IP: JDC 3rd Annual Symposium - Report

[Dave Farber <farber@central.cis.upenn.edu>]

From: Japan Documentation Center <jdc@loc.gov>


The followins is a brief report on the Japan Documentation Center 3rd
Annual Symposium, "CyberJapan: Technology, Policy & Society," held in May
31, 1996 at the Library of Congress.  The proceedings will be made
available by NTIS soon.




DEVELOPMENTS IN JAPAN'S INFORMATION
INFRASTRUCTURE TOPIC OF SYMPOSIUM


A near-capacity audience came to the Library's Mumford Room
on May 31 to hear top experts in the field of technology policies
pertaining to Japan and the United States.


"CyberJapan: Technology, Policy & Society" was the third annual
symposium sponsored by the Japan Documentation Center, headed
by Ichiko T. Morita.


The push in Japan for developing a national information
infrastructure came as a response to President Clinton's
announcement in 1993 of a policy for America's National
Information Infrastructure.  Deregulation and the imminent break-
up of telecomunications giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone
Corporation (NTT) were prime topics during the symposium.


In the first panel, Peter Cowhey of the U.S. Federal
Communications Commission and Thomas Kalil of the National
Economic Council outlined the structure of Japan's
telecommunications industries.  A key step in the deregulation
process was the promulgation of three laws in 1985, including the
Telecommunications Business Law that authorized competition in
domestic long-distance service and international services.  


Several speakers addressed the possible effects of deregulation in
Japan, in view of the strict regulation of market entry for common
carriers by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.  Martin
Fransman of the University of Edinburgh highlighted what
government and industry leaders have done in the past year
regarding telecommunications policies.  


William Auckerman of Computing Japan said he believed the
deregulation fervor in Japan is propelled by several factors,
including self-interest, bureaucratic rivalry and the continuance of
top-down policy formation, foreign pressure, and technological
advances.  Most speakers said that if Japan's telecommunications
market were to truly become competitive, there would undoubtedly
be many opportunities for Western companies, and they agreed
that although NTT was privatized in 1985, little has changed. 


Keisuke Nakasaki of NTT America, John Barber of America
Online and Dr. Fransman shared a panel exploring international
competition.  Dr. Fransman commented that if NTT is allowed it
to enter international services, it could become a tough competitor 
in Asia. 


Jun Murai of Keio University outlined the technological
development of the Internet in Japan, beginning with JUNET in
1984.  As of 1996, 250 commercial firms in Japan are providing
Internet service to some 5,000 organizations (contrasted with a
mere 500 in 1992).  Izumi Aizu of the International University of
Japan, the other featured speaker, told how one Internet
community evolved in Japan, citing examples of homepages that
illustrate the value of sharing as important to a members of a
computer network.  While the number of Internet users is
miniscule compared to the number in the United States, Mr. Aizu
and Dr. Murai agreed that interest in the Internet and recognition
of its importance for communications and access to information
will grow rapidly in Japan.


The afternoon sessions focused on the Ministries of Posts and
Telecommunications (MPT) and International Trade and Industry
(MITI).  Ms. Asako Toyoda of the Harvard University Program
on U.S.-Japan Relations said that Japan's ministries should
promote fair competition rather than protection of industries.  
 Closing the day was a panel on Japan's new "infosociety."   
Tsuguchika Kaminuma of the National Institute of Health Sciences
explored how the Internet might change behavioral patterns, in
particular the conventional "uninformative" nature of the Japanese,
which he links closely with weaknesses in strategic thinking and
logistics.  He believes that as users in Japan begin to realize the
scope and depth of public information available on the Internet,
they will begin to identify what kinds of information are lacking
in their own country. Michael Schrage of Wired Magazine
presented the view that the cultures of CyberJapan and that of
CyberU.S. are quite different, and that convergence in the near
future was not likely, while others believe that convergence
undoubtedly is also a tendency for users of the Internet. 


[A version of this article appeared in the Library of Congress
Information Bulletin, vol. 55, no. 3 (July 22, 1996), pages 276-
277.]