March 25, 2004

Ministry of Public Management,
Home Affairs,
Posts and Telecommunications


The MPHPT to hold Asia Broadband Promotion Council



The MPHPT will host the Asia Broadband Promotion Council to discuss measures to accelerate making specific projects under the strong cooperation between the public and private sectors, in order to promote concrete policies of the Asia Broadband Program more actively.


1. Background and object
The Asia Broadband Program is the action plan that compiles measures for construction of broadband network infrastructure and relevant measures for penetration of broadband, as measures that must be addressed to aim for the realization of making Asia a world information base. The program was designed by the MPHPT and other relevant ministries on March 28, 2003.

At the Kyushu-Okinawa G8 Summit, Japanese government announced the comprehensive cooperation package with public funds amounting to approximately US$15 billion for five years, aiming at eliminating the digital divide. The Asia Broadband Program, taking this into consideration, states that various measures should be taken intensively by fiscal 2005.

The Council will be held to discuss measures to accelerate making specific projects under the strong cooperation between the public and private sectors, in order to promote concrete policies more actively.

2. Activities
To discuss items as below:
(1) Areas to be promoted intensively to accelerate the Asia Broadband Program
(2) Concrete policies in priority areas of the Asia Broadband Program
(3) Confirmation of promoting the Asia Broadband Programs


For details refer to the Japanese web site
http://www.soumu.go.jp/s-news/2004/040325_2.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.