Technically, test discovery already works for test_json.py / json_tests, but not the way really expected (each test file is discovered individually), and not as simply as it could.  The attached patch does the following:

- remove test_json.py
- rename json_tests to test_json (to match all other tests, following the example of test_email and test_importlib)
- remove main() and 'if __name__ == "__main__"' stanza from __init__.py
- rename test_suite() to load_tests(*args)
- Add test_json/__main__.py, which calls unittest.main

I believe this is the simplest, cleanest way to convert the json tests from test_main to unittest.main().

The patch is against 3.3; there are changes in 3.4 that make a patch against it not apply to 3.3.  It merges forward easily, though.

I like the patch.
Can you make "./python Lib/test/test_json/" work too?  Currently it doesn't seem to work (it works for e.g. "./python Lib/test/test_email/").

Make sure the tests still work when run from an installed Python rather than just from a build directory.  In particular, if you rename test directories, you will need to change LIBSUBDIRS in Makefile.pre.in to ensure the directories and their files are installed.

Here's a new patch; test_json.__main__ now uses an absolute import rather than trying to use a relative one.  Also, Makefile.pre.in is fixed (thank you, Ned!).

New changeset 95cf8640b271 by Ezio Melotti in branch '3.3':
#18273: move the tests in Lib/test/json_tests to Lib/test/test_json and make them discoverable by unittest.  Patch by Zachary Ware.
http://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/95cf8640b271

New changeset f7ed301e7199 by Ezio Melotti in branch 'default':
#18273: merge with 3.3.
http://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/f7ed301e7199

Fixed, thanks for the patch!
(Thanks Ned too!)