Questionnaires were sent via industry organizations to 3,110 manufacturers and distributors of computers, software and microcomputer-equipped devices (referred to below as "vendors") in 25 categories. In a survey of the responses on December 1, 1998, responses had been received from 1,134 companies (a response rate of 36.5%), and the findings can be summarized as follows.
1. Awareness among companies of whether their products require preparation for Y2K compliance.
(1) Most companies responded that they had ascertained the need for measures for Y2K compliance in "All of our products" or "3/4 of more or our products". All companies should ascertain quickly the need for Y2K compliance measures in their products
(2) Regarding the necessity of Y2K compliance measures for their products, manufacturers in the fields of home electrical equipment ("white goods") and toys responded that none of their products required such measures. In the fields of computers, computer peripherals, software, wireless communication equipment, office equipment, plant engineering, environmental equipment, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and measurement and analysis equipment, over 60% of companies responded that some of their products require Y2K compliance measures.
2. Provision of information by companies to users on whether or not their products require Y2K compliance measures.
(1) The progress made in notifying individual users in cases where the users can check for themselves differs between business types.
(2) The provision of information over the Internet to the general public differs between business types, depending on whether or not it is possible for users to check compliance for themselves. In industries such as computer software, plant engineering, environmental equipment, printing equipment and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, it is often possible for individual users to check for compliance. Therefore the proportion of companies in these industries providing information to the general public through out the Internet and other channels is relatively low.
(3) It is very important that individual users check with their vendors whether the equipment etc. that they use will require measures for Y2K compliance, but the vendors should also work to notify users of how they can check their own equipment, where possible. Where users cannot check their own equipment, the vendors should use the Internet and other suitable channels to provide their users with the necessary information urgently.