Operational Guidelines for IAL2 and AAL2 in GakuNin

1．Purpose of the Operational Guidelines for IAL2 and AAL2

With the rapid digital transformation of universities and research institutions, there is an increasing need to provide appropriate assurance of users’ identities and authentication when accessing research data infrastructures, supercomputers, high-performance GPU resources, cloud services, international research collaboration platforms, and other advanced research environments.

While the academic identity federation has traditionally improved user convenience by allowing authentication to be performed by users’ home institutions, it is becoming increasingly important to demonstrate to service providers and international federation partners who an authenticated user is, the level of identity proofing that has been performed, and the degree of assurance provided by the authentication process. In particular, interoperability with international identity federations, the use and sharing of research data, the issuance and validation of digital credentials, and access control for research resources requiring a high level of security all require clearly defined Identity Assurance Levels (IAL) and Authenticator Assurance Levels (AAL).

Against this background, these draft operational guidelines present a framework for implementing IAL2 and AAL2 that reflects the operational practices of universities and research institutions in Japan. Rather than prescribing specific technologies or products, these guidelines are intended to provide a common framework of principles and requirements for achieving high-assurance identity proofing and authentication across higher education and research institutions.

As these guidelines are being released for public review, we invite comments from universities, research institutions, research communities, service providers, and stakeholders involved in identity and authentication infrastructures. Your feedback will contribute to future discussions on enhancing the GakuNin federation and strengthening interoperability with international identity federations.

2．Documents on the Operational Guidelines for IAL2 and AAL2

The following documents are available for public review:

Draft Operational Guidelines for IAL2
Explanatory Notes for the Operational Guidelines for IAL2
Draft Operational Guidelines for AAL2
Explanatory Notes for the Operational Guidelines for AAL2
Presentation Materials (Open Forum 2026)

Operational Guidelines for IAL2 and AAL2 in GakuNin