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Abstract

Assuring the quality of official statistics is critical as the information based on official statistics is used for reasonable decision making not only by the government but also by citizens. In order to assure the quality of official statistics in Japan, a multi-layered framework and continual practice under the framework play essential roles. The legal part of the framework consists of several elements such as the Statistics Act, the Master Plan, Examination of plans and budgets for censuses and statistical surveys, and the Statistics Commission, while the practical part of the framework is implemented based on the Guidelines for Quality Assurance of Official Statistics to form a PDCA cycle. This paper describes how the quality of official statistics in Japan is assured in terms of its framework and practical implementation, which are well compatible with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (FPOS) and the National Quality Assurance Framework (NQAF) of the United Nations.

Keywords

Official statistics statistics act national quality assurance framework guidelines PDCA cycle

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References

Japanese Government [homepage on the Internet]. Statistics Act. Act No. 53 of May 23, 2007 [cited 2017 Oct. 17]. Available from: http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail/%3Fvm=04&re=01&id=148.

United Nations Statistics Division [homepage on the Internet]. Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (A/RES/ 68/261 from 29 January 2014) [cited 2017 Oct. 17]. Available from: https://unstats.un.org/unsd/dnss/gp/fundprinciples.aspx.

Conference of the Directors in charge of Statistics of Line Ministries [homepage on the Internet]. Guidelines for Quality Assurance of Official Statistics. Japanese Government [revised 2016 February 23; cited 2017 Oct. 17]. Available from: http://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000467813.pdf.

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Sawamura

Kubo

[homepage on the Internet]. The Quality Assurance Framework in Japan. Presented at European Conference on Quality in Official Statistics – Q2012; 2012 May 29 – June 1; Athens (Greece) [cited 2017 June 28]. Available from: http://www.q2012.gr/articlefiles/sessions/1.1_Kubo_Quality%20assuance%20framework%20in%20japan.pdf.

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The quality assurance of official statistics in Japan: Framework and practice

Abstract

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