Public policy for telecommunications and broadcasting: Japan and Germany in contrast

This chapter shows some of the contrasts existing between Germany and Japan in public policy in order to find some hints for such Japanese policies. Public Policy for Telecommunications and Broadcasting, consists of four parts: liberalization of the telecommunications market, dual system of broadcasting, environment for regulation making and perspectives for convergence. In 1995, a partial privatization of the utility was achieved by reorganizing the Deutsche Bundespost Telekom into the Deutsche Telekom AG as a private company, and in 1998 Germany underwent full liberalization of the telecommunications market. A dual system of broadcasting was realized in Japan also in one go in 1953, as for the full liberalization of the telecommunication market in 1985. In contrast to the dual system in Germany, private broadcasters in Japan also have to fulfill universal service provision. The competence for telecommunications policy on the one hand and broadcasting policy on the other was integrated into the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications in Japan.