# Outlook for Information and Communications Policies

Part 2

## Section 1 Recovery and Reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake

As The Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on March 11, 2011, caused great damage in various areas of East Japan, a wide variety of initiatives toward recovery and reconstruction from the earthquake are being carried out on a nationwide basis in order to rehabilitate the socio-economy and rebuild the people's lives in the disaster-affected areas and revive Japan as a vigorous country.

Regarding information and communications, the MIC has secured important communications and supported the recovery of information and communications infrastructures and local governments' initiatives using ICT. In addition, in May 2011, it established the Office for Support for Measures for Reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake at the Tohoku Bureau of Telecommunications so as to continue activities to support recovery and reconstruction of the information and communications usage environment and local governments' operations through the dispatch of government officials to disaster-affected municipalities.

## Section 2 Promotion of a Comprehensive Strategy

### 1. Promotion of a National Strategy

The Japanese government put into force the Basic Act on the Formation of an Advanced Information and Telecommunications Network Society and set up the Strategic Headquarters for the Promotion of an Advanced Information and Telecommunications Network Society (Comprehensive IT Strategic Headquarters) in January

### 2. Development of cloud services

## (1) Activities of the Japan Cloud Consortium

In order for industry, academia and government to cooperate with each other in promoting the dissemination of cloud services, the Japan Cloud Consortium, a private organization, was established in December 2010.

### 3. ICT productivity acceleration

In addition to being a resource-starved country with a declining birth rate and an aging population, Japan faces the pressing challenge of stimulating economic growth. For this reason, we need to take advantage of our world-leading broadband infrastructure and work actively to raise productivity through the application of ICT. There-2001; this worked for fast, high priority implementation of policy on the formation of an advanced information and telecommunications network society.

In addition, a cabinet decision was made on a new IT strategy (“Declaration on the Creation of the World’s Most Advanced IT Nation.”) in June 2013.

This consortium, comprised of more than 400 companies and organizations as of April 2013, and nine working groups are conducting such activities as considering a specific service model, sharing of information and identifying new tasks.

fore, in cooperation with related bodies of related ministries, agencies and municipalities, the MIC is implementing initiatives to support small, medium and venture companies, etc. for business in the fields of information and communications.

## Section 3 Development of Information and Communications Policy

### 1. Development of telecommunications business policy

## (1) Promote dissemination of broadband

In order to comprehensively verify the degree of achieving indices on the spread of broadband and the status of compliance with fair competition requirements, the “Fair Competition Review System for Promoting Broadband Dissemination” was established. In March 2013, the results of the review (FY2012) of the status of activities related to the dissemination of broadband and