According to numerous surveys conducted by government agencies and research institutions, many individuals today feel a lack of work engagement and fulfillment in their professions. One important approach to enhancing workplace satisfaction is to ensure that people can follow careers that align with both what they love and what they are good at. However, while what we love is subjective and personal, what we are good at requires objective visibility to lead to viable career opportunities. To achieve this, it is crucial to establish shared standards and frameworks that allow such abilities to be recognized across national and community boundaries.

Research on the Standardization and Governance of Academic Qualification Certification

The Inochi Forum envisions a future society—looking ahead to 2050—where individuals’ knowledge, abilities, and credibility, nurtured through following their passions and strengths, can be made visible and fairly evaluated, regardless of national, community, or spatial differences. As learning and working styles evolve, and as perceptions of national and community identity shift, the expansion of human mobility and collaboration across both physical and digital spaces can foster a society where every Inochi unleashes its radiant light, revitalizing our social and economic systems.

The internet, as a borderless global infrastructure—sometimes referred to as the “eighth continent”—is expected to play an increasingly vital role in this transformation. In digital space, it is imperative to build systems that allow fair recognition of individual capabilities, supported by technologies that ensure secure, trustworthy communication, regardless of distance or location.

To achieve this, we must overcome the following hurdles in international and cross-community consensus-building:

● Developing interoperable frameworks for the validation of knowledge, abilities, and credibility, including aligned definitions and levels

● Establishing accreditation schemes to ensure trust among certificate issuers, holders, and users

● Creating technical specifications that support interoperability

Given these challenges, a practical entry point is the field of academic degrees and professional certifications, particularly considering the increasing international mobility of higher education. UNESCO has adopted the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education, providing a foundational framework.

Although Japan currently lacks a nationally recognized qualifications framework, the National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education (NIAD-QE) has developed a draft framework based on UNESCO standards. Furthermore, the Sustainable and Interoperable Digital Identity (SIDI) Hub—a consortium working toward cross-border identity interoperability—has convened experts from 22 countries, including international standards bodies, nonprofits, and government agencies. Among its discussion topics is the review of academic and professional qualification systems in different countries.

ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation, in collaboration with the National Institute of Informatics, is conducting joint research aimed at standardizing interoperability between domestic and international academic qualifications. In partnership with universities and related institutions, the project seeks to ensure multilingual support and trustworthiness of digital interfaces by adhering to international technical standards discussed in the Japanese government’s Trusted Web Initiative.

The Inochi Forum, working together with diverse organizations including these, will explore a range of strategies— through information dissemination, education, and academic–industry collaboration—to make every individual’s strength visible and rightfully recognized.

[References]

・Joint research press release by NII and ITOCHU Techno-Solutions:
https://www.nii.ac.jp/news/release/2024/1128.html

・NIAD-QE: Draft Qualifications Framework for Japanese Higher Education
https://niadqe.jp/information/higher-education-degree-2/

・SIDI Hub
https://sidi-hub.community/

・Trusted Web Initiative
https://trustedweb.go.jp/

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