【Second Batch of Speakers Announced】Speakers for the 'National Conference on Standardization and Quality Management 2026' to be held on October 13 (Tue) Announced!

The Japan Standards Association (headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Asahi Hiro) will hold the annual event 'National Conference on Standardization and Quality Management' on October 13, 2026 (Tue) at the Urban Center Hotel in Nagata-cho, Tokyo. This event brings together professionals in standardization and quality management.

The 'Standardization and Quality Management Conference' invites diverse speakers from various fields and is held annually in October. This article announces the second batch of speakers, following the first announcement, including a panel discussion and five lectures. (Please note that there may be changes to the speakers or content due to circumstances).

Details of the 'National Conference on Standardization and Quality Management'

First Batch of Speaker Announcements

☆ Additional Speaker Announcement for the National Conference on Standardization and Quality Management 2026 ☆

★ [Panel Discussion] How to Cultivate Talent Who Succeed in Business Through Rule-Making ～ The Role of Universities and JSA ～★

＜Moderator＞ Japan Standards Association (JSA) Global Research Center Fellow / Former Professor, Graduate School of Management, Hitotsubashi University Akihiro Eto

＜Panelists＞ ・Associate Professor, Graduate School of Management Information, Chubu University Kazuyo Ito ・Professor, Graduate School of Public Policy, Hosei University Masato Itoguchi ・Associate Professor, Intellectual Property Center, Research Promotion Organization, Yamaguchi University Hideki Chinami ・Professor, Department of Fundamental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Utsunomiya University Yoshinobu Yamamoto

In today's society where leading rule-making is required, the importance of education on rule-making and standardization at universities is increasing. However, while there are many departments such as law departments that study rule-making, business departments that study economics and management, and engineering departments that study industry-academia collaboration and technology dissemination, education that cultivates the ability to utilize rules and standardization in business is not sufficiently conducted. In this era when the distance between academia and society is becoming closer, what kind of standardization education is necessary for universities? What role should the standardization specialist organization JSA play in its realization? We will discuss these topics.

★ Promoting the Standardization of Accessible Design — Aiming for a Coexistence Society with Both Reasonable Accommodation and Accessible Design ★ Deputy Director, Human Information Interaction Research Division, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology Nana Ito

Reasonable accommodation refers to individual responses in the field and is interrelated with the standardization of accessible design, providing hints for mutual development. In this lecture, we will introduce an overview of international standards (ISO) related to accessible design that the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology has systematically developed so far, taking into account this relationship.

★ Achieving Consumer Safety, Security, and Accessibility Through Standardization: Support and Communication for Consumers with Special Characteristics ★ Representative Director and President, General Incorporated Association Consumer Life Support Center Yumiko Ono

The Consumer Life Support Center continues activities that transcend qualifications and fields to solve social issues faced by consumers with diverse characteristics. Effective communication is essential for realizing a society where people can live safely and securely. We will propose specific measures to prevent troubles faced by the elderly, people with disabilities, and children, and convey the importance of standardization for improving accessibility and hints for the future.

★ Breaking Away from the Whack-a-Mole Approach to Correction — Returning to the Source for Preventive Correction ★ Senior Advisor, Manufacturing Innovation Promotion Group, Production Technology Promotion Department, Technical Headquarters, TOTO Corporation Hiroshi Yamamoto

The root cause of many sites struggling with recurrence despite advocating 'preventive measures' lies in the negative spiral of 'additive measures' by adding rules. In this lecture, we will introduce a practical approach to breaking away from the whack-a-mole approach to correction and tracing back to the mechanism from manufacturing to the source (product design). We will explain initiatives to turn knowledge into practical actions, such as visualizing thinking with 'PA Matrix,' educational mechanisms that do not end with 'good stories,' and the utilization of internal audits.

★ How AI Agents are Changing Quality Assurance in Manufacturing ─ Automatic Generation of DRBFM, FMEA, and FTA and the Future of Next-Generation PLM ★ CEO, EpicAI Inc. Keiichi Yokoyama

Structural limitations of design reviews — 30% of recall causes are due to design errors, and major manufacturers incur annual losses of several hundred billion yen. In this lecture, we will introduce an implementation example of automatically generating DRBFM, FMEA, and FTA using AI Agents. Through a mechanism where AI continuously encodes past troubles, regulations, and design philosophies, we will present next-generation quality assurance for manufacturing that 'increases speed without compromising quality.'

▼ National Conference on Standardization and Quality Management 2026 ▼

Conference Theme Designing a Sustainable Future Society － Achieving Reliable Quality and Strategic Standardization Through the Fusion of On-Site Wisdom and Digital Technology

Date October 13, 2026 (Tue)

Venue Urban Center Hotel (Nagata-cho, Tokyo)

Participation Fee General: 11,000 yen (tax included) Our Association's Maintaining Members: Free for one person per membership (For applications exceeding the number of memberships: 5,500 yen (tax included) per person) *Note: Those who apply will be able to view the archived video of the 'National Conference on Standardization and Quality Management 2026' lectures for free (scheduled to be announced around early November).

Applications will be accepted starting from early August 2026.

Details of the 'National Conference on Standardization and Quality Management'

▼ Regional Conference on Standardization and Quality Management 2026 ▼

City/Conference Name Date Venue Hokkaido Regional Conference (Sapporo) October 30 (Fri) Hokkaido Economic Center Tohoku Regional Conference (Sendai) October 21 (Wed) Center for Small and Medium Enterprise Vitalization Chubu Regional Conference (Nagoya) October 29 (Thu) Imaike Gas Hall Kinki Regional Conference (Osaka) October 28 (Wed) Downtown Center Chugoku Regional Conference (Hiroshima) October 23 (Fri) Hiroshima Prefectural Cultural Center Shikoku Regional Conference (Takamatsu) October 16 (Fri) Sunport Hall Takamatsu Kyushu Regional Conference (Fukuoka) October 19 (Mon) Fukuoka International Conference Center *Note: Those who apply will be able to view the archived video of the 'National Conference on Standardization and Quality Management 2026' lectures for free (scheduled to be announced around early November).

Applications will be accepted starting from early August 2026.

Details of the 'Regional Conference on Standardization and Quality Management'

～ About the Standardization and Quality Management Conference ～

This conference invites diverse speakers from various fields and is held annually in October.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry designates October as 'Industrial Standardization Promotion Month' every year and conducts various events to promote and enlighten the public about industrial standardization. This conference is one of those events, with the national conference (Tokyo) held since 1958 and regional conferences held since 1974, making it a historic event.

Past scenes from the national conference

● About the Japan Standards Association Group (JSA) ●

The Japan Standards Association Group, centered around the Japan Standards Association, a public interest foundation established in December 1945, aims to develop, disseminate, and enlighten the public about standardization and management technologies.

As Japan's comprehensive standardization organization, our group is involved in the development of JIS, international standards (ISO/IEC standards), and JSA standards, the issuance and sale of JIS standard tickets, the distribution of international and overseas standards, the provision of various seminars, the registration of various management systems such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, certification of various services, and management.