Press Release: 2003

Press Release

March 7, 2003
Japan Registry Services, Co., Ltd. (JPRS)

JPRS Will Start RFC-based Japanese JP Domain Name Registration and Management Services from March 20. - Internationalized Domain Name(IDN) Standard Published as RFCs -

Japan Registry Services Co., Ltd.(JPRS; Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Koki Higashida), the company responsible for the management and administration of the .JP top-level domain and operation of the domain name system(DNS), announced today that its Japanese JP domain name registration and management services will comply with RFCs for Internationalized Domain Names(IDN) from March 20, in accordance with the publishment of the RFCs, which define the IDN-related technical standard, on March 7.

The three RFCs - IDNA, NAMEPREP, and Punycode - published this time specify the IDN protocol. IDNA defines entire protocol for IDN while NAMEPREP and Punycode define individual technology for IDN. The RFCs are respectively numbered as RFC3490, RFC3491, and RFC3492. Each of them are downloadable from the URLs listed below.

JPRS has been promoting the technical standardization and use of IDN in its activities through IETF and the Japanese Domain Names Association(JDNA). In the course of the technical standardization, RACE was proposed and gained much support as a powerful encoding for IDN. JPRS has enabled the use of Japanese JP domain names by applying RACE to the registration and management services and to the distribution of a browser plug-in.

Following the publication of RFCs which define the technology for the use of IDN, JPRS will convert its registration and management services into the RFC-compatible ones. With the cooperation of JP registrars, JPRS aims to expand the DNS environment such that all Japanese JP domain names become usable in compliance with RFCs. This will allow users to access Japanese JP domain names through RFC-compatible browsers and applications which will be released in the future.

For the time being, JPRS will support both RACE and Punycode in its DNS environment. In this way, Japanese JP domain names can continue to be used with the current RACE browsers and applications until their migration to Punycode is completed.

As for the i-Nav? plug-in for IE(http://jprs.jp/i-Nav/) offered since October 2002, JPRS plans to upgrade it to an RFC-compatible version as soon as Punycode is implemented in the DNS environment. Furthermore, JPRS will promote the development and spread of IDN-compatible applications, in cooperation with JDNA and JPNIC.

Recognizing its full responsibility as the JP domain name registry, JPRS is building an easy-to-use, value-added JP domain name environment to address the needs of the Internet community and society as a whole.

JPRS (Japan Registry Services Co., Ltd.)
JPRS was incorporated on December 26, 2000 to carry out responsibility of the management and administration of the .JP top-level domain and to operate the domain name system. As a company dedicated to maintaining the Internet infrastructure, Japan Registry Services(JPRS) contributes to the development of the Internet and the building of a better future for everyone.

Reference URLs

(1)RFC 3490 IDNA:(Internationalizing Domain Names in Applications)
http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3490.txt

(2)RFC 3491 NAMEPREP:(A Stringprep Profile for Internationalized Domain Names)
http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3491.txt

(3)RFC 3492 Punycode
http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3492.txt

(4)Detailed schedule for JPRS to obtain RFC compatibility:"Transition to RFC-compatible Japanese JP Domain Names"
http://jprs.co.jp/en/ace-transition.html

(5)the Japanese Domain Names Association(JDNA)
http://jdna.jp/

JPRS Contacts: President's Office Public Relations
E-mail: press@jprs.co.jp