Abstract
The term "Quality Assurance" in Japanese has meanings a little bit different from the one given in ISO 9000, though the clear definition of the term is not given in Japanese. The reason is the contents of the term have been changing along with the progress of quality activities in Japan. In this article, a briet history of the development of the quality assurance system in Japanese industry is given from the experience of the author as under. The beginning-Quality control activities in manufacturing and inspection, Expansion of quality activities, The first quality assurance system, Computer control in the iron steel industry, Product liability prevention Quality systems by ISO 9000, Current problems Globalization Software quality assurance
