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Prime Minister's News Update
Tuesday, September 19, 2000 |
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Prime Minister's News Update
Tuesday, September 19, 2000 |
Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori visited the multimedia center of a major consumer electronics company in Tokyo, where he observed and tried out the features of a new type of dwelling utilizing the fruits of the information technology revolution.
Digital television will enable interactive shopping, use of e-mail, and the replay of stored digital data. (Satellite digital broadcasts in Japan will begin in December 2000. Terrestrial TV broadcasting is expected to be digital in the three major urban centers--Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka--in 2003, and throughout the nation by the end of 2006.)
A display at the multimedia center demonstrated a new type of dwelling envisioned for the year 2003 that was equipped with appliances and other features utilizing IT advances throughout: in the living room, bedroom, and even bathroom. From the living room one could make reservations at public facilities, register as a resident and use other local-government services, and buy tickets. The Prime Minister was shown how to make reservations for overseas travel.
