Address Transfer Policy development and Transfers Activity in Japan

In 2011, as the IPv4 free pool was running out, JPNIC introduced its first official transfer procedure — JPNIC-01113: IPv4 Address Transfer Application Procedure (For Transfers Between JPNIC Contracting Organizations) — to permit domestic IPv4 transfers. Alongside this, JPNIC established a public transfer log to record all approved IPv4 block transfers processed through its system. Since then, there has been a steady flow of domestic transfers. In June 2013, JPNIC introduced three additional policies to regulate not only domestic IPv4 transfers but also those involving organizations outside of JPNIC’s authority:

• JPNIC-01144 IPv4 Address Transfer Application Procedure (For Transfers Between JPNIC Contracting Organizations)
• JPNIC-01145 IPv4 Address Transfer Application Procedure (For Transfers from a JPNIC Contracting Organization to a Transfer-Eligible Registry Contracting Organization)
• JPNIC-01146 IPv4 Address Transfer Application Procedure (For Transfers from a Transfer-Eligible Registry Contracting Organization to a JPNIC Contracting Organization)

Following the implementation of the new policies, the first incoming inter-registry transfer — from ARIN to JPNIC — was recorded in 2014, according to the transfer log. The first outgoing inter-RIR transfer occurred in 2015, involving a transfer from JPNIC to APNIC.

These three policies were revised and updated several times until 2022, when they were consolidated into a single unified policy: the IPv4 Address Transfer Application Procedure, published as Policy No. 01278. The final version of this policy was released in 2023 under the new number and remains in effect as of today. As of April 2025, a total of 689 IPv4 address blocks have been transferred under JPNIC’s authority.

Today, JPNIC continues to facilitate both domestic IPv4 transfers (between organizations within Japan) and inter-regional transfers involving entities in other RIR service regions.

Current IPv4 Transfer Requirements with JPNIC (as of 2025)

IPv4 transfers within and outside JPNIC are regulated under the IPv4 Address Transfer Application Procedure published in 2023, which defines three types of transfers::

• (1.1) Transfers Within JPNIC
• (1.2) Transfers from JPNIC to another registry
• (1.3) Transfers from another registry to JPNIC.

JPNIC policies permit not only transfers to and from other RIRs, but also support transfers involving two other NIRs within the APNIC service region. Depending on the type of transfer, different requirements apply regarding the IPv4 resources involved, the status of the source and recipient organizations, and the applicable fees.

IPv4 Transfer Requirements for the Sourcing Organisations

For 1.1. and 1.2. transfer types same requirements for Sellers apply:

• The sourcing organization must have entered into one of the agreements related to IP address management with JPNIC.
• It must be confirmed in the JPNIC database that the organization is registered as the managing entity for the “Subject IPv4 Address Space” described in the IPv4 Address Transfer Application Form (hereinafter referred to as “Subject IPv4 Address Space”).
• As of the time of the transfer application, there must be no disputes involving the Subject IPv4 Address Space, including those related to its assigned entities under the organization’s management.
• There must be no outstanding payments, such as IP address maintenance fees, owed to JPNIC.
• The organization must have reached an agreement with the recipient organization regarding the transfer of the IPv4 address space being applied for. In addition, the organization must agree to all items specified in “Pre-Confirmation Items” of the IPv4 Address Transfer Application Procedurepolicy corresponding to the type of IPv4 address transfer planned for application.

For 1.3. transfer type (from another Registry to JPNIC) the following requirement applies:

• The organization must have entered into an agreement regarding IP address management with a Transfer-Eligble Registry piblished in the JPNIC’s list of IPv4 Address Transfer Target Registries.

IPv4 Transfer Requirements Requirements for the Recipient Organizations

For 1.1. transfer type (IPv4 transfer within JPNIC), the following requirements apply:

• The organization must have entered into one of the agreements related to IP address management with JPNIC, or must have submitted an application for such an agreement at the time of transfer application. (The agreement must be finalized by the planned transfer date.)
• The organization must manage the IPv4 address space after the transfer in accordance with the “JPNIC Address Space Management Policy.“
• If the organization wishes to receive IPv4 address space (hereinafter referred to as “internationally transferred addresses”) that was previously managed by a Regional Internet Registry or a National Internet Registry other than JPNIC and has become managed by JPNIC through a prior IPv4 address transfer, it must have received notification of the “Transferable IPv4 Address Size.”
• The organization must select whether the address type of the subject IPv4 address space after the transfer will be Provider-Aggregatable (PA address) or Provider-Independent (PI address).
• The organization must have no outstanding payments to JPNIC, including address maintenance fees.
• The organization must have reached an agreement with the transferring organization regarding the transfer of the IPv4 address space being applied for. Additionally, it must agree to all items listed under “Pre-Confirmation Items” of the IPv4 Address Transfer Application Procedure policy corresponding to the type of IPv4 address transfer being applied for.

For 1.2. transfer type (IPv4 transfer from JPNIC to another registry), the following requirements apply:

• The organization must have entered into, or applied for, an agreement regarding IP address management with a Transfer-Eligble Registry piblished in the JPNIC’s list of IPv4 Address Transfer Target Registries.

For 1.3. transfer type (from another Registry to JPNIC) the following requirements apply:

• The organization must select whether the address type of the subject IPv4 address space after the transfer will be Provider-Aggregatable (PA address) or Provider-Independent (PI address).
• The organization must have no outstanding payments to JPNIC, including address maintenance fees.
• The organization must have reached an agreement with the transferring organization regarding the transfer of the IPv4 address space being applied for. Additionally, it must agree to all items listed under “Pre-Confirmation Items” of the IPv4 Address Transfer Application Procedure policy corresponding to the type of IPv4 address transfer being applied for.
• The organization must have received a notification from JPNIC regarding the transferable IPv4 address size.

IPv4 Transfer Requirements Requirements for the subnet

For 1.1. transfer type (IPv4 transfer within JPNIC), the following requirements apply:

• The IPv4 address space must be under JPNIC management and must be a block of /24 or larger that has been allocated or assigned to the transferring organization.
• If the subject IPv4 address space falls within the last unallocated IPv4 block held by APNIC, then at least 5 years must have passed since the allocation or assignment to the transferring organization.

For 1.2. transfer type (IPv4 transfer from JPNIC to another registry), the following requirements apply:

• The IPv4 address space must be under JPNIC management and must be a block of /24 or larger that has been allocated or assigned to the transferring organization.
• If the IPv4 address space in question falls within the 103/8 range, which corresponds to ‘the last /8 of unallocated IPv4 address space held by APNIC,’ then at least five years must have passed since the allocation or assignment was made to the transferring organization.
• The address space must be under JPNIC management and must not be listed in the List of IPv4 Addresses Managed by JPNIC for rDNS

For 1.3. transfer type (from another Registry to JPNIC) the following requirements apply:

• The address space must be a block of /24 or larger that has been allocated or assigned under the management of a transfer-eligible registry piblished in the JPNIC’s list of IPv4 Address Transfer Target Registries.

Transfer Fees

If the transfer falls under “1.1 Transfers between JPNIC contracting organizations” or “1.3 Transfers from a transfer-eligible registry contracting organization to a JPNIC contracting organization”, and the IPv4 address space involved includes internationally transferred addresses, JPNIC will provide instructions for transferring the applicable fee.

For IPv4 address transfer applications submitted under this policy, JPNIC charges the IPv4 address transfer fee to the recipient, as specified in the “Fees for IP Address and AS Number Management.”

Conclusion

JPNIC, as Japan’s National Internet Registry, has managed IP address resources since before the establishment of APNIC and continues to enforce the policies that govern their allocation and transfer in Japan. While it operates independently at the national level, JPNIC ensures that its procedures and policies remain consistent with the broader framework set by APNIC.

Its IPv4 transfer framework has developed from early domestic procedures in 2011 to a unified policy, covering both internal and inter-regional IPv4 transfers. Today, transfers are categorized into three types and subject to specific requirements based on the registry involved, the contractual status of each party, and the characteristics of the IP address block. While transfers with other RIRs and NIRs are permitted, they follow strict procedural and technical conditions.

Although we’ve highlighted the main points of JPNIC’s transfer policies, this is not a complete overview covering all aspects of transfers involving JPNIC. Additional conditions, exceptions, and procedural details may apply depending on the specific case. To ensure everything proceeds smoothly and in full compliance, Voldeta experts can assist you throughout the process. If you’re looking to sell your JPNIC-managed subnet or intend to acquire one, feel free to contact us at info@voldeta.com

Author: Anastasia Kleiman.