Publication of the 2009 White Paper "Information and Communications in Japan"
The 2009 edition of "Information and Communications in Japan" aims to be a white paper that is broadly used by the country's population, and much effort was put into compiling it.
Taking as its special theme "Why is ICT essential for Japan's revival?" the report analyzes whether it would be possible to contribute to Japan's revival, in the current global economic crisis environment, from the point of view of information and communications policies.
Items That Have Changed in This Year's Edition
The 2009 edition of "Information and Communications in Japan" differs from previous editions in three ways.
The first is that it has become the first white paper published by the government to include "reader participation" in terms of the cover art and the columns for which there were many submissions from the general public.
The second is the promotion of a "cross-media white paper" that includes links to the Internet for references and additional information.
The third is that, with the aim of making it into an "easy-to-understand white paper," it has been divided into two parts, the part 1 dealing with the special theme, and the part 2 dealing with the latest trends in markets and policies, with summary headlines for each paragraph or illustration.
Special Theme
"Why is ICT essential for Japan's revival?" was chosen as the special theme for part 1 and analyzes whether it would be possible to contribute to Japan's revival, in the current global economic crisis environment, from the point of view of information and communications policies.
Along with the first portion of this that lays out the routes that tie information and communications to growth, and the second portion that evaluates changes in the global economy and the current state of information and communications in Japan, the third portion lays out concrete measures to deal with three challenges for the revival of Japan through information and communications.
he Results of the Contest to Create the White Paper Together
The contest to create the white paper on information and communications together (a request for submissions for cover art and column ideas for the 2009 white paper) was judged by a panel of experts and specialists and received 240 entries in total (65 for the cover art and 175 for columns), with the winners being picked from among the entries.
The winning entries were used in the white paper as cover art and columns. A prize-giving ceremony was also held in late July to distribute award certificates.
The Expansion of Archives of the WhitePpaper onIinformation and Communications
The complete text of all the white papers on information and communications compiled since 1973 (known before 2000 as "Communications in Japan") have now been made available on the MIC website, both in HTML and PDF formats. It is also possible to use simple search functions, making them into the most advanced set of archives for white papers published since the Showa Era (1926-1989).
(Click on image to see enlarged view.)
