For foreign workers entering Japan, language skills are extremely important, meaning training and proper credentials go a long way towards finding a job. To make this process easier, Japanese multinational company Sony Global Education Inc. and technology equipment services company Fujitsu Inc. have teamed up to build an encrypted blockchain distributed ledger to prevent forged language proficiency documents.

The first trial of the system, starting today in partnership with the training company Human Academy Co. Ltd., it will focus on foreign students who want to study in Japan.

Blockchain technology produces tamper-proof databases by stringing together records that are cryptographically secured and linked. The database is also distributed between multiple nodes, which makes it extremely easy to discover modifications made after submission.

Human Academy will use the blockchain designed by Sony and Fujitsu to store language proficiency records for students in order to make them more accessible and less likely to be accidentally, or intentionally, changed after training so that placement agencies and prospective employers can better trust the information provided.

The platform will collect a myriad of information on students before coming to Japan, including test scores, Japanese conversational ability and study time along with other metadata designed to provide a proper overview of the training undertaken.

The course students will take, called Nihongo Dojo, is provided by Educational Venture Corp., an educational software service company founded in 1997, with the objective of bridging Japan and the rest of the world. The course will provide Nihongo Kentei Japanese language qualifications through Fujitsu’s Fisdom online class platform.

Because the training is done primarily through digital means, and on Fujitsu’s platform, everything the student does can be easily automated and secured with the blockchain.

According to the companies involved in the trial, the system will also allow businesses and regulatory organizations to avoid the need for paperwork such as printed certificates because language proficiency claims can be checked against the digital platform and paper documents needn’t be authenticated.

Sony is no stranger to using blockchain for educational certificate integrity. In 2016, the company developed a secure platform for sharing training proficiency on a blockchain. The objective of the system was the same as this trial: to increase transparency and trust for educational record keeping. The company explained at the time that with new educational paradigms, innovation’s expected to provide more ways to design tests and evaluate people.

Blockchain technology capability for securely authenticating records has also been put to use for certificates in general by Microsoft Corp. and Tierion Inc. The two companies collaborated on a distributed proof-of-integrity platform for training certifications.

SpringRole Inc., a blockchain startup, released a service that tracks professional reputation, including training certificates, employment history and other credentials, since just like educational records, errors and false attestations in employment records cost money and time for businesses.

The educational blockchain trial with Human Academy will run starting today and be completed March 29. Sony and Fujitsu said in a statement that the expectation is the platform will be ready for general use in April.

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