SYNOPSISRecently Japanese Building Code was revised. During the revision process, ISO4355 and the recommendation for snow loads on buildings issued in 1993 by the Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ) were carefully reviewed. In this paper, the basic concept and statistical background of the AIJ's 1993 recommendation for snow loads on buildings and the outline of the revised building code on snow loads are presented and some further research needs are discussed.