semination and the safe and secure use of wireless LAN. The Study Group put together a report in July 2012. Based on recommendations in this report, MIC inaugurated the Wireless LAN Business Promotion Council in January 2013.

Looking ahead to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, MIC has decided to promote the establishment and raise the convenience of free public wireless LAN environments, which are in demand from overseas visitors, in particular.

## (2) Promoting IPv6

MIC's Study Group on Advanced Use of Internet with IPv6 investigated current issues affecting the adoption of IPv6 and corresponding policies. The Study Group put together and released its Third Report in December 2011.

The Study Group then verified the progress on the various issues identified in the Third Report and sifted through basic ideas for future actions. From this work, it compiled and released the Third Progress Report in July 2012.

### 2. Developments in broadcasting policy

## (1) Developments in broadcasting policy after the shift to terrestrial digital broadcasting

### a. Encouraging exports of broadcast content

The MIC held meetings of the Study Group on Measures for Promotion of Circulation of Broadcast Content starting in November 2012 to study how to secure platforms for overseas content distribution and how to make rights processing more efficient. The Study Group put together a report in June 2013. Based on this report, the Broadcast Program Export Association of Japan (BEAJ) was established in August 2013. With a broad range of participating stakeholders, including broadcasters, rights organizations, trading companies, and ad agencies, BEAJ is a cross-industry organization that supports the export of broadcast content.

### b. Advancements in broadcast services

MIC held meetings of the Study Group on Advancement of Broadcast Services starting in November 2012 to study specific policies on further technical advances in broadcast services. The Study Group examined three areas—4K and 8K ultra-high-definition television, smart TV, and cable platforms—and finalized a report in June 2013.

### c. Various issues concerning broadcasting policy

MIC held meetings of the Study Group on Broadcasting Policy starting in November 2012 to study approaches to broadcast policy in step with the times. The Study Group released in August 2013 its first report on international broadcasting, NHK's Internet usage operations, and the certified broadcast holding companies system and the principle of excluding multiple ownership of the

## (3) Developing fair competition environments

### a. Assessing the state of competition in the telecommunications sector

In order to correctly ascertain the state of competition in the increasingly complex telecommunications sector and reflect this understanding in government policy, MIC has been conducting the Competition Assessment of the Telecommunications Industry every year since FY 2003.

For the 2013 Competition Assessment, MIC set out and released the “Implementation Items for 2013” in December 2013. For fixed-point assessments, MIC decided to continue the general framework from the 2012 Competition Assessment but to limit assessments to only analyses in cases where the market concentration level (HHI:Herfindahl-Hirschman Index) was low and the market was clearly competitive or in cases where the market was relatively small and users were obviously migrating to other similar services (the ISP market, the 050-IP telephone market, and the WAN service market). Nevertheless, MIC decided, based on strategic assessment results, to include the WAN service market in the FY 2013 assessment, in view of the market share and other changes that occur when using corporate groups as the unit in calculations of market analytic indicators.

media. The Study Group then examined strengthening the management foundations of broadcasters and released its findings in a second report in February 2014. Based on these studies, MIC submitted a bill in March 2014 to the National Diet to Partially Amend the Broadcast Act and the Radio Act. The bill was enacted in June of 2014.

### d. Strengthening the disaster resilience of broadcast networks

In the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake, radio broadcasts were recognized as being particularly useful during disasters. At the same time, it was also clear that better disaster-protection measures were required for medium-frequency (AM radio) transmission stations located in low-lying lands and coastal areas.

In light of this situation, MIC held meetings of the Study Group on the Enhancement of Broadcasting Networks starting in February 2013 to study how to make broadcast networks more resilient to disasters so that they can provide proper information about disasters to citizens. The Study Group put together and released an interim report in July 2013. The report made four recommendations: (1) strengthen the disaster resilience of broadcast networks; (2) strengthen the resilience of management foundations (encourage reorganization); (3) enhance communications with local governments; and (4) promote business expansion through new ideas.

### e. Developing new broadcast media in empty frequency bands

With the switchover from analog to digital terrestrial TV broadcasts, several frequency bands became available after the termination of analog terrestrial TV broadcasts and the reorganization of digital broadcast chan-