Internet in Japan
Self-regulation plays an important role among Japanese Internet Service Providers (ISP), as Japan lacks an independent regulatory commission.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) oversees the telecommunications, Internet, and broadcast sectors with a hands-off approach.
Law enforcement is more proactive in regulation of the internet and has made arrests with mixed results on the basis of online activity.
The government has not exercised this power to manage the company and may have little incentive to challenge NTT's market dominance and push for more competition because of the returns it gets from being a shareholder.
[citation needed] In 1999, NTT DoCoMo pioneered the world's first large-scale mobile Internet service, iMode.
[10] Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) services were started by a venture company, Tokyo Metallic in 1999.
[citation needed] In 2000, the Japanese government ordered Nippon Telegraph and Telephone to unbundle its local loop, which encouraged the emergence of several competing service providers.
[citation needed] In 2000, rules for operators co-location inside NTT facilities and line delivery terms were established.
The concurrence of FTTH was increasingly stronger, with the arrival of operators like the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), allied to KDDI and NTT.
[citation needed] The prevalence of FTTH can be explained by the Japanese government's forced local loop unbundling of NTT and very low charges to connect for new Internet service providers (ISPs), leading to new ISPs connecting DSL with low cost and being able to charge cheaper prices due to having a smaller scale operation to challenge the incumbent NTT into using its greater finances to lay fiber to the home to distinguish itself from the competition with higher speeds and also incentivizing some other ISPs to explore fiber to the home, although it remained the dominant fiber provider.
Estimates of traffic based on data collected in May 2007 by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications set total network usage at approximately 720 Gbit/s combined.
An independent press, an effective judiciary and a functioning democratic political system combine to ensure these rights.
A Reporters Without Borders survey concluded that media self-censorship has risen in response to legal changes and government criticism.
"[19][20] In February 2023, a proposal to introduce an Internet real-name system, similar to an existing one in China, was announced by Digital Minister Taro Kono.
In reality, it is composed of many different media, including but not limited to: web sites, email, messengers, newspapers, and file sharing services.
[22][24] Additionally, the movement's growth was negatively impacted by the arrest of multiple members due to the actions of a group referred to as Team Kansai [ja].
Furthermore, in-person performances by the group are primarily targeted towards online audiences, and have not directly resulted in major social movements.
Nonetheless, it is still possible that discourse emerging from the online Action Conservative Movement has led public opinion and government policies to further discriminate against minority groups.
In particular, teachers use social media to share information on number of hours worked and stories concerning consequences like death from overwork, discuss their own personal experiences, speak out against opposition and power figures who contribute to their issues, and report on the progress of movements towards better working conditions.
[25] Beyond serving as a tool to advocate for equal rights, the Internet has also helped to broaden previously small or isolated communities for minorities in Japan.
For example, the Internet allows more homosexual Japanese people to connect with each other in a safe and private online space away from public judgement.
Furthermore, it has helped homosexual people connect to Japanese gay culture and diversify representations of the group in media.
Adolescent internet addiction can have a number of negative effects, such as academic deterioration, social withdrawal, loneliness, and interpersonal conflict.
