non-ascii namespace name question

[Takuki Kamiya]

I have encountered a usage of namespace'd XML where namespace name (i.e. URI)
contains non-ascii characters, and is wondering how namespace-aware XML software
should handle the URIs.

As an example, think of the instance shown below.

<x xmlns:ns1="http://www.&#x5BCC;&#x58EB;&#x901A;.co.jp" 
   xmlns:ns2="http://www.%E5%AF%8C%E5%A3%AB%E9%80%9A.co.jp" >
  <good n1:a="1"  n2:a="2" />
</x>

Both of the URIs conceptually denotes "http://www.fujitsu.co.jp" except that
the part "fujitsu" is represented by using numeric character references in the
first case and is represented as being encoded as mentioned in XML 1.0 spec.
(I mean "4.2.2 External Entities")

My question is, is a namespace-aware XML processor supposed to identify the
two URLs shown above as identical ones so that the XML instance above is in
error since n1:a and n2:a really means the same?

If the answer to the question is "yes", then I believe XML processors should
return encoded representation such as "http://www.%E5%AF%8C%E5%A3%AB%E9%80%9A.co.jp"
to using applications as namespace name. Is my understanding correct?

Can somebody make it clear as to how URIs are intended to be processed in the
case shown above? Thanks.

= Takuki Kamiya  Phone: (045)476-4586 Fax: (045)476-4749   =
= FUJITSU LIMITED (COINS:7128-4217 NIFTY:HHA01731)         =


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