2. Current efforts of local governments relating to promotion of regional information networks
The Ministry of Home Affairs conducts an annual survey of plans and policies relating to regional development of information networks in order to grasp the situation concerning regional information plans decided by local governments and the progress of projects and activities for their implementation.
According to this research, the current situation as of April 1, 1997 is as follows.
Definitions of systems and media involved in this survey are given in Data 1.
(1) Situation concerning regional information plans
An "information plan" is a plan which contains concrete policies for systematic and comprehensive development of regional information networks by local governments. Tables 1 and 2 show the results of research concerning these plans, arranged in chronological order and according to type.
Plans are classified into three types:
a) plans which are individually made by local governments
b) plans which are part of other basic plans, and
c) plans which are based on the plans of the national government.
If a local government has more than one plan, provided that at least one of the plans has already been made at the time of the survey it is counted as having made a plan.
1) Number of local governments which have made plans according to category
The number of local governments which have made plans is shown as follows.