Japan's Official Development Assistance White Paper 2007
Next PageMain Text > Part II ODA RECORD FOR FY2006 > Chapter 2 Details about Japan's Official Development Assistance > Section 2. Measures for Each of the Priority Issues > 1. Sustainable Growth > (4) Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
(4) Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
<Record for FY2006>
By way of record for the ICT sector in FY2006, Japan provided ¥900 million in grant aid (to one country) and ¥26.2 billion in loan aid (to four countries). Through technical cooperation it accepted 257 trainees and dispatched 35 experts and one JOCV.
<Current Status>
The dissemination of ICT contributes to sustainable economic growth through industrial advancement and improving economic productivity. The active use of ICT is highly significant in enhancing information disclosures by the government, improving governance - a cornerstone of democratization - through assistance to mass media, and strengthening civil society by means of improved convenience and services.
At the same time, the disparity is becoming obvious between people who have access to ICT and those who do not. This so-called "digital divide" poses an issue that could threaten the stability of the international community by further widening the economic disparity between developed and developing countries. Therefore it has become of the utmost importance to resolve this issue.
<Japan's Efforts>
At the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit in July 2000, Japan announced Japan's Comprehensive Co-operation Package to Address the International Digital Divide. ICT is a sector that is basically being developed through private sector initiative. The majority of the cooperation package mentioned above is comprised mainly of cooperation from sources other than official aid. Cooperation through official aid in the ICT area is devoted to cooperation pertaining to sectors not well suited to the private sector, such as establishing infrastructure and human resource development in developing countries. Support is also provided for things like television and radio broadcasting and print media in developing countries.
See below.
Support for Television and Radio Broadcasting, and Print Media
Of the total amount of assistance (approximately US$57.9 billion) for the information sector from 2003 to 2005, roughly 41%, or some ¥23.4 billion, was support for television and radio broadcasting, and print media.* While this is somewhat different from the image of the so-called ICT sector, it is important to develop the information-related infrastructure in developing countries in accordance with their circumstances. Enabling people to have free access to distributed information should lead to democratization.
In July 2007 Japan approved the provision of grant aid for the Project for Improvement of the Medium Wave Radio Broadcasting Network in Uganda. In Uganda, the penetration rate for household for radio receivers is 76.5%, placing it in an exceedingly high status compared to that for televisions (7.5%). However, the equipment that was installed over the 1970s and 1980s has deteriorated due to civil war and lightning damage. The service area for medium wave broadcasting has shrunk substantially from roughly 90% at the outset to about 25%. The expectation is that through support from Japan, the service area will be restored to 77%, which will newly enable 14.15 million people to receive medium wave broadcasts.
* OECD-DAC / CSR On-line Database (March 2007)
Of the total amount of assistance (approximately US$57.9 billion) for the information sector from 2003 to 2005, roughly 41%, or some ¥23.4 billion, was support for television and radio broadcasting, and print media.* While this is somewhat different from the image of the so-called ICT sector, it is important to develop the information-related infrastructure in developing countries in accordance with their circumstances. Enabling people to have free access to distributed information should lead to democratization.
In July 2007 Japan approved the provision of grant aid for the Project for Improvement of the Medium Wave Radio Broadcasting Network in Uganda. In Uganda, the penetration rate for household for radio receivers is 76.5%, placing it in an exceedingly high status compared to that for televisions (7.5%). However, the equipment that was installed over the 1970s and 1980s has deteriorated due to civil war and lightning damage. The service area for medium wave broadcasting has shrunk substantially from roughly 90% at the outset to about 25%. The expectation is that through support from Japan, the service area will be restored to 77%, which will newly enable 14.15 million people to receive medium wave broadcasts.
* OECD-DAC / CSR On-line Database (March 2007)
<Support for Asian Countries>
In March 2003 Japan formulated the Asia Broadband Program as an action plan to provide a broadband environment throughout Asia. With a revision in August 2006, the Program has designated as its prioritized target cooperation in the areas of application and human resource development. The program aims to make Asia the information base of the world through the fulfillment of seven goals by FY2010, including broadband access for all people in Asia. To advance this program, Japan has so far made agreements to advance bilateral cooperation with Thailand, Malaysia, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Cambodia, the Philippines, China, and India, and tripartite cooperation of Japan, China and the Republic of Korea (ROK). Based on these agreements, Japan has held policy dialogues in order to understand what is requested by the partner countries. It has also: (1) conducted infrastructure development in Viet Nam, Iraq, Cambodia, and Bangladesh; and (2) developed a shared platform for application contents through a joint experiment that made use of the broadband network among Asian countries like Thailand and Singapore.
In addition, the Asia Gateway Initiative released in May 2007 includes the tenet "Assist in the creation of a common platform for development in Asia" for the preservation and development of an "Open Asia" to bolster world growth. In order to contribute to the realization of this initiative, Japan will continue to work toward the development of an ICT platform.
Telecommunications Network Expansion Project in Pakistan (FY1990, loan aid)
Objectives of this project were to promote the quantitative expansion and qualitative improvement of communication services and to contribute to the vitalization of commercial and industrial activities. In conjunction with the extension of telephone lines which was scheduled to be implemented by the Pakistani Government, the project supported the improvement and upgrading of domestic transmission lines (fiber optic cable) and international communication facilities. As a result, the telephone diffusion rate rose. Additionally, in a survey of the beneficiaries (targeting 40 resident's households and 89 businesses), nearly all of the respondents were of the opinion that this project improved the communication conditions and had positive results for communication for families as well as businesses.
Objectives of this project were to promote the quantitative expansion and qualitative improvement of communication services and to contribute to the vitalization of commercial and industrial activities. In conjunction with the extension of telephone lines which was scheduled to be implemented by the Pakistani Government, the project supported the improvement and upgrading of domestic transmission lines (fiber optic cable) and international communication facilities. As a result, the telephone diffusion rate rose. Additionally, in a survey of the beneficiaries (targeting 40 resident's households and 89 businesses), nearly all of the respondents were of the opinion that this project improved the communication conditions and had positive results for communication for families as well as businesses.
Column 5 Linking the Sahara with Radio Net
— Veteran hams passionately working to develop a radio network in Mauritania —