Health aspect of daylight has been revalued in recent years. Whereas, urban congestion with multistory buildings and architectural design to minimize daylight openings for high energy performance of buildings tend to constrain people from enjoying benefits of daylight in buildings. The Urban Building Act was established in 1919 in Japan, and the Building Standard Law replaced it in 1950 for protection of life, health and property of the nation and public welfare. The Building Standard Law provides regulations on sunlight and daylighting such as restrictions of the height and form of buildings and requirements for daylight openings. But, those regulations have been gradually relaxed with urban growth. This paper outlines historical changes in Japanese regulations and standards for sunlight and daylighting as an example. And it discusses challenges in future development or revision of international standards for sunlight and daylighting, especially in inclusion of criteria for health.