About Open Knowledge Inc.
Founded in April 2002 in Takatsuki, Osaka, Open Knowledge Inc. unites rigorous systems engineering, national cybersecurity governance, and community cultural stewardship under the principle of Sengi-Kori (Righteousness First, Sustainable Profit Follows).
1. Corporate Profile & Philosophy: "Sengi-Kori: Righteousness First, Sustainable Profit Follows"
Origin of Our Name: Advanced cybersecurity, cloud automation, and resilient database engineering were historically monopolized by large conglomerates and high-cost vendors. We founded Open Knowledge Inc. in April 2002 to gently dismantle those barriers and deliver trustworthy technology as an everyday tool for small and medium-sized enterprises, medical clinics, and local communities.
Sengi-Kori (Righteousness First, Sustainable Profit Follows): Rooted in classical Japanese merchant ethics (Sanpo-Yoshi: Good for the Client, Good for the Partner, Good for Society), we prioritize public safety, open learning commons, and zero vendor lock-in first. Sustainable corporate vitality follows naturally as the outcome of long-term trust.
Corporate Philosophy & MVV (Purpose, Philosophy, Mission, Vision)
“Open knowledge to empower Japanese ambition, safeguard digital trust, and sustain cultural vitality.”
We dismantle asymmetric barriers to advanced computer science and cybersecurity, returning open, trustworthy engineering tools to enterprises, clinics, and regional communities across Japan.
“Righteousness First, Sustainable Prosperity Follows — Generosity in open knowledge fuels unshakeable enterprise trust and compounding returns.”
By publishing practical security guides, 60-second self-diagnostic tools, and the 32-site OK-STUDY Pro learning commons free of charge first (Sengi), we earn deep institutional trust without cold calls or intrusive advertising (Kori).
“Deliver cryptographic security and autonomous capability to every organization through battle-tested engineering and open wisdom.”
We equip healthcare, food logistics, municipal, and SME operations with transparent, zero-lock-in systems built on Rust Edition 2024, FreeBSD 15.1 OpenZFS, PostgreSQL 19 RLS, and Google Cloud Zero-Trust.
“A resilient society where deep expertise and zero-toil technology invisibly protect every enterprise, empowering bold learning and vibrant culture.”
When security and infrastructure maintenance operate as quietly and reliably as clean air, people are freed to focus on creative enterprise, lifelong learning, and cultural arts.
Five Core Values (Action Guidelines)
Never lock expertise inside a black box; share clear diagrams, actionable checklists, and open learning platforms with society.
Prove engineering excellence through our own live production architecture (/colophon/, /trust/, /accessibility/) before speaking a word of sales copy.
Eliminate marginal operational toil through Rust and FreeBSD automation so generous public commons and high-reliability enterprise services thrive together.
Protect organizational peace of mind behind the scenes with Rust memory safety, FreeBSD pf packet filtering, OpenZFS immutable snapshots, and PostgreSQL 19 FORCE RLS.
Cultivate cross-generational learning via OK-STUDY Pro and dedicate 5% of annual operating profit to preserving Japanese history, classical music, and welfare accessibility.
Formal Corporate Registry
- Registered Name
- Open Knowledge Inc.
- Founding & Incorporation
-
Founded April 2002 (as Open Knowledge Consulting LP)
Incorporated July 2013 (as Open Knowledge Inc.) - Paid-in Capital
- JPY 12,000,000
- Representative Directors
- Yukari Shimazu, Representative Director & CEO / Akio Kato, Founder, Representative Director & CTO
- Headquarters
- 2-2 Nomi-cho, Takatsuki-shi, Osaka 569-0077, Japan
- Contact
- Phone: +81-72-628-9664 / Official Email: e@ok.st
- Divisional Governance
-
- Cybersecurity, AI Transformation & Systems Engineering Division
- Cultural Arts, Public Relations & Mecenat Division
- Corporate Administration & Client Relations Office
- Affiliations & Public Service
-
Director, Japan Registered Information Security Specialists Association (JP-RISSA)
Member, Takatsuki Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Lecturer, METI / SME Agency Information Morals Awareness Seminar (Osaka Venue, December 15, 2026)
2. 24-Year Corporate History (2002–2026) & Why We Rebuilt Our Website From Scratch
A Humble Note on Our 24th-Anniversary Website Renewal (October 2026)
Like the proverb of the "cobbler's children having no shoes," Open Knowledge Inc. spent over a decade dedicating 100% of its engineering hours to safeguarding client hospitals, logistics networks, and regional institutions—leaving our own corporate website unrenewed since 2013. In October 2026, marking our 24th year since founding, we retired our legacy static page and rebuilt ok.st from the ground up as a living public demonstration of static-separated security, WCAG 2.2 Level AA accessibility, and bilingual transparency.
Founded in Takatsuki, Osaka (Open Knowledge Consulting LP)
Founded in Takatsuki City—situated midway between Osaka and Kyoto—with the mission of removing asymmetric barriers to advanced information technology for regional enterprises and clinics.
IPA Mitou Exploratory Software Project Selection
Founder Akio Kato selected as an IPA Mitou Creator (2008), advancing real-time signal processing, accessibility interfaces, and low-latency systems architecture.
Reorganized & Incorporated as Open Knowledge Inc. (Capital: JPY 12,000,000)
Transitioned from a limited partnership to a joint-stock corporation (Kabushiki Kaisha) with JPY 12,000,000 in paid-in capital to expand enterprise infrastructure, healthcare IT, and regional cultural support.
National RISS Registration & Healthcare / Logistics Security Expansion
Registered among the inaugural cohorts of Japan's Registered Information Security Specialists (RISS No. 007617) and expanded Senior Healthcare Information Technologist & HACCP advisory services.
Rust Systems Migration, FreeBSD OpenZFS Vaults & Cultural Mecenat
Consolidated core database infrastructure onto FreeBSD OpenZFS and PostgreSQL 19 (db01.ok.st) while supporting regional cultural platforms including the Takatsuki Music Association (takaon.com) and Seidousai Festival (seidousai.com).
24th-Anniversary Complete Website Overhaul & Open Badges v3.0
After prioritizing direct field support for over a decade while leaving our own corporate site as a minimal static page, we executed a comprehensive 24th-anniversary ground-up renewal (ok.st): 230+ static-separated Astro + Rust pages, WCAG 2.2 AA conformance, 3-second 1-tap secure sign-in on OK-STUDY Pro, Healthcare Security v7.0 & April 2026 Logistics CLO / Toriteki playbooks, Dual-Wield Authorship, and 1EdTech Open Badges v3.0 verification.
3. Verifiable Credentials: 3 Open Badges v3.0, 20 National Qualifications & Cloud Governance Standards
3.1 1EdTech Open Badges v3.0 — DX Professional Level Certifications (3 Domains)
All three Professional-Level DX credentials held by Founder & CTO Akio Kato are cryptographically verifiable via the international 1EdTech Open Badges v3.0 standard on Open Badge Factory.
16th DX Certification™ (Professional Level 2026) — Professional Level Certified (Cert ID: I0132899-260315)
Professional Level Certified across IT Technology & Business Innovation Trends
10th DX Business Certification™ (Professional Level 2026) — Professional Level Certified (Cert ID: B0127369-260615)
Professional Level Certified across DX Strategy, Business Models & Case Studies
17th DX Next Certification™ (Professional Level 2026) — Professional Level Certified (Cert ID: I0134490-260915)
Professional Level Certified — Aligned with METI/IPA Digital Skill Standards (DSS)
3.2 Cloud & Zero-Data-Retention AI Technical Governance Standards
Confidential client records and inquiry data are contractually and technically excluded from public foundation model training.
Origin-bound WebAuthn Passkeys, Google/LINE SSO via n8n.ok.st, and 1-field magic links isolated per user on PostgreSQL 19 FORCE RLS.
Strict cryptographic email authentication and domain spoofing defense across ok.st and managed client zones.
Separating public static edge delivery (ap01.ok.st) from private-vLAN FreeBSD OpenZFS and PostgreSQL 19 FORCE RLS storage.
3.3 Complete 20 National, Healthcare & Public Qualifications (Held by Akio Kato, CTO)
| No. | Qualification / Statutory License | Registration & Operational Domain |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Registered Information Security Specialist (RISS / METI & IPA) | Registration No. 007617 — Statutory national qualification under the Act on Facilitation of Information Processing. |
| 02 | Director, Japan Registered Information Security Specialists Association (JP-RISSA) | Board Director of the national professional association of Registered Information Security Specialists. |
| 03 | IPA Mitou (Exploratory IT Human Resources Project) Selected Creator | Selected Creator (2008), Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan (METI Jurisdiction). |
| 04 | Professional Engineer (Information Engineering) Primary Examination | Certificate No. 0235017 (24 years / 240 months of statutory engineering practice verified; MEXT Jurisdiction). |
| 05 | METI Certified IT Coordinator | Certification No. 9001012014C — Strategic IT management and SME digital transformation governance. |
| 06 | Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultant (Primary Passed) | Examinee No. 2413624 — Corporate finance, business strategy, operations, and SME revitalization. |
| 07 | Labor and Social Security Attorney Statutory Qualification Eligibility | 11 years and 10 months of statutory labor and social insurance practice officially certified. |
| 08 | National Certified Specialist in Intellectual Property Management | National trade skill test in patent, copyright (Articles 27 & 28), trademark, and licensing governance. |
| 09 | Certified Intellectual Property Analyst | Strategic IP landscape analysis, software licensing compliance, and R&D asset protection. |
| 10 | IPA Information Security Specialist Examination | Certificate No. SC-2013-10-00718 — National Advanced IT Engineer Examination (Cryptographic and Zero-Trust Security). |
| 11 | IPA Database Specialist Examination | Certificate No. DB-2013-04-00083 — National Advanced IT Engineer Examination (Relational algebra and PostgreSQL 19 RLS). |
| 12 | IPA Network Specialist Examination | Certificate No. NW-2012-10-00756 — National Advanced IT Engineer Examination (L2/L3 routing, VLAN isolation, and FreeBSD pf). |
| 13 | IPA Applied Information Technology Engineer Examination | Certificate No. AP-2011-10-03185 — National IT Examination (System architecture, algorithms, and dependability). |
| 14 | IPA Software Design & Development Engineer Examination | National IT Examination (Software engineering, compiler safety, and operating systems). |
| 15 | IPA Class II Information Technology Engineer Examination | National IT Examination (Computer science fundamentals and digital logic design). |
| 16 | Senior Healthcare Information Technologist | Certified by the Japan Association for Medical Informatics (JAMI) — highest tier of hospital IT and EMR security architecture. |
| 17 | Healthcare Information Technologist | Certified specialist in electronic medical records (EMR), HL7/DICOM interoperability, and clinical data protection. |
| 18 | HACCP Coordinator (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) | Japan HACCP Training Center certified — critical control point hazard modeling across food safety and cold-chain logistics. |
| 19 | DX Certification / DX Business / DX Next Professional Level Certified (2026) | 1EdTech Open Badges v3.0 Certified: 16th DX (Professional Level, #I0132899), 10th DX Business (Professional Level, #B0127369), 17th DX Next (Professional Level, #I0134490). |
| 20 | Mental Health Management Certification Type II (Line Care Course) | Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry — organizational ergonomics and sustainable low-stress workplace engineering. |
4. Cryptographic Credential Verification & Single-Source-of-Truth (SSoT) Governance
In accordance with W3C Verifiable Credentials and the 1EdTech Open Badges v3.0 specification, every digital credential listed on this page embeds a cryptographically signed JSON-LD payload hosted by Open Badge Factory. External auditors can verify the issuer signature, assertion timestamp, and candidate score directly via HTTP GET or JSON-LD inspection.
{`# 1. 16th DX Certification (Professional Level 2026) [Cert ID: I0132899]
curl -sI https://openbadgefactory.com/obv3/credentials/1828cd2bd8019ce3298333d79d8e4b0faf4a71e5
# 2. 10th DX Business Certification (Professional Level 2026) [Cert ID: B0127369]
curl -sI https://openbadgefactory.com/obv3/credentials/0fc5d84eb26ae88854170b66eafa77a38dad16cb
# 3. 17th DX Next Certification (Professional Level 2026) [Cert ID: I0134490]
curl -sI https://openbadgefactory.com/obv3/credentials/b0a82f47382e1a5afd0001ed9913c3a09aa3e704`}Statutory RISS Public Registry Verification
Akio Kato holds Registered Information Security Specialist Registration No. 007617, verifiable via the Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA) statutory national roster under Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
Regional Mecenat & 5% Profit Commitment
Open Knowledge Inc. allocates 5% of annual operating profit to sustaining regional history archives, classical music societies (takaon.com / seidousai.com), Japanese Sign Language welfare engineering, and open educational commons.