March 3, 2004

Ministry of Public Management,
Home Affairs,
Posts and Telecommunications


Forecast of state of telecommunications industry
- Results of January 2004 Survey in the Overall Status of Japan's Communications Industry (Flash report) -



• There is a continuing positive trend in the diffusion index (DI)* for telecommunications businesses, and the broadcasting business is also expected to recover.
•Sales forecasts for Type 2 telecommunications carriers and cable television businesses continue to be strong in comparison to an all-industry base.
• In the previous survey, the Business Survey Index (BSI) *for the private broadcasting businesses which had gone positive for the first time since the third quarter of fiscal 2000, has remained positive, forecasting a recovery.

DI = The percentage of business operators forecasting an increase minus the percentage of business operators forecasting a decrease
BSI = The percentage of business operators forecasting that it will go up minus the percentage of business operators forecasting that it will go down


The MPHPT has recently compiled forecast of the state of the telecommunications industry in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2003 and first quarter of fiscal 2004, based on the January 2004 Survey in the Overall Status of Japan's Communications Industry (Flash report).

The MPHPT is planning to post final values, including sales, on the Internet (Information & Communications Statistics Database) from the end of April 2004 (url: http://www.soumu.go.jp/johotsusintokei/)


For details refer to the Japanese web site
http://www.soumu.go.jp/s-news/2004/040303_3.html

For further information about this press release, please contact:

International Policy Division, International Affairs Department
Telecommunications Bureau
Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs,
Posts and Telecommunications
Tel: (03) 5253-5920 Fax: (03) 5253-5924

Or visit
http://www.soumu.go.jp/joho_tsusin/eng/contact.html to fill in the inquiry form.