Press Releases
Announcement of Pledge in the ICT Field, including E-Commerce at the Eleventh World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference
1. In order to lead the discussions in the Eleventh World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC11) to be held from December 10 to December 13 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Kono announced on December 8 that the Government of Japan is prepared to provide approximately 33 billion yen over the next three years as support for the information and communications technology (ICT) field, including e-commerce.
2. Japan is leading the discussions on e-commerce in the WTO based on its policy that Japan, as a champion of free trade, must boldly take on present-day challenges of international trade.
3. It is expected that the Japan’s support helps developing countries in improving related infrastructure and that those developing countries, recognizing the effective utilization of e-commerce, will proactively engage in the rule-making in the field of e-commerce.