Our article, based on an interview by Bunshun Online, has been published.
Bunshun Online
Excerpt from the Article
A second opinion can sometimes overturn a testing result
DNA testing determines "innocent" or "guilty" in various disputes. However, President Fukin warns that "in reality, there are companies that produce misjudgments."
The causes of misjudgment are either flaws in the testing system or human error
"The reason this kind of situation occurs is that, unlike other countries, Japan has no accreditation body for DNA testing.
In paternity testing, the international standard is set by the American testing organization 'AABB,' but in reality, Japan conducts testing based on each company's own in-house standards. As a result, some companies' testing accuracy fails to meet international standards.
In addition, because there are no regulations, human errors such as sample mix-ups also occur.
These problems will not be resolved until a national accreditation system is established. On top of that, companies need to disclose information such as 'minimum guaranteed testing accuracy,' 'testing success rate,' and 'number of misjudgments.' Furthermore, obtaining certifications such as the 'Privacy Mark (*Note 2)' for personal information protection and 'ISO (*Note 3)' for international quality management systems is also important. These minimum standards are still not being upheld in Japan. Since this is a field that is difficult for ordinary people to understand, transparency is required."
*Note 2: Privacy Mark. A logo mark indicating that a company or organization's personal information protection systems and operations are appropriate. It is operated by the Japan Institute for Promotion of Digital Economy and Community (JIPDEC).
*Note 3: An international certification standard for quality management systems aimed at providing consistent products and services and improving customer satisfaction.