On 4 September 2024, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications opened applications for products and services to be included in the “Examples of Best Practice in Information Accessibility 2024”, with the aim of furthering the dissemination of accessible ICT devices and services.
An awareness that it is important to ensure information accessibility in ICT devices and services in order to bring about a society in which anyone can enjoy the convenience of using digital products and services and lead a rich life is said to be behind the opening of applications.

An outline of the applications is as follows.

Application period: Wed. 4 September 2024 – Fri. 8 November 2024 (5 p.m.) Products and services covered:　 ICT devices and services which fulfilled each of the following conditions (1) – (3) were eligible. (1) The ICT device or service is one which gives consideration to information accessibility. (2) The “ICT device or service” in (1) is an ICT device or service developed, manufactured, and sold by the company making the application as its own product (final products under the company’s own name which incorporate technologies, parts, software, etc. supplied by another company are also eligible for application) and falls into one of the categories below: (a) Personal computers (products covered by Japan Industrial Standards [JIS] X 8341 – 2) (b) Web content applications (products covered by JIS X 8341 – 3/Web Content Accessibility Guidelines [WCAG] 2.1)　 (c) Telecommunications equipment (products covered by JIS X 8341 – 4) (d) Office equipment (products covered by JIS X 8341 – 5) (e) Dialogue software (products covered by JIS X 8341 – 6) (3) The ICT device or service was being sold, supplied etc. to companies or consumers at the time of application.

Please see the website below for details [Japanese only]: https://www.soumu.go.jp/menu_news/s-news/01ryutsu05_02000164.html

Edited and published by the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities.

Published on September 20th 2024.