Japanese Publishing Guidelines Update
TPAC 2025
Kobe, Japan
28 October / 10-14 November 2025
EBPAJ EPUB 3 File Creation Guide
EBPAJ (The Electronic Book Publishers Association of Japan) launched� EPUB 3 Creation guidelines for Japanese publishers in 2012� and it has not been updated since 2015.
EBPAJ Guide has been used for publishers, ebook stores� and reading system developers in Japan and by this industry standard,� EPUB 3 based ebook market in Japan grew stably.
EBPAJ moved to DPFJ (Digital Publishers Federation of Japan) in 2022.
DPFJ: Digital Publishers Federation of Japan
DPFJ members are� over 50 publishers� (including top publishers)� and major reading system� developers in Japan.
DPFJ EPUB 3 File Creation Guide 1.1.4
DPFJ updated their guidelines in 10 years.
DPFJ EPUB 3 File Creation Guide 1.1.4
Japanese version
English version
DPFJ Guide: Features
DPFJ Guide is used by many publishers in Japan and referred by� many reading system developers for Japanese ebook market.
DPFJ Guide includes a lot of best practices for safer use of� Japanese text expressions because the quality of Japanese text rendering� is different among reading systems in Japan.
DPFJ Guide also provides best practices for Manga contents.�That’s why there are many reading systems only for comics in Japan� because it’s easy to develop by standardized content layout.�Note: almost all fixed layout EPUBs in Japan consist of images.
DPFJ Guide: Features - CSS files
DPFJ Guide includes some sample EPUB 3 files for reflowable contents� and fixed layout contents with DPFJ CSS files.
DPFJ CSS files contain many CSS preset definitions frequently used� for Japanese text layout.
These CSS files are prepared so that publishers can generate� their own EPUB 3 files easily and reading system developers� can understand what CSS properties are usually used.�Note: some reading systems in Japan have own HTML/CSS renderer� because some domestic formats were used before EPUB 3 in Japan
DPFJ Guide: Features - CSS samples
DPFJ CSS files define classes with several properties� for different rendering engines and for compatibility.
That brought the long term lifetime of EPUB 3 files in Japan.
Example: Tate-Chu-Yoko (partial horizontal layout in vertical text)
.tcy {
-webkit-text-combine: horizontal;
-webkit-text-combine-upright: all;
text-combine-upright: all;
-epub-text-combine: horizontal;
}
< Webkit prefix for compatibility
< Webkit prefix for compatibility
< Latest
< EPUB prefix for compatibility
DPFJ Guide: What’s New?
The latest DPFJ Guide was prepared in order to conform to� W3C’s EPUB 3.3 specifications. But it’s not so big change.
References such as EPUB, CSS, Unicode and EPUBCheck� were updated to the latest and correct links.
The sorting kana and display order designate with "file-as"� were deleted based on the latest EPUB specs.
WebP was added as a new image format can be used.�Note: most reading systems in Japan don’t support this now� but DPFJ Guide will encourage to support it by them.
DPFJ Guide: Next actions
DPFJ Guide doesn’t include accessibility conformance.
We plan to update with guidelines for accessibility in near future� and scrolled comics after EPUB 3.4 will be launched.
Accessibility for ebooks in Japan
EBPAJ/DPFJ Guide has not included guidelines for accessibility� and then most ebooks in Japan are not accessible appropriately.
Legislation for accessibility in Japan was updated in 2024� and we are expected to do ‘reasonable accommodation’ now� but no guidelines for making ebooks accessible in Japan.
One more big problem is that there are no standardized practices� or guidelines for accessible Manga in the world for now� although Manga contents have covered big market share in Japan.�Note: we want to know the situation of accessible comics outside of Japan.
Accessibility guidebook by METI
METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) of Japanese government� started to prepare a guidebook for ebook accessibility since 2024.
The guidebook without FXL contents will be launched in early 2026� but EPUB-A11Y and WCAG conformances will NOT be required for now.
Many of METI’s guidebook WG members think WCAG conformance� is too hard for publishers in Japan and they are not defined definitely� in the Japanese legislation.
So ‘reasonable accommodation’ in Japan will be defined� without conformance to EPUB-A11Y and WCAG specs.
Accessibility guidelines for DPFJ Guide
DPFJ plans to start discussion of accessibility guidelines for DPFJ Guide� after METI’s accessibility guidebook will be launched.
METI’s guidebook will not cover EPUB-A11Y specifications totally� and Manga contents are out of scope but DPFJ Guide will likely to follow.
This will bring the situation that the accessibility conformance levels� between US/Europe and Japan are so different.
We need more discussions of accessibility conformance in Japan.
Thank you!