About BCAO

Foundation	Jan. 19th, 2006
Establishment	Jun. 20th, 2006
Objectives	The objectives of the BCAO are to render services of relief and safety to the nation and local regions by: ・Engaging in activities which contribute to the advancement Business Continuity pertaining to all risks such as natural disasters, corporate incidents, or accidents, etc. ・Striving to mitigate economic and social damage and enhance regional disaster preparedness and crisis management.
Detailed Activities	・Holding seminars and sending lectures to promote awareness and diffusion of Business Continuity. ・Developing curricula or materials and holding courses to nurture Business Continuity specialists ・Publishing a standardized textbook on Business Continuity ・Holding a ceremony named "The BC Awards" to recognize individuals, business enterprises, local governments, or organizations who promote Business Continuity ・Research and study on Business Continuity ・Providing the latest news and information on Business Continuity
Members (as of Jan. 31st 2009)	・Individuals Regular Members:599 Individuals ・Corporate Regular Members: 43 Corporations (354 Individuals) ・Corporate Supporting Members: 47 Corporations (160 Individuals) ・Student Members: 15 ・Special Members: 525 (see the "Types of Membership")
Directors	[Chairperson] Shigeaki Horikoshi Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd [Vice-chairpersons] Takeshi Ito Fujitsu Research Institute (FRI)   Tomohisa Sashida Tokio Marine ＆ Nichido Risk Consulting Co.,Ltd. Masamichi Shinohara InterRisk Research Institute ＆ Consulting, Inc.   Hiroaki Maruya Policy Research Institute for Land Infrastructure and Transport Kenji Watanabe Nagoya Institute of Tech   [Director and Secretary-general] Shinji Hosotsubo Crisis Management and Preparedness Organization [Directors] Hiroshi Usami 　　 SMK　Corporation Shinpei Ogawa　　 Internet Initiative Japan Inc.   Ryoichi Okuyama Okuyama Management Consultant Office   Hajime Kagiya Itabashi City Toshinori Kajiura Hitachi, Ltd.   Hitoshi kawaguchi　　 Nagoya Institute of Technology　 Graduate school   Yoshiki Kinehara Mitsubishi Research Institute,Inc. (MRI) Masahiro Koshida NEC Corporation Akira Sumi General Building Research Corporation of Japan Koichi Takahashi Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Risk Management, Inc.   Fumio Takeda National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies   Nathan Lee Rhoden Crisis Management ＆ Organizational Resilience Planning Kanryu Nagase Disaster Recovery Institute Japan Kentaro Noda Japan Economic Research Institute Inc.   Shogoro Hagiwara Hagiwara Land Development, Construction & Planning Office Masamitsu Miyamura Kogakuin University Hiroaki Yuki TOPPAN PRINTING CO., LTD. Kouichi Yoshida LAWSON, INC.   [Auditors] Fumio Arai　 Keio Corporation Akemi Kawamura CAC Corporation Kenji Kifune Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
Advisors	Atsuomi Obayashi Keio University Hirotaka Ikeda Fuji Tokoha University, Graduate School Tetsuyuki Kagaya Hitotsubashi University, Graduate School Susumu Nakano University of Tokushima, Graduate School
Types of Membership	1. Personal Regular Member Individual who agrees objectives of the BCAO, is admitted as a member to the BCAO, and has a volition to conduct tasks of the BCAO Enrollment Fees: No charges Membership Fees: 10,000 yen per 1 calendar year 2. Corporate Regular Member Corporation and corporation or organization consists of corporations who agree with the objectives of the BCAO, is admitted as a member to the BCAO, and has a volition to conduct tasks of the BCAO Enrollment Fees: No charges Membership Fees:200,000 yen per 1 calendar year 3. Corporate Supporting Member Corporation who agrees objectives of the BCAO, is admitted as a member to the BCAO, and supports tasks of the BCAO Enrollment Fees: No charges Membership Fees:100,000 yen per 1 calendar year 4. Student Member Student who agrees objectives of the BCAO and is admitted as a member to the BCAO.　 Enrollment Fees: No charges　Membership Fees:2,000 yen per 1 calendar years 5. Special Member One who successfully passed the qualifying exam by the BCAO, excepting personal regular member Enrollment Fees: No charges Membership Fees:10,000 yen per 3 calendar years
Office	Business Continuity Advancement Organization B3 Shin-Toranomon-Jitsugyo-Kaikan 1-12-21 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-0001 JAPAN TEL：+81-3-5521-2235 FAX：+81-3-3281-2181

Background on the Establishment of BCAO

Business Continuity (BC) is essentially a management strategy for corporations and organization to facilitate the rapid recovery and
restoration of services and operations with minimum interruption in the aftermath of an accident or disaster.

This is achieved through Business Continuity Management (BCM) for the development, execution, drilling and review of Business Continuity Plans (BCP). In the wake of the computer millennium bug problem and the terrorist attack on September 11 in New York, the importance of BCM and BCP has been the focus of increasing attention, and the USA and UK have taken the lead in widespread adoption of BC.

For this reason, cases of Japanese companies that are requested by overseas trading partners to furnish their BCP are on the rise. In
addition, because it is necessary to tackle the issue of BC throughout the supply chain, major domestic companies are beginning to demand BC response from their suppliers.

Since 2004, Japan has experienced a string of large-scale disasters, and companies have a renewed recognition of the importance of corporate disaster and crisis management measures. Also from the standpoint of information security governance, the continuity of information system operations is vital. With this in mind, the government has been announcing BC-themed guidelines one after another since 2005, stressing the importance for all companies including small- and-medium-scale businesses to come to grips with BC. Furthermore, the government positions BCP as a key pillar of corporate disaster management in their policy for national countermeasures in the event of a large-scale earthquake.

With these circumstances as background, BCAO was established based on the proposal of the experts and scholars associated with the formulation of the above mentioned governmental guidelines and with the cooperation of many others with a high degree of interest in the field of Business Continuity.