and broadcasting fields. The Program promotes the sharing of the latest technology and research information, elevating technology levels, and developing human resources as well as contributes to furthering research and development and international cooperation.

### 5. Contributing to more resilient public infrastructure

## (1) Strengthening the disaster resilience of communication and broadcast infrastructure

Based on experiences from the Great East Japan Earthquake, MIC has been pursuing research and development policies toward realizing highly disaster-tolerant ICT since FY 2011. In addition, the Ministry has been promoting the dissemination of the outcomes from this R&D through industry-academic-government collaborative platforms, such as the Resilient ICT Research Council, which includes MIC and private corporations, and the NICT's Resilient ICT Research Center.

## (2) Maintaining public infrastructure with ICT

MIC is pushing research and development and international standardization in the area of highly reliable, low-power communication technology that will gather and transmit data on strains, vibrations, and other phenomena measured with sensors in order to make it possible to manage and maintain public infrastructure efficiently and effectively using sensors and other forms of ICT.

### 6. Other research and development programs

## (1) Base technologies for universal communications

NICT researching and developing multilingual communication technology, base technology for content and services, and super realistic communication technology in order to create communication technologies that truly work in harmony with people, to improve the convenience of citizens' lives, and to help construct an affluent and reassuring society.

## (2) Future base ICT technologies

MIC and NICT are researching and developing base ICT technologies that apply new principles and functions with the aim of increasing the capacity and improving the safety of communication networks. NICT is researching and developing quantum ICT technology, nano ICT technology, and base electromagnetic wave sensing technology. MIC and NICT are researching and developing ultra-high-frequency ICT technologies.

## Section 7 Promoting International Strategies

### 1. Priority promotion issues in international policy

## (1) Promoting overseas deployment of ICT

In the broadcasting field, the government and private sector are working together to further adopt the Japanese ISDB-T standard for terrestrial digital TV in other countries in partnership with Brazil, which adopted the standard in 2006. As of May 2014, a total of 17 countries in Central and South America, Asia, and Africa have decided to adopt the Japanese standard.

### a. Deploying ICT projects in the ASEAN region

MIC has put a special emphasis on initiatives to develop Japanese ICT in the ASEAN region. MIC, while making use of the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF), has promoted the ASEAN Smart Network Initiative, which stimulates economies in the ASEAN region and solves various social issues, such as disaster relief, the digital divide, and environmental protection, through the implementation of ubiquitous-networked ecosystems and cutting-edge ICT applications.

## (2) Developing an environment for ICT overseas deployment and developing an environment for smooth distribution of information

MIC is building an international network to collect information on distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, malware, and other cyber attacks with the cooperation of Internet service providers (ISPs), universities, and other organizations in Japan and overseas. It is also cooperating with other countries on R&D and field tests (the PRACTICE Project) of technology that can predict and quickly respond to cyber attacks. To date, MIC has started collaborations and projects with the United States, countries in the ASEAN region, and other countries.

### a. Promoting strategic international standardization

MIC received a final report from the Information and Communications Council in July 2012 that made standardization a priority field and laid out a strategic standardization map that explained the necessity for standardization in each field and set out specific achievement targets. The map indicated that the most pressing standardization needs were in the smart grid, digital signage, and next-generation browser areas and that mid-to-long terms needs were in new-generation networks (including new-generation wireless networks). Following the recommendations in this report, MIC is undertaking strategic international standardization activities in order to improve convenience for consumers and users and to strengthen the international competitiveness.