# PROMOTING THE DIGITIZATION OF PUBLIC AREAS

## Promotion of Local Digitization

The MPHPT has been promoting comprehensive digitization in local areas with the view to improving education, welfare, and other services for residents, improving the efficiency of public administration, and rectifying the digital divide. To be more specific, in order to promote advances in local education, public administration, welfare, medical services, and disaster control with the goal of realizing a nation-wide development of local shared networks by fiscal 2005, the ministry as a whole has been supporting local public bodies. For example, the ministry has been focusing on supplementary projects such as a development project for local intranet infrastructure facilities, while utilizing independent local projects. It has also implemented appropriate local financial measures for both supplementary and independent projects.

## Online Administrative Procedures and Laying the Groundwork for Public Certifications

The MPHPT plans to submit to the Diet a proposed law on the usage of information and communications technology related to administrative procedures. The proposed law will stipulate clauses that are aimed at improving convenience for citizens, simplifying administrative work, and increasing efficiency in public administration, by allowing applications, notices, and all other forms of administrative procedure to be processed online as a rule. In addition, in response to the need for a framework (certification system) that will verify the persons (applicant or public agency) who prepared the information on applications, forms, permits, and approval notices or confirm whether the information has been interpolated or not, the MPHPT in fiscal 2001 launched the operation of a Bridge Certificate Authority, to go along with the certificate authorities which were also launched by the MPHPT, the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Furthermore, in order to enable applications, report, and other procedures to local governments available on the Internet, the

MPHPT plans to develop a certification infrastructure for organizations that is compatible with the Government Public Key Infrastructure (GPKI), and is also conducting investigations into a systematic framework of the construction of a public certification infrastructure for individuals.

## Development of Public Systems

The TAO has been conducting research and development on a telecommunications system that would be used for public works (designated Joint Operation Initiative dealing with Network Technology) such as a model system for public individual certification infrastructure, combining communications and broadcasting technologies with the technologies in designated public areas on commission by the MPHPT and other related ministries in accordance with the Laws Regarding the Promotion of Research and Development on Designated Joint Operation Initiatives Dealing with Network Technology. In addition, in order to enhance the convenience to residents and to help rationalize public administration for national and local governments, the MPHPT is constructing a Residents Basic Registers Network System, in accordance with the Partial Revision to the Law of the Basic Resident Registers which was issued in 1999, as a structure to process matters concerning basic resident registers that go beyond the region of a city or village and to provide personal identification information to public agencies (national and local governments).

## Local Government Wide Area Network

The Local Government Wide Area Network (LGWAN) is a network exclusively used for public administration that connects various local governments. The government has connected the LGWAN with the Kasumigaseki WAN in April 2002 in accordance with the e-Japan Priority Policy Program.

## Digitization of Processing Applications and Notices at Local Governments

With respect to the general processing system used by local public bodies, a 3-year Electronic