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The Universal Design approach involves "creating products, services and environments that are user-friendly to as many people as possible regardless of age, gender, skills or other individual characteristics."
In recent years, the market has been changing in line with rapid aging and globalization. In addition, as new laws and regulations have increasingly been put in place inside and outside Japan, the need for Universal Design in products is now being borne in mind in an increasing number of cases. Amidst growing social needs, Universal Design has come to play a crucial role.
The aging rate of society refers to the percentage of the total population composed of elderly people, with elderly people defined as those over the age of 65. This rate, which was just 7% in 1970, has continued to rise rapidly to exceed 21% in 2007, making Japan a super-aging society with the highest aging rate in the world. The main factors cited as lying behind this aging rate are the "increase in the average life expectancy" and "the decreasing number of young people due to the declining birthrate." As aging is proceeding so rapidly in Japan, the process of setting up a social environment has not kept pace compared to the states of Northern Europe and the like where the aging process is taking place more gradually.
Going forward, in line with the decrease in the total population and other trends it is estimated that the aging rate of Japan will reach 40.5% by 2055, meaning that we will have arrived at a society in which one out of every 2.5 people is an elderly person over the age of 65, and it is believed that an increasing number of elderly people will play a successful part in society. IT companies have a major role to play in establishing an IT society in which elderly people can participate freely, such as through promoting measures for the employment of elderly people.
Data: World Population Prospects: The 2006 Revision Population Database
Trends and predictions for the global aging rate
With the numbers of registered foreigners in Japan increasing every year, there has also been a rapid increase in the number of foreign workers.
With 2,153,000 registered foreigners in 2007, foreigners make up approximately 1.69% of the total population of Japan. The term "registered foreigners" does not include those who leave Japan less than 90 days after arriving, foreign diplomats, the military who fall under the Japan-US Status-of-Forces Agreement, or their families. Therefore, the actual number of foreigners living in Japan is believed to be higher than the figures for registered foreigners, meaning that it has become essential to be able to deal with a variety of languages.
This law which was executed in June 2001 by the US Government sets out standards for functions and accessibility of IT equipment which is delivered to organizations related to the Federal Government.
IT equipment and software which is purchased by the Federal Government must be capable of being used even by people with disabilities. It is stipulated that the person in charge of purchasing information equipment and contents must purchase the product with the highest degree of accessibility.
These standards, going under the official name of "Guideline for older persons and persons with disabilities -information and communications equipment, software and services-" were formulated by the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC), and were made public in 2004.
These are standard specifications which bring together the specific requirements which planners, developers, designers and managers need to bear in mind in order to ensure and improve the accessibility of information in equipment, software and services in the domain of information and communications; it is planned that they will be progressively revised in 2009.
This law was executed in 2006 under the official name of the Law for Facilitating Mobility of Elderly Persons and Persons with Disabilities.
This law integrates and enhances the Barrier-Free Transport Law (established in 2000) which promotes the creation of barrier-free environments centering on facilities used by travelers such as public transportation organizations, stations and the like, and the Heartful Building Law (established in 1994) which promotes the creation of barrier-free buildings.
