Japan's DX Certification System Explained: METI Standards, Five Support Measures, and the Road to DX Stocks 2026

What is the DX Certification System? A national certification grounded in law

The DX Certification System is a national program under Article 28 of Japan's Act on the Promotion of Information Processing, in which the government (the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, METI) certifies companies that have built a management foundation for digital transformation (DX). The criteria are based on the basic principles of METI's Digital Governance Code, and the Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan (IPA) operates the DX Certification Secretariat, handling consultations and certification reviews.

The key point is that the certification evaluates the quality of management itself, not the adoption of any particular technology or tool. A company's vision, strategy, talent development, and governance for creating corporate value through DX are assessed against unified national standards. This is a rare approach internationally, and certification works as a trust signal toward customers, financial institutions, and investors.

The certification landscape in 2026: SMEs drive expansion

According to METI's published materials (updated March 17, 2026), the total number of certified operators grew roughly 1.4x over the past year (as of May 2025). SMEs in particular grew around 1.6x, leading the overall expansion. By industry, the information/communications and manufacturing sectors show higher certification rates, but adoption is spreading across industries and regions nationwide.

In METI's survey of certified operators, about 70% reported that certification was effective in advancing their DX strategy. Many also reported positive effects on customer relationships and on talent development and retention (share among certified operators who responded to the survey). The preparation process itself clearly tightens a company's DX posture.

Certification criteria: what Digital Governance Code 3.0 evaluates

The certification criteria follow Digital Governance Code 3.0 — subtitled "Toward Improving Corporate Value through DX Management" — which METI revised in June 2024; operation under the new criteria began in December 2024. Code 3.0 frames DX not as IT modernization but as management transformation for corporate value. Applicants are assessed broadly on the following dimensions:

• Vision and strategy: Is DX positioned as a growth strategy tied to corporate value — rather than a tool-adoption plan — and explained convincingly to outsiders?
• Business model and IT systems: Is there a coherent picture of the transformed business model and the IT architecture that supports it, including legacy modernization?
• Talent and culture: Are digital talent development and cultural change actually being executed, not just planned?
• Governance and risk: Does top management lead DX and oversee risks such as cybersecurity and data governance?

For prospective applicants, IPA's DX Promotion Portal publishes guidance materials and FAQs. The standard path is to self-diagnose maturity with the DX Promotion Framework, close the gaps against the code, and then apply.

Five support measures available to certified companies

The practical benefits of certification come from the support measures prepared by the government:

For SMEs in particular, cheaper capital and subsidized talent investment come together, materially improving the economics of DX. Interest rates and conditions do change, so companies should check the latest terms with the Japan Finance Corporation before use.

DX Stocks 2026: 30 companies selected — certification is the entry ticket

DX Stocks is a program in which METI, the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and IPA jointly select listed companies that excel at DX. In spring 2026, the selection named 30 "DX Stocks 2026" companies (including 3 "DX Grand Prix 2026" companies), 17 "DX Notable Companies 2026," and 2 "DX Platinum Companies 2026-2028"; IPA published the selected companies' advanced DX case studies on June 5, 2026.

The critical detail: for listed companies, obtaining DX certification is a mandatory condition to be eligible for DX Stocks selection. The national certification system is therefore designed as the entry ticket to Japan's highest-profile DX recognition. The staged structure — certification, then DX Selection or DX Stocks — forms the backbone of Japan's DX promotion policy.

What this means for Japanese and Vietnamese companies

Japanese companies: the benefits are richest for SMEs

Large companies are drawn by the path toward DX Stocks and DX Selection, while SMEs gain concrete benefits from preferential interest rates, credit guarantees, training subsidies, and subsidy bonus points. Since the Code 3.0 criteria took effect in December 2024, the emphasis on corporate value has grown stronger, and preparing an application is effectively an exercise in making the company's DX strategy explainable to investors and business partners.

Vietnamese companies: use it as a common language, not a certificate to collect

Companies outside Japan generally do not obtain this certification directly, but there are three practical ways Vietnamese companies can use it:

1. A benchmark for assessing customers and partners: Whether a Japanese client holds DX certification, or has been named a DX Stock or Notable Company, is a public signal of how mature its DX establishment is. In offshore development and DX project negotiations, it helps gauge decision-making speed and investment commitment.
2. A common language for proposals: Structuring proposals along the Code 3.0 dimensions (strategy, systems, talent, governance) lets Japanese executives read them against their own evaluation criteria, making agreement easier to reach.
3. A reference for internal governance: The code's requirements work well as a self-diagnostic standard for Vietnamese IT firms building their own DX capabilities and service designs.

Three steps toward certification

1. Self-diagnosis: Use IPA's DX Promotion Framework to assess current maturity and visualize gaps against the Digital Governance Code
2. Prepare application documents: Following the guidance materials, organize the DX strategy, IT architecture, talent plan, and governance structure into one coherent story
3. Apply online and plan the follow-through: Apply through IPA (the DX Certification Secretariat); after certification, weave the five support measures into the business plan

DX certification is not a goal; it certifies that a company stands at the starting line of DX. The real value lies in the process of inspecting management against unified standards and showing the result to the world.