At JapanKnowledge Services, we are pushing forward with web accessibility compliance little by little, starting with what we can do now.
The Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT®) is a self-assessment report that describes the extent to which an ICT product or service conforms to the accessibility standards established under Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act.
The format is provided by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), and the VPAT for JapanKnowledge Lib is evaluated based on the WCAG 2.2 Level AA conformance criteria.
JKL JapanKnowledge Lib(https://japanknowledge.com/library/ Open in a new window)
| Applicable Pages | Link to VPAT | Last Updated Date |
|---|---|---|
| JKLSearch results for “富士山 (Mount Fuji)” (Basic Search) | JapanKnowledgeLibBasicSearchScreen_VPAT2.5Rev_WCAG.pdfOpen PDF in a new window | October 31, 2025 |
| JKLMain Text Screen for “富士山 (Mount Fuji)” (from Encyclopedia Nipponica) | JapanKnowledgeLibMainTextScreen_VPAT2.5Rev_WCAG.pdfOpen PDF in a new window | October 31, 2025 |
| JKLSearch results for “あおい (Aoi)” (from “Unabridged Japanese Dictionary”, Advanced Search) | JapanKnowledgeLibAdvancedSearchScreen_VPAT2.5Rev_WCAG.pdfOpen PDF in a new window | October 31, 2025 |
| JKLHTML5 Viewer page: The Tale of Genji (1) Kiritsubo, p.17 (from “Japanese Classical Literature”) | JapanKnowledgeLibHTML5ViewerstyleTextScreen_VPAT2.5Rev_WCAG.pdfOpen PDF in a new window | October 31, 2025 |
* The contents of the published VPATs will continue to be revised and updated as necessary.
* As of October 2025, the evaluation covers the common formats of JapanKnowledge Lib, including the Basic Search screen, Article (Full Text) screen, Detailed (Individual) Search screen, and the HTML5 Viewer screen.
JKP JapanKnowledge Personal(https://japanknowledge.com/personal/ Open in a new window)
JKL JapanKnowledge Lib(https://japanknowledge.com/library/ Open in a new window)
JKS JapanKnowledge School(https://school.japanknowledge.com/ Open in a new window)
| Date | Site | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 2023 | JKS | Implemented accessibility compliance for login screen. https://auth-school.japanknowledge.com/auth_school/login/ Open in a new window |
| Sep. 2023 | JKPJKLJKS | Added a language attribute (lang="en") to the text, added read aloud tags to marks, and implemented screen reader improvements such as applying <h> tags to subheadings in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (10th Edition). |
| Jul. 2023 | JKS | Introduced focus visualization into the new contents guide. https://school.japanknowledge.com/contents/ Open in a new window |
| Apr. 2023 | JKPJKLJKS | Added a language attribute (lang="en") to the English in the main text, added read aloud tags to marks, and implemented screen reader improvements such as applying <h> tags to subheadings in the Shogakukan-Oxford English-Japanese Collocations Dictionary for students of English. |
| Jan. 2023 | JKP | Improved accessibility of login screen. https://auth.japanknowledge.com/auth/login/login/jk_personal/ Open in a new window |
| Jan. 2023 | JKL | Improved accessibility of login screen. https://auth.japanknowledge.com/auth/login/login/jk_lib/ Open in a new window |
| Dec. 2022 | JKS | Installed read aloud function in Shinsho pocket paperbacks and booklets.* Requires login. https://school.japanknowledge.com/jks/shelf/ebooks/ Open in a new window |
| Dec. 2022 | JKP | Implemented accessibility compliance for procedures for new subscriptions. * However, from the viewpoint of security, a session timeout was added to each page. |
| Dec. 2022 | JKPJKL | Added a language attribute (lang="ja") to the entire website. https://japanknowledge.com/personal/ Open in a new window https://japanknowledge.com/library/ Open in a new window |
| Dec. 2022 | JKL | Added a language attribute(lang="en") to English pages. https://japanknowledge.com/library/en/ Open in a new window |
| Aug. 2022 | JKPJKLJKS | Added a language attribute (lang="en") to the English in the main text, added read aloud tags to marks, and implemented screen reader improvements such as applying <h> tags to subheadings in the Shogakukan-Oxford English-Japanese Learner's Thesaurus. |
| Jun. 2022 | JKP | Implemented accessibility compliance for the Fees Payment Method page. https://japanknowledge.com/personal/price.html Open in a new window |
| May 2022 | JKS | Introduced focus visualization, language attribute(lang="ja"), read aloud of What's New page, and read aloud of external links at the time of renewal of the teaser site (introductory site). https://school.japanknowledge.com/ Open in a new window |
| Mar. 2022 | JKP | Improved contrast of theme colors. |
| Mar. 2022 | JKS | Improved contrast of theme colors. |
For inquiries, opinions, impressions, or other matters concerning the accessibility of JapanKnowledge sites, please send email to
Accessible Design Office
* Monday to Friday, 11am to 4pm (except holidays)