What OpenID Foundation Japan does

OpenID Foundation Japan (OIDF-J) is a Tokyo-based general incorporated association (一般社団法人) established on October 1, 2008, and the officially recognized Japanese chapter of the US-based OpenID Foundation. The organization promotes the adoption of OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, FAPI, Verifiable Credentials, and related digital identity standards within the Japanese market through Japanese-language specification translations, implementation guidelines, and educational events. Its outputs include authoritative Japanese translations of all major OpenID/OAuth/FAPI specifications, the Private Business Digital Identity Verification Guidelines (currently Version 1.2), and translation of global OpenID Foundation whitepapers on verifiable credentials, human-centric digital identity, and government-issued digital credentials.

The organization operates through member-funded working groups (KYC Working Group, Translation Working Group, Enterprise Identity Working Group, and the newly formed Digital Credentials Harmonized Presentation Working Group) that produce practical guidelines for Japanese regulatory and industry requirements. Its go-to-market is community-led: it recruits corporate members who pay annual fees (200,000 JPY) plus an entry fee (300,000 JPY), and convenes the ecosystem through recurring events including OpenID TechNight technical seminars, OpenID BizDay business seminars, and the Japan Identity & Cloud Summit / OpenID Summit Tokyo conferences. A secondary revenue stream is the Evangelist Dispatch Program, which provides paid technical consultations on OpenID/OAuth implementation to non-member companies.

OIDF-J is governed by six board member companies — LINE Yahoo, Nomura Research Institute, Recruit, Japan Digital Design, GMO Cybersecurity by Ierae, and Itochu Techno-Solutions — and operates with a small secretariat (1-10 staff) supplemented by part-time evangelists. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, but the membership-based model, small operational footprint, and non-profit structure imply annual revenue well under $1M USD. The organization has no venture backing, no commercial product, and no proprietary AI/ML technology; its strategic value derives from its recognized position as the neutral coordination body between Japanese regulators (FSA, METI, Digital Agency) and the identity technology ecosystem.

Name

OpenID Foundation Japan

Legal name

OpenID Foundation Japan (OpenIDファウンデーション･コラーゴン)

Website

https://openid.or.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OpenID Foundation Japan is a Tokyo-based non-profit standards organization and the official Japanese chapter of the OpenID Foundation, promoting OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and FAPI adoption through Japanese specification translations, KYC guidelines, working groups, and industry events for corporate members across financial services, internet platforms, and government sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Identity Standards

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

akta.pro primary industry

Single Sign-On (SSO) & Federation (SAML/OIDC, Identity Providers) (HDAEAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Open Finance Expansion (investments, pensions, insurance, utilities data) (FSAGACAK)

Keywords

• Identity standards organization
• OpenID Connect localization
• OAuth specification translation
• Digital identity working groups
• EKYC implementation guidelines

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Membership Fees: The primary revenue stream is annual membership fees paid by corporate members. The organization also collects an entry fee upon initial membership enrollment. These fees fund working group activities, seminar organization, specification translations, and general operations.
2. Evangelist Dispatch Fees (Non-members): Non-member companies pay fees for the organization's evangelist dispatch program, which provides consultation on OpenID/OAuth implementation, ID infrastructure design, and ID-related technical advisory services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

OpenID Foundation Japan is a non-profit standards promotion organization that localizes, translates, and promotes OpenID, OAuth 2.0, FAPI, and Verifiable Credentials specifications for the Japanese market. It produces Japanese-language technical specification translations, implementation guidelines (notably for KYC/digital identity verification), and convenes working groups, technical seminars, and annual summits to advance digital identity adoption in Japan.

Product overview

OpenID Foundation Japan is a non-profit standards organization (general incorporated association) that promotes OpenID and related identity technologies in Japan. Rather than a commercial software product, its portfolio consists of: (1) Japanese translations of OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, FAPI, and Verifiable Credentials specifications, enabling Japanese developers to implement identity federation and API security protocols; (2) guidelines such as the Private Business Digital Identity Verification Guidelines; (3) consulting services through its Evangelist Dispatch Program; and (4) educational events including OpenID TechNight technical seminars, OpenID BizDay business seminars, and OpenID Summit Tokyo annual conferences. The organization operates through working groups (KYC WG, Translation WG, Enterprise Identity WG) to advance identity technology adoption in Japan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OpenID Connect Japanese Translation Japanese translations of OpenID Connect 1.0 specifications including Core 1.0, Basic Client Implementer's Guide, Implicit Client Implementer's Guide, and OpenID Connect for Identity Assurance 1.0, enabling Japanese developers to implement identity federation protocols.
• OAuth 2.0 Japanese Translation Japanese translations of OAuth 2.0 specifications including RFC 6749 (Authorization Framework), RFC 6750 (Bearer Token Usage), and RFC 6819 (Threat Model and Security Considerations), enabling secure API access authorization.
• Financial-grade API (FAPI) Profile Documentation Japanese translation of FAPI security profiles explaining cryptographic algorithms, transport security, and client authentication methods required for open banking and open finance implementations in Japan.
• Verifiable Credentials Whitepaper (Japanese Translation) Japanese translation of OpenID Foundation whitepaper explaining how verifiable credentials enable end-users to present identity information directly to relying parties with OpenID-based implementation methods.
• Private Business Digital Identity Verification Guidelines Guidelines for private businesses conducting digital identity verification, aligned with My Number Card infrastructure. Version 1.2 published February 2026 with updated legal requirements and technical threat countermeasures; addresses eKYC compliance for private-sector businesses in Japan.
• Evangelist Dispatch Program Program dispatching OpenID/OAuth technical experts to companies for consultation on OpenID Connect/OAuth 2.0 implementation, ID infrastructure design, ID coordination basics, and other ID-related technical consultations. Free for member companies, fee-based for non-members.
• OpenID TechNight Seminars Recurring technical seminar series (vol.1 through vol.23+) covering OpenID Connect, OAuth, FAPI, FedCM, and related identity technologies. Typically 100-180 attendees per event, often hybrid format, open to members and non-members.
• OpenID BizDay Seminars Business-focused seminars for member companies covering ID strategy, industry trends, regulatory compliance, and practical applications of OpenID and OAuth technologies in enterprise environments.
• OpenID Summit Tokyo Major annual summit bringing together international experts on digital identity, OpenID, and related technologies, focusing on future technology directions, global trends, and practical implementation in Japan.
• Japan Identity & Cloud Summit (JICS) Annual flagship conference (first held 2013, recurring every 2-4 years) co-hosted with NII, bringing together government, enterprise, academic, and consumer identity experts. Attracts approximately 800-1,000 attendees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 member companies participating in collaborative standard development and working groups
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OpenID Foundation (United States)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2008OpenID Foundation Japan is the officially recognized Japanese chapter (certified local chapter) of the US-based OpenID Foundation. As a chartered chapter, OIDF-J receives authority to promote OpenID standards in Japan, contribute to global specification development, and localize specifications into Japanese. The relationship enables bidirectional technical collaboration and shared standards governance.
• 国立情報学研究所 (National Institute of Informatics, NII)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNII co-hosts the Japan Identity & Cloud Summit (JICS) with OIDF-J. NII operates the '学認' (Gakunin) federation identity program and provides academic identity infrastructure expertise. The collaboration brings academic and research sector perspectives to digital identity standards development in Japan.
• Ping Identity CorporationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPing Identity served as a co-sponsor of Japan Identity & Cloud Summit 2013, contributing to event financing and cross-promotion of identity standards awareness.
• ノーサレンダー株式会社 (No Surrender K.K.)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsor of Japan Identity & Cloud Summit and co-host/organizer of the ID & IT Management Conference series, collaborating on identity management conference programming.
• JNSA（日本ネットワークセキュリティ協会）アイデンティティ管理WGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOIDF-J and JNSA (Japan Network Security Association) Identity Management Working Group jointly established the Enterprise Identity Working Group (EIWG) to develop implementation guidelines for OpenID Connect and SCIM in enterprise contexts. This cross-association collaboration combined identity management and cybersecurity expertise.
• Liberty Alliance (Japan SIG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAt founding in 2008, OIDF-J established a partnership with the Liberty Alliance Japan SIG (Identity standards body) to coordinate on identity management specifications, interoperability between OpenID and Liberty Alliance standards, and harmonization of identity frameworks in Japan.
• 一般財団法人日本情報経済社会推進協会 (JIPDEC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJIPDEC co-hosted OpenID BizDay #11 on NIST SP 800-63-3 digital identity guidelines. JIPDEC supports privacy and information security standardization and provided the event venue and registration infrastructure.
• 六本木キス (Roppongi Hills / Venue Providers)minorOthersVarious venue partners including Yahoo! Japan Tokyo Midtown office, Tokyo Midtown Conference, KDDI Hall, and academic institutions have provided event venues for TechNight and BizDay seminars at no or low cost as member company contributions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan (IPA): Japanese government-affiliated IT standards and security organization that influences Japan's cybersecurity and software engineering standards. Operates in adjacent policy/standards territory in Japan and serves as a potential counterparty for OIDF-J's regulatory-influence work, though it is government-affiliated rather than industry-led.
• Japan Network Security Association (JNSA): Japanese industry association for network and information security. OIDF-J partners with JNSA's Identity Management Working Group to jointly run the Enterprise Identity WG, making it a closely comparable Japan-based membership organization with similar convening function across overlapping (security/identity) constituencies.

Broad incumbents

• The Open Group: Global standards consortium operating industry forums (including identity, security, and Zero Trust). Comparable as a member-funded standards body developing enterprise-relevant frameworks and certifications, though with a much broader portfolio beyond identity.
• OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards): Broad standards consortium covering security, identity, and interoperability (e.g., SAML, XACML, SCIM — SCIM being the subject of OIDF-J's Enterprise Identity WG guidelines). Operates as an umbrella standards body with a comparable member-funded working group model.
• IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force): The standards body that authored the underlying OAuth 2.0 RFCs (RFC 6749, 6750, 6819) that OIDF-J localizes and promotes. Broader internet-standards scope but directly upstream of OIDF-J's core technology stack.
• W3C (World Wide Web Consortium): Web standards body that develops Verifiable Credentials, Web Authentication, and related identity-relevant specifications that OIDF-J translates into Japanese. Operates at much larger scale with broader mandate but is a key global counterpart for the verifiable credentials work OIDF-J is expanding into.

Direct peers

• FIDO Alliance: Industry consortium advancing FIDO2/WebAuthn passwordless authentication standards. Comparable as an identity-focused standards body with corporate members, working groups, and conformance programs; differs by focusing on authentication factors rather than federation/OAuth.
• OpenID Foundation: The US-based parent organization and global steward of OpenID Connect, FAPI, and related specifications. OIDF-J is its officially chartered Japanese chapter, making it the most direct peer — same mission, same specification family, but global scope and broader funding base.
• Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF): Foundation advancing decentralized identifiers (DIDs) and verifiable credentials infrastructure. Comparable as an identity-standards organization with corporate members and working groups; focuses on decentralized identity rather than federated OAuth/OIDC.
• Kantara Initiative: Identity assurance and consent receipt standards body operating working groups and certification programs. Overlaps with OIDF-J on identity assurance (OIDF-J's KYC WG maps closely to Kantara's Identity Assurance work), making it a closely comparable identity-standards peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC51IVklJgkZ7cCY8XNvjF5g
• Facebookfacebook.com/openid.jp
• Xx.com/_nat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/openid-foundation-japan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about OpenID Foundation Japan