July 5, 2024 Publication of “2024 Report on the Current State of Information and Communications” (2024 White Paper on Information and Communications in Japan)

 The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) published the "2024 Report on the Current State of Information and Communications" (2024 White Paper on Information and Communications in Japan) today.

 The MIC publishes this report (White Paper) annually to enhance public understanding of the current status of ICT field and trends in information and communications policy in Japan. This is the 52nd edition since the first publication in 1973 [1].
 This year's White Paper begins with the first special feature titled “The Status of Information and Communications related to the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake” that summarizes the damage to telecommunication and broadcasting infrastructures caused by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, restoration efforts, the roles played by media such as broadcasting services, and future initiatives to enhance infrastructure resilience. Following the first special feature, there is the second feature titled "Living in Harmony with Evolving Digital Technologies." This second special feature explores new possibilities and risks that AI and other latest technologies will bring to society and the economy, and prospects for efforts towards appropriate utilizations of these technologies.
 The methods and schedule for publication of the White Paper are as follows:

 < Methods and schedule of publication >

1. Posting on the MIC website

 The full text of the 2024 White Paper on Information and Communications in Japan will be available on the MIC's website from July 5th 2024. (PDF and EPUB formats) The website URL is shown below. It will also be available in HTML format by the end of August.
 https://www.soumu.go.jp/johotsusintokei/whitepaper/index.html

2. Book sales

 Books containing the full text of the 2024 White Paper in Japanese will be also available at major bookstores, government publication service centers, and gazette sales offices from Wednesday, July 31, 2024.

3. Publication of e-book edition

 The e-book containing the full text of the 2024 White Paper will also be available for free at e-book stores starting today. The e-book can be found on book stores, such as Kinoppy (Kinokuniya), Kobo (Rakuten), and Kindle (Amazon).

4. Updating the dedicated app

 The MIC offers a dedicated app for viewing the White Paper on smartphones and tablets, free of charge, on the Apple’s app store and Google Play. Users of the app can read the full text of the 2024 White Paper in Japanese starting today. The URL for downloading the app is provided below:
 https://www.soumu.go.jp/johotsusintokei/whitepaper/mobile/app.html

5. Preparation and publication of the English version of the 2024 White Paper

 We will prepare and publish the English Edition of the 2024 White Paper at a later date.

6. “White Paper on Information and Communications for Kids”

 We will update the "White Paper on Information and Communications in Japan for Kids," a website for elementary school students, to reflect the contents of the 2024 White Paper, and publish it at a later date.
 https://www.soumu.go.jp/hakusho-kids/

 < Making the "White Paper on Information and Communications" available as open data >
 The MIC is promoting the availability of the White Paper on Information and Communications in Japan as open data. Anyone is free to make secondary use of the 2024 White Paper (HTML version (including Excel data), PDF version, and CSV data[2]), including reproduction, modification, distribution, and public transmission, except for the figures and tables in the "List of Figures and Tables" in Attachment 4 and text that indicates the source of a third-party source.

 [1] Until 2000, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications published it as a report titled "Report on the Current State of Telecommunications."
 [2] We will make CSV data available on the website by the end of August.