September 28, 2020 Result of Appeal for Opinions on Draft Ministerial Ordinance for Partial Revision of Regulation for Enforcement of the Act on Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, etc.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) made an appeal for opinions from Saturday, July 4 through Monday, August 3, 2020, on a draft ministerial ordinance for the partial revision of the Regulation for Enforcement of the Act on Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, etc. As a result, MIC received nine opinions. Accordingly, MIC has decided to open the opinions submitted and MIC’s views on the opinions.

1. Overview

MIC took the following measures to secure users’ interests related to telecommunication services in response to changes in the social structure, such as population decline and the globalization of the telecommunication market:

  • 1.
    Measures to enable Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation to provide telephone services by means of telecommunications facilities of other telecommunications carriers.
  • 2.
    Measures to develop regulations for telecommunications businesses ran by foreign corporations, etc.

For these measures, MIC submitted a bill for the Act Partially Amending the Telecommunications Business Act and the Act on Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, etc. to the 201st Diet Session. The bill was approved and promulgated on May 22, 2020 (Act No. 30 of 2020, hereafter referred to as “the revised Act). This ministerial ordinance will partially revise the Regulations for Enforcement of the Act on Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, etc. (Ministerial Ordinance of MPT No. 23 of 1985) for developing regulations in response to the promulgation of the revised Act (for 1.) and the Act Partially Amending the Companies Act (Act No. 70 of 2019).

2. Result of appeal for opinions

MIC made an appeal for opinions from Saturday, July 4 through Monday, August 3, 2020, on the draft ministerial ordinance. As a result, MIC received nine opinions. Accordingly, MIC has decided to open the opinions submitted and MIC’s views on the opinions.

3. About promulgation of revised ministerial ordinance

Considering the results of the appeal for opinions, the Ministerial Ordinance for Partial Revision of the Regulation for Enforcement of the Act on Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, etc. (Ministerial Ordinance of MIC No. 92 of 2020) was announced in the official bulletin and promulgated today. In addition, MIC has revised the Fair Competition Guidelines for NTT East and West business activities by utilizing their facilities, technologies or employees in order to operate their business activities under the provisions of Article 2 paragraph (3) of the Act on Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, etc., in response to the revised Act. The date of enforcement of the Ministerial Ordinance and the revised Guidelines is the same as the date of enforcement of the revised Act. However, the revised provisions pertaining to Table 2 of the revised Ministerial Ordinance shall come into effect as from the day of the enforcement of the Act Partially Amending the Companies Act.

  • *
    The published material is in Japanese only.

Contact

For further information about this press release, please fill in the inquiry form and submit it to MIC on the website
https://www.soumu.go.jp/common/english_opinions.html

International Policy Division, Global Strategy Bureau, MIC

TEL: +81 3 5253 5920

FAX: +81 3 5253 5924