<DIV ALIGN=right>ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 2 WG 2 N 1819

ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 2 N 3151

</DIV<DIV ALIGN=right>DATE: 1998-07-31</DIV>

ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 2
Coded Character Sets
Secretariat: Japan (JISC)
DOC TYPE: / National Body Contribution
TITLE:
/ National Body Comments on JTC 1 N 5295 (SC 2 N 3132), Proposed Modifications to the SC 2 Programme of Work
SOURCE: / National Body of Japan
PROJECT: / JTC 1.02.18.02
STATUS:
/ According to JTC 1 N 5481, SC 2's proposed modifications to its POW have been approved as comments were received from only one National Body (Japan). This document is forwarded to Working Group 2 for consideration.
ACTION ID: / ACT
DUE DATE:
DISTRIBUTION: / P, O and L Members of ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 2
WG Conveners, Secretariats
ISO/IEC JTC 1 Secretariat
ISO/IEC ITTF
NO. OF PAGES: / 2
ACCESS LEVEL: / Def
WEB ISSUE #: / 023

Secretariat ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 2 - Toshiko KIMURA
IPSJ/ITSCJ (Information Processing Society of Japan/Information Technology Standards Commission of Japan)*
Room 308-3, Kikai-Shinko-Kaikan Bldg., 3-5-8, Shiba-Koen, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0011 JAPAN
Tel: +81 3 3431 2808; Fax: +81 3 3431 6493; E-mail:
*A Standard Organization accredited by JISC

TITLE: Japan's Comments on JTC 1 N5295: Proposed Modifications to JTC 1/SC 2 Programme of Work

SOURCE: The National Body of Japan

Japan approves item 1 of JTC 1 N 5295. However, Japan proposes the separation of item 2 of the proposed changes to PoW from the rest of the document.

Item 2 (project JTC 1.02.18.02) refers to something called General Purpose Plane (GPP) reserved to contain only non-graphic-character names. GPP is new to us. Nevertheless there is no definition or explanation given in JTC 1 N5295 about the non-graphic-character names which are to be covered by GPP. Therefore, Japan considers project JTC 1.02.18.02 must go through the NP process before being incorporated into the PoW. Such an NP should at least address the following items and be accompanied by an NP acceptance criteria as directed in the reengineering work.

  1. A definition of the non-graphic-character
  2. An explanation of sample use of the non-graphic-character, and
  3. A draft on a conformance clause of the ISO/IEC 10646-2 taking into account the non-graphic-character

Supporting consideration
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As mentioned above, term "non-graphic-character" is used undefined. The following considerations are given to support the justification to call for an NP process.

One possible reference for this issue would be SC 2/WG 2 N1717 (WD), a proposed working draft of the ISO/IEC 10646 part-2. Even in this WD, however, there is no definition of the non-graphic-character. The definition clause in the WD also points ISO/IEC 10646-1 as a base definition, but again there is no definition of the term in it either. Clause 4.18 of ISO/IEC 10646-1 defines a graphic character as " A character other than a control function," and clause 4.14 of the same standard defines a control function, which has never been referred to as non-graphic-characters. The term, thus, is very confusing and incompatible with the definition of control functions for ISO/IEC 10646-1 and -2. Note that JTC 1 (and SC 2) has been developing standards for coded character sets which include only graphic characters and/or control functions. Something called non-graphic- character is totally new to JTC 1. Furthermore, the WD referred to above stipulates that the conformance clause of ISO/IEC 10646-1 will also be applied to the ISO/IEC 10646-2. The clause, however, specifies nothing for the non-graphic-character.