Top �� What's up around the Prime Minister �� November, 2002

The Fifteenth Meeting of the IT Strategic Headquarters Thursday, November 7, 2002 The fifteenth meeting of the Strategic Headquarters for the Promotion of an Advanced Information and Telecommunications Network Society (IT Strategic Headquarters) was held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. At the meeting, discussion was conducted on a strategy for the IT sector entitled "New Industry Development - Technological Innovation" and a decision was taken to establish the "Expert Study Committee on Future IT Strategy." The "Expert Study Committee on Future IT Strategy" aims to conduct a review of the existing "e-Japan Strategy." This review is based on the recognition that the original goals of creating an Internet infrastructure, including the diffusion of ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) and fiber-optic networks, which enable continuous connection to the Internet at low cost, have already been achieved. A review will be made in the direction of placing an emphasis on promoting the use of the Internet. As such, the committee is to reconsider the "e-Japan Strategy" from the perspective of Internet users with a view to ensuring the safety and reliability of information on the Internet.