# Outlook for Information and Communications Policies

Section 1

## Promotion of a Comprehensive Strategy

### 1. Promotion of a national strategy

The Japanese government set up the Strategic Headquarters for the Promotion of an Advanced Information and Telecommunications Network Society (IT Strategic Headquarters) in January 2001; this worked for fast, high priority implementation of policy on the formation of an advanced information and telecommunications network society. The “New Information and Communications Technology Strategy” was created in May 2010, and the “New Information and Communications Technology Strategy, Work Schedule, Revised Version” was created in August 2011. The “Experts Investigation Group on Regulatory and System Reform for Information and Communications Technology Utilization” was established in the Planning Committee of the IT Strategy Headquarters in June 2011, task forces were established for three fields (e-Government, Medicine and ITS) in August 2011, and the “Council for the Promotion of Disaster Management IT Lifeline” and “Advisory Council for Government Information System Revitalization” were established in March 2012.

### 2. ICT policy approaches to realize a knowledge information society

In response to the February 2011 Inquiry of the Information and Communications Council, the “New Business Creation Strategy Committee” and “Research and Development Strategy Committee” (hereinafter referred to as “Both Committees”) were established in the Information and Communications Council. Towards realizing a full scale “Knowledge information society,” Both Committees are focusing on the period until around 2020, and investigating with the aim of drawing up a “Comprehensive Strategy” which shows future directions of ICT policy.

After that, considering the Great East Japan Earthquake which struck in March 2011, ICT policy necessary for recovery and restoration was urgently studied, and intermediate findings were put together in July 2011. In response, in order to efficiently investigate from a comprehensive perspective of technology and business, the "Basic Strategy Board" was established as a joint working group under Both Committees in December 2011.

Furthermore, in order to derive issues from a more specialized viewpoint with regard to the utilization of big data which is a field where future growth is expected, the "Ad Hoc Group on Utilization of Big Data" was established in the Basic Strategy Board. Its investigation results were put together as "How Big Data Should Be Used" in May 2012.

Based on the investigations by the Basic Strategy Board and Ad Hoc Group, the ICT Comprehensive Strategy (Draft) considered global trends, the environment faced by Japan, ICT trends, etc., and concluded that in order to bring Japan back from its precipice, it is important to develop an environment where people and information gather to bring out innovation, and to promote a new ICT comprehensive deployment policy for the realization thereof, thereby aiming to achieve an “internationally competitive active Japan utilizing information resources (Active ICT Japan)” by 2020.

### 3. Development of cloud services

Based on the “Smart Cloud Strategy” put together in May 2010, various initiatives for wider use and more advanced cloud services are being actively promoted, centering on the “Japan Cloud Consortium.”

### 4. ICT productivity acceleration program

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 must take advantage of our world-leading broadband infrastructure and work actively to raise productivity through the application of ICT. Therefore, in cooperation with related bodies of related ministries, agencies and municipalities, there are initiatives to support small, medium and venture companies etc. for business in the fields of information and communications.

Section 2

### 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,