Household Section

1. Info-communications equipment ownership

   The following is the ownership rate for the main types of info-communication equipment: Cellular phone 57.7%, PHS 13.1%, pager 10.1%, facsimile 31.9%, word processor 46.9%, personal computer 32.6%, car navigation system 9.3%, and PDA (Personal Digital Assistants) 3.3%.
   Equipment for which the ownership rate increased was, cellular phones (11.7 percentage-point increase), facsimile (5.5 percentage-point increase), personal computers (3.8 percentage-point increase), and car navigation system (2.3 percentage-point increase). Equipment for which the ownership rate decreased was PHS (2.2 percentage-point decrease), pager (7.3 percentage-point decrease), and word processor (3.1 percentage-point decrease). There was no difference in the ownership rate for PDA.
   

   
   
   
   

2. Cellular phone and PHS usage

   Looking at the ratio of cellular phone and PHS usage, we see that 8.5% of households have both a cellular phone and a PHS, 49.2% own a cellular phone only, 4.6% own a PHS only, and households having either a PHS or a cellular phone were 62.3%.
   When we look at usage of both PHS/cellular phones by age, we see that people in their 40s (13.6%) and 50s (12.8%) make up more than 10 percent. The age group with the highest percentage of ownership of either a PHS or cellular phone were people in their 20s (78.8%), next people in their 50s (75.1%), and then people in their 40s (72.5%).
   

   
   

3. Age of main cellular phone users

   When looking at the breakdown of main user's age by equipment we see that in cellular phones people in their 20s were highest with 28.9%, followed by people in their 30s (20.5%), and then people in their 40s (18.3%). Approximately 70% (67.7%) of people 20 to 49 years old are using this equipment. The highest number of PHS users was people in their 20s with 28.9%, followed by people 19 and under (26.1%) and then people in their 30s (13.0%). PHS is used more than cellular phones by people 19 and under. Pager users 19 and under account for approximately 40 percent of total users (36.8%) which is higher than PHS users in that age group.
   

   
   
   

4. Restrictions on cellular phone and PHS usage

   This is the item about restriction of cellular phone and PHS usage in hospitals/medical institutions, while driving, at school, in movies/theaters, in museums/libraries, in coffee shops/restaurants, and on buses/trains. Apprioximately 50% answers expect that cellular phone and PHS usage is prohibited in these locations, excluding buses/trains and coffee shops/restaurants. Particularly in hospitals/medical institutions ,rate of answers that expects restriction is the highest with 57.9%. On the other hand, coffee shops/restaurants restriction is the lowest with 15.4%.
   

   
   

5. Use of info-communications equipment by the elderly (age 65 or above)

   21.1% of people over 65 use at least one of the following: word processor, facsimile, personal computer, or PDA.
   Looking at usage by equipment, we see that word processor is highest with 12.9%, followed by facsimile (10.7%).
   

   
   
   

6. Purpose of facsimile usage

   Approximately 70% (70.1%) of all households that use a facsimile say that they use it for "communication." Household use of facsimile for mail order business is approximately 30% (31.7%), and "acquiring personal-use information" is approximately 20% (21.4%).
   

   
   

7. ISDN line usage

   4.3% of households are using an ISDN line. Combining the "using" and "not using but know what it is" (23.8%) figures, the number of households aware of ISDN was 28.1%.