Also, in the broadcast field, if negotiations between terrestrial TV broadcasters and cable TV operators or other businesses fall apart on matters such as rebroadcast agreements, the cable TV operator or other business may apply to the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications to make a ruling on the matter based on the Broadcast Act (Law No. 132 of 1950).

Part 2

# Section 6 Promoting ICT Use and Application

# 1. Promoting ICT applications in education, medicine, and other fields

## (1) Promoting ICT use and application in the education field

MIC launched the Leading Education System Demonstration Project, together with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, in FY 2014 in order to promote the further dissemination and deployment of ICT applications in the education field. The Project is working on demonstrating the Education Cloud Platform, which, along with seamlessly connecting schools and homes, will enable various kinds of digital teaching materials to be used. Schools will be able to introduce and operate the Education Cloud Platform at low cost.

## (2) Promoting ICT use and application in medical, nursing, and health fields

### a. Promotion of PHR

It is of interest to form a society in which citizens can maintain their health longer in later life and have access to quality health, medical, and nursing services. To study ways of enabling individuals to manage and utilize health, medical, and nursing information, and ways for health, medical, and nursing services to take advantage of the latest ICT technologies, such as mobile and 8K, MIC launched the Panel on Medical ICT Approaches for the Cloud Era, together with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, in June 2015. The Panel completed a report in November 2015.

### b. Nationwide expansion of medical and nursing information coordination networks

MIC conducted demonstration trials of information coordination using cloud and other technologies at medical institutions, including the home healthcare and nursing fields, as a step toward realizing high-quality inexpensive medical care and nursing services. MIC compiles the results of these trials and makes them available to the public.

The importance of medical information coordination networks gained prominence in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The tsunami destroyed clinical records that were stored on paper at hospitals in the affected regions and patients' medical histories and past treatment information were lost. In response, MIC has taken steps since FY 2011 to provide financial assistance for the construction of medical information coordination networks in medical zones in the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. These steps aim to fulfill the Tohoku Medical Megabank Plan in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

### c. Establishment of ICT health models

As Japan faces a super-aged society, we need to respond to the aging population, the changes in the types of illnesses, and the increase in medical care and nursing needs so that citizens can live independently and maintain their health longer into later life. We also need to realize a society in which citizens can obtain the services they need, when they need them, at reasonable costs, while ensuring the sustainability of our social security system.

Since FY 2014, MIC has carried out large demonstration trials of big data analyses, such as medical exam data, to prevent lifestyle diseases. The aim is to extend healthy lives through prevention of the occurrence and worsening of lifestyle diseases.

### d. Application of 8K technology to the medical field

8K technology allows the transfer of ultra-high-resolution images with realism almost identical to the real thing. Application of 8K technology in the medical field can lead to the realization of innovative medical services in many different areas.

MIC launched the Study Group on Applying 8K Technology for Intelligent Medicine, which has started looking at how to actualize the potential of medical applications for 8K technology as well as the potential and issues with applications of high-resolution image data in order to use intelligence to innovate in the medical field.

## (3) Promoting telework

Telework applies ICT to enable flexible working arrangements that make better use of time and location. Telework is expected to improve the work-life balance of workers and raise the productivity of enterprises. The MIC's Study Group on Utilization of Telework and Wi-Fi to Bring out the Potential of Local Regions has been examining, since October 2014, ways to effectively use telework for local creation. The Study Group put together a recommendation for "hometown teleworking," which allows people to continue to carry out location-independent work previously done in Tokyo in local regions, and thereby maximize the essential characteristics of telework.

To further the widespread use of “hometown teleworking,” MIC conducted demonstration trials of “hometown teleworking” approaches in FY 2015 tailored to the characteristics of specific local regions and business processes.