April 2, 2021 Start of Public Relations about Telephone Relay Services

A telephone relay service will start on July 1, 2021, under the Act on Facilitating the Use of Telephones by the Hearing Impaired, etc. (Act No. 53 of 2020).
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) decided to start public relations regarding the telephone relay service system to popularize telephone relay services and has prepared leaflets.

The telephone relay service has been institutionalized under the Act on Facilitating the Use of Telephones by the Hearing Impaired, etc. (Act No. 53 of 2020, hereafter referred to as the “Act”). This service enables people with hearing or speech disabilities to communicate with other people over the phone through sign language interpreter operators.
The telephone relay service starts on July 1, 2021, according to the fiscal 2021 business plan of the telephone relay service provider (the registration of the telephone relay service is supposed to start in the middle of May 2021). Furthermore, according to the fiscal 2021 business plan of the support organization for telephone relay services, the grant and the collection of contributions will start from the middle of fiscal 2021.
For the telephone relay service to become widespread, the public needs to be widely aware of the mechanism of grants and contributions and how to use the telephone relay service. MIC will thoroughly publicize the service by distributing leaflets and disseminating information via webpages under the collaboration with related ministries, including the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and the telephone relay service provider, the support organization for telephone relay service, etc. and with the cooperation of local public organizations, the telecommunications industry, consumer organizations, etc. nationwide.

Point

• By utilizing the telephone relay service, it will be possible to respond to emergency calls, respond 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and make two-way calls with the other party.
• If you receive a call through an interpreter operator of the telephone relay service, please take appropriate measures so that the call will not be rejected.
• The telephone relay service operates with grants funded by contributions from telephone providers. The amount of grants for fiscal 2021 is approximately 1,543 million yen, and the unit number price for fiscal 2021 is shown in the table below (a total of 7 yen per number per year).
  Many telephone providers will bear this number unit price in the form of a telephone relay service fee to all telephone users.

Contact information

• Provision of telephone relay service (registration, usage, service content, etc.)
  Telephone relay service provider (The Nippon Foundation Telecommunication Relay Service)
  Tel.: 03-6275-0910 (Reception hours: 9:00 am through 6:00 pm (excluding the year-end and New Year holidays))
  Fax.: 03-6275-0913
  Email: info<@>nftrs.or.jp
  (Note) When you send an email, please change “<@>” to @ to prevent spam mails.
• About grants and contributions (unit number price, grants, contributions, etc.)
  Support organization for telephone relay services (Telecommunications Carriers Association)
  Tel.: 03-6302-8391 (Reception hours: 9:00 am through 5:00 pm (excluding the year-end and New Year holidays))
• About telephone relay service system
  MIC (Telecommunications Consumer Consultation Center)
  Tel.: 03-5253-5900 (Reception hours: 9:30 pm to noon/1:00 pm to 5.00 pm on weekdays)