Japan govt. to tackle digital divide, high Net access fees

TOKYO, 19 May 2000 (Asia Pulse) - This decision was made on Friday at a joint meeting of the government's special IT promotion committee and private experts. The committee is composed of the entire cabinet.

The meeting was a follow-up to the committee's April 1999 drafting of an action plan putting emphasis on wider use of e-commerce and adoption of more IT in the public sector.

Participants checked the progress that has been made amidst the rapid growth of IT in Japanese life. They agreed that the government should focus on reducing the gap between information technology haves and have-nots, strengthening security against cyberattacks such as hacking, and encouraging lower fees to access the Net.

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, who heads the committee, said he wants to put problems arising from IT development near the top of the agenda of July's G-8 summit in Okinawa.