June 27, 2017
We are pleased to announce that Keio University's Keio Research Institute at SFC, KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Kodansha Ltd., Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and PUBLISHING DIGITAL ORGANIZATION, INC. have agreed to jointly establish the Advanced Publishing Laboratory (APL) at Keio University's Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) to conduct research on the future of publishing.
1. Background of APL's Establishment
The establishment of APL was prompted by the integration of the management and operation of EPUB, the international standard for e-books widely used in Japan, into the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the international standards organization for the internet, and the subsequent creation of the Digital Publishing Business Group within the W3C.
This integration will make the future of publishing more compatible with internet publishing. For Japanese publishing to adapt to this new era and enhance its international competitiveness, it is necessary to further promote the fusion of Japan's world-class, high-quality traditional publishing techniques with digital technology. Therefore, the four publishing companies and PUBLISHING DIGITAL ORGANIZATION, INC., which aims to transform the publishing industry with digital technology, have decided to establish APL with the full cooperation of Keio University's Keio Research Institute at SFC (Note 1), which plays an important role in the W3C.
2. APL's Activities
APL is scheduled to operate for two years. It will bring together the knowledge of domestic experts to actively contribute to the international maintenance of the current EPUB standard and the standardization of next-generation specifications. The scope of standardization will also include research on accessibility through the use of digital technology, in line with the spirit of the Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities. Furthermore, APL will promote activities related to active information exchange and dissemination, such as introducing Japan's globally recognized entertainment culture and sophisticated Japanese typesetting to the world, and conversely, introducing information on digital technologies related to overseas publishing to Japan.
Additionally, APL plans to offer educational programs on the publishing knowledge cultivated over the years and the latest digital technologies. Through these programs, APL aims to foster human resources who can thrive in the international market by leveraging specialized knowledge and information technology, as well as individuals who will support the very future of publishing.
Note 1: Keio University's Keio Research Institute at SFC is the W3C host for East Asia (excluding China) and is a joint operator of the W3C along with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL) in the United States, the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM) headquartered in France, and Beihang University.
Contact:
APL Secretariat, Keio University's Keio Research Institute at SFC
TEL 03-3516-2504 FAX 03-3516-0617
E-mail: aplab@awa.sfc.keio.ac.jp
For the press release, please see Notice of the Establishment of the Laboratory for the Future of Publishing (Advanced Publishing Laboratory: APL).pdf (PDF).
Source: Office of Research Development and Sponsored Projects at Shonan Fujisawa Campus