diff --git a/min-requirements.txt b/min-requirements.txt
index 305f16dcb..8e2715d00 100644
--- a/min-requirements.txt
+++ b/min-requirements.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 # Auto-generated by tools/update_requirements.py
 numpy ==1.19
 packaging ==17
-setuptools
+importlib_resources; python_version < '3.9'
+jdata ==0.5
+bjdata ==0.4
diff --git a/nibabel/__init__.py b/nibabel/__init__.py
index 50dca1451..ac7f39ae7 100644
--- a/nibabel/__init__.py
+++ b/nibabel/__init__.py
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@
 )
 from .spm2analyze import Spm2AnalyzeHeader, Spm2AnalyzeImage
 from .spm99analyze import Spm99AnalyzeHeader, Spm99AnalyzeImage
+from .jmesh import JMesh
 
 # isort: split
 
diff --git a/nibabel/imageclasses.py b/nibabel/imageclasses.py
index e2dbed129..bc135f9a9 100644
--- a/nibabel/imageclasses.py
+++ b/nibabel/imageclasses.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 from .parrec import PARRECImage
 from .spm2analyze import Spm2AnalyzeImage
 from .spm99analyze import Spm99AnalyzeImage
+from .jmesh import JMesh
 
 # Ordered by the load/save priority.
 all_image_classes = [
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@
     PARRECImage,
     GiftiImage,
     AFNIImage,
+    JMesh,
 ]
 
 # Image classes known to require spatial axes to be first in index ordering.
diff --git a/nibabel/jmesh/__init__.py b/nibabel/jmesh/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f555d6a70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nibabel/jmesh/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+# emacs: -*- mode: python-mode; py-indent-offset: 4; indent-tabs-mode: nil -*-
+# vi: set ft=python sts=4 ts=4 sw=4 et:
+### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ##
+#
+#   See COPYING file distributed along with the NiBabel package for the
+#   copyright and license terms.
+#
+### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ##
+"""JSON and BJData based JMesh format IO
+
+.. currentmodule:: nibabel.jmesh
+
+.. autosummary::
+   :toctree: ../generated
+
+   jmesh
+"""
+
+from .jmesh import load, save, JMesh, default_header
diff --git a/nibabel/jmesh/jmesh.py b/nibabel/jmesh/jmesh.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cf26d8c50
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nibabel/jmesh/jmesh.py
@@ -0,0 +1,240 @@
+# emacs: -*- mode: python-mode; py-indent-offset: 4; indent-tabs-mode: nil -*-
+# vi: set ft=python sts=4 ts=4 sw=4 et:
+### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ##
+#
+#   See COPYING file distributed along with the NiBabel package for the
+#   copyright and license terms.
+#
+### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ##
+# General JMesh Input - Output to and from the filesystem
+# Qianqian Fang <q.fang at neu.edu>
+##############
+
+__all__ = ['JMesh', 'read', 'write', 'default_header']
+
+from jdata import load as jdload, save as jdsave
+import numpy as np
+from ..filebasedimages import FileBasedImage
+
+default_header = {
+    'JMeshVersion': '0.5',
+    'Comment': 'Created by NiPy with NeuroJSON JMesh specification',
+    'AnnotationFormat': 'https://neurojson.org/jmesh/draft2',
+    'Parser': {
+        'Python': ['https://pypi.org/project/jdata', 'https://pypi.org/project/bjdata'],
+        'MATLAB': ['https://github.com/NeuroJSON/jnifty', 'https://github.com/NeuroJSON/jsonlab'],
+        'JavaScript': 'https://github.com/NeuroJSON/jsdata',
+        'CPP': 'https://github.com/NeuroJSON/json',
+        'C': 'https://github.com/NeuroJSON/ubj',
+    },
+}
+
+
+class JMesh(FileBasedImage):
+    """JMesh: a simple data structure representing a brain surface
+
+    * Description - JMesh defines a set of language-neutral JSON annotations for
+          storage and exchange of mesh-related data. The details of the specification
+          can be found in NeuroJSON's website at https://neurojson.org
+
+    * Child Elements: [NA]
+    * Text Content: [NA]
+
+    Attributes
+    ----------
+    info: a dict
+        A dict object storing the metadata (`_DataInfo_`) section of the JMesh
+        file
+    node : 2-D list or numpy array
+        A 2-D numpy.ndarray object to store the vertices of the mesh
+    nodelabel : 1-D list or numpy array
+        A 1-D numpy.ndarray object to store the label of each vertex
+    face : 2-D list or numpy array
+        A 2-D numpy.ndarray object to store the triangular elements of the
+        mesh; indices start from 1
+    facelabel : 1-D list or numpy array
+        A 1-D numpy.ndarray object to store the label of each triangle
+    raw : a dict
+        The raw data loaded from the .jmsh or .bmsh file
+    """
+
+    valid_exts = ('.jmsh', '.bmsh')
+    files_types = (('image', '.jmsh'), ('image', '.bmsh'))
+    makeable = False
+    rw = True
+
+    def __init__(self, info=None, node=None, nodelabel=None, face=None, facelabel=None):
+
+        self.raw = {}
+        if info is not None:
+            self.raw['_DataInfo_'] = info
+
+        if nodelabel is not None:
+            self.raw['MeshVertex3'] = {'Data': node, 'Properties': {'Tag': nodelabel}}
+            self.node = self.raw['MeshVertex3']['Data']
+            self.nodelabel = self.raw['MeshVertex3']['Properties']['Tag']
+        else:
+            self.raw['MeshVertex3'] = node
+            self.node = self.raw['MeshVertex3']
+
+        if facelabel is not None:
+            self.raw['MeshTri3'] = {'Data': face, 'Properties': {'Tag': facelabel}}
+            self.face = self.raw['MeshTri3']['Data']
+            self.facelabel = self.raw['MeshTri3']['Properties']['Tag']
+        else:
+            self.raw['MeshTri3'] = face
+            self.face = self.raw['MeshTri3']
+
+    @classmethod
+    def from_filename(self, filename, opt={}, **kwargs):
+        self = read(filename, opt, **kwargs)
+        return self
+
+    @classmethod
+    def to_filename(self, filename, opt={}, **kwargs):
+        write(self, filename, opt, **kwargs)
+
+
+def read(filename, opt={}, **kwargs):
+    """Load a JSON or binary JData (BJData) based JMesh file
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    filename : string
+        The JMesh file to open, it has usually ending .gii
+    opt: a dict that may contain below option keys
+        ndarray: boolean, if True, node/face/nodelabel/facelabel are converted
+                 to numpy.ndarray, otherwise, leave those unchanged
+    kwargs: additional keyword arguments for `json.load` when .jmsh file is being loaded
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    mesh : a JMesh object
+        Return a JMesh object containing mesh data fields such as node, face, nodelabel etc
+    """
+    opt.setdefault('ndarray', True)
+
+    mesh = JMesh
+    mesh.raw = jdload(filename, opt, **kwargs)
+
+    # --------------------------------------------------
+    # read metadata as `info`
+    # --------------------------------------------------
+    if '_DataInfo_' in mesh.raw:
+        mesh.info = mesh.raw['_DataInfo_']
+
+    # --------------------------------------------------
+    # read vertices as `node` and `nodelabel`
+    # --------------------------------------------------
+    if 'MeshVertex3' in mesh.raw:
+        mesh.node = mesh.raw['MeshVertex3']
+    elif 'MeshNode' in mesh.raw:
+        mesh.node = mesh.raw['MeshNode']
+    else:
+        raise Exception('JMesh', 'JMesh surface must contain node (MeshVertex3 or MeshNode)')
+
+    if isinstance(mesh.node, dict):
+        if ('Properties' in mesh.node) and ('Tag' in mesh.node['Properties']):
+            mesh.nodelabel = mesh.node['Properties']['Tag']
+        if 'Data' in mesh.node:
+            mesh.node = mesh.node['Data']
+    if isinstance(mesh.node, np.ndarray) and mesh.node.ndim == 2 and mesh.node.shape[1] > 3:
+        mesh.nodelabel = mesh.node[:, 3:]
+        mesh.node = mesh.node[:, 0:3]
+
+    # --------------------------------------------------
+    # read triangles as `face` and `facelabel`
+    # --------------------------------------------------
+    if 'MeshTri3' in mesh.raw:
+        mesh.face = mesh.raw['MeshTri3']
+    elif 'MeshSurf' in mesh.raw:
+        mesh.face = mesh.raw['MeshSurf']
+
+    if isinstance(mesh.face, dict):
+        if ('Properties' in mesh.face) and ('Tag' in mesh.face['Properties']):
+            mesh.facelabel = mesh.face['Properties']['Tag']
+        if 'Data' in mesh.face:
+            mesh.face = mesh.face['Data']
+    if isinstance(mesh.face, np.ndarray) and mesh.face.ndim == 2 and mesh.face.shape[1] > 3:
+        mesh.facelabel = mesh.face[:, 3:]
+        mesh.face = mesh.face[:, 0:3]
+
+    # --------------------------------------------------
+    # convert to numpy ndarray
+    # --------------------------------------------------
+    if opt['ndarray']:
+        if (
+            hasattr(mesh, 'node')
+            and (mesh.node is not None)
+            and (not isinstance(mesh.node, np.ndarray))
+        ):
+            mesh.node = np.array(mesh.node)
+
+        if (
+            hasattr(mesh, 'face')
+            and (mesh.face is not None)
+            and (not isinstance(mesh.face, np.ndarray))
+        ):
+            mesh.face = np.array(mesh.face)
+
+        if (
+            hasattr(mesh, 'nodelabel')
+            and (mesh.nodelabel is not None)
+            and (not isinstance(mesh.nodelabel, np.ndarray))
+        ):
+            mesh.nodelabel = np.array(mesh.nodelabel)
+
+        if (
+            hasattr(mesh, 'facelabel')
+            and (mesh.facelabel is not None)
+            and (not isinstance(mesh.facelabel, np.ndarray))
+        ):
+            mesh.facelabel = np.array(mesh.facelabel)
+
+    return mesh
+
+
+def write(mesh, filename, opt={}, **kwargs):
+    """Save the current mesh to a new file
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    mesh : a JMesh object
+    filename : string
+        Filename to store the JMesh file (.jmsh for JSON based JMesh and
+        .bmsh for binary JMesh files)
+    opt: a dict that may contain below option keys
+        ndarray: boolean, if True, node/face/nodelabel/facelabel are converted
+                 to numpy.ndarray, otherwise, leave those unchanged
+    kwargs: additional keyword arguments for `json.dump` when .jmsh file is being saved
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    None
+
+    We update the mesh related data fields `MeshVetex3`, `MeshTri3` and metadata `_DataInfo_`
+    from mesh.node, mesh.face and mesh.info, then save mesh.raw to JData files
+    """
+
+    if not hasattr(mesh, 'raw') or mesh.raw is None:
+        mesh.raw = {}
+
+    if hasattr(mesh, 'info') and mesh.info is not None:
+        mesh.raw['_DataInfo_'] = mesh.info
+    if hasattr(mesh, 'node') and mesh.node is not None:
+        if hasattr(mesh, 'facelabel') and mesh.nodelabel is not None:
+            mesh.raw['MeshVertex3'] = {'Data': mesh.node, 'Properties': {'Tag': mesh.nodelabel}}
+        else:
+            mesh.raw['MeshVertex3'] = mesh.node
+
+    if hasattr(mesh, 'info') and mesh.face is not None:
+        if hasattr(mesh, 'facelabel') and mesh.facelabel is not None:
+            mesh.raw['MeshTri3'] = {'Data': mesh.face, 'Properties': {'Tag': mesh.facelabel}}
+        else:
+            mesh.raw['MeshTri3'] = mesh.face
+
+    return jdsave(mesh.raw, filename, opt, **kwargs)
+
+
+load = read
+save = write
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index f944f8e68..97fded74e 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ dependencies = [
   "numpy >=1.19",
   "packaging >=17",
   "importlib_resources; python_version < '3.9'",
+  "jdata >=0.5",
+  "bjdata >=0.4",
 ]
 classifiers = [
   "Development Status :: 5 - Production/Stable",
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 1d1e43460..6727bb0e4 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 # Auto-generated by tools/update_requirements.py
 numpy >=1.19
 packaging >=17
-setuptools
+importlib_resources; python_version < '3.9'
+jdata >=0.5
+bjdata >=0.4