8/20/2007

Japan to pursue new Internet technology
The Japan Times, Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007—BRASILIA: Communications minister Yoshihide Suga said Japan will start researching and developing technology for a new generation of network to replace the Internet. The government would like to get the technology into commercial use by 2020, Suga said Friday in Brazil. He said an organization will be established as early as this fall…more...

Japan Inc. failed at this looooong ago in the 80s and early 90s with their “CAPTAIN System” (Character and Pattern Telephone Access Information System) at the same time the Internet was catching on in the real world. The CAPTAIN system is a VIDEOTEX system using existing telephone lines are used for transmission and home TV sets are used for the display units. This “walled garden”—closed set of information services for creating a monopoly—was 100% government controlled, expensive, and unneeded since the Internet was already making its mark.

The only reason why Japan has cheap and high-speed broadband now is that NTT made it defacto impossible to get affordable Internet until the 1996 and Korea’s advances shamed Japan into opening up. The whole purpose of an open Internet: freedom, anonymity, equality of ideal, independence, and creativity goes against Japanese love of elites and top down control. The new Japanese “Internet” will be just like it keitai web for cellphones: expensive, closed, corporate controlled, DRM locked down, and statist approach with two or three times the monthly service charge. Bah.