# Section 9 Promoting International Strategies

### 1. Promoting International Policies

The “e-Japan Priority Policy Program – 2002” and the “Basic Policies for Economic and Fiscal Policy Management and Structural Reform 2002” (decided by the Cabinet in June 2002) laid down that an “Asia Broadband Program” should be formulated for establishing a broadband environment in the Asian region and that a concrete action plan should be set up. In response, the MPHPT formulated the “Asia Broadband Program” together with the related ministries and agencies in March 2003 with the objective of revitalizing information distribution in the Asian region and to make Asia an information center of the world.

In September 2002, the First Japan-China-Korea ICT Ministerial Meeting was held in Marrakesh, Morocco, among Japanese MPHPT Minister KATAYAMA Toranosuke, Chinese Minister of Information Industry WU Jichuan, and ROK Minister of Information and Communication LEE Sangchul. The ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation among Japan, China, and the ROK toward further development of the information and communications field, such as promoting cooperation in R&D of information and communications technologies that are compatible with the East Asian cultural area, and adopted the results of the meeting as a joint declaration.

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which aims at promoting establishment and understanding of a shared vision on an information society, and at formulating declarations and strategic action plans for achieving development toward realizing this vision in a cooperative manner, is scheduled to be held as an event of the United Nations. After regional conferences in the respective regions, the Summit meeting will be held by leaders of the nations in Geneva in December 2003. In January 2003, the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference was held in Tokyo and the “WSIS Tokyo Declaration” was adopted.

Japan also takes active steps toward resolving international economic problems in the information and communications field through various bilateral and multilateral conferences in the effort to promote international mutual understanding and international cooperation.

### 2. Promoting International Cooperation

With the widening of the international digital divide, there is an increasing need to establish information and communications networks around the world including developing countries. Thus, the MPHPT has been providing assistance for the development of human resources in the IT field, the creation of IT policies and systems in developing countries through policy dialogue with the responsible information and communications authorities of developing countries, the development of an information and communications groundwork by conducting international joint experiments, and for international and regional institutions that promote global cooperation for resolving the international digital divide. At the same time, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the Japanese Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC), the MPHPT has made contributions to the continuous development of the information and communications fields in developing countries mainly through Official Development Assistance (ODA).

### 3. Promoting International Standardization Activities

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) plays a central role in international standardization in the information and communications field. Within the ITU, the Telecommunications Standardization Sector (ITU-T) and the Radio Communications Sector (ITU-R) engage in standardization activities. Japan takes an active part in promoting international standardization activities by taking up many posts in the activities of ITU-T and ITU-R, as well as by contributing a large number of documents for drafting recommendations and having many experts attend study groups and other meetings.