Regulatory Reform for Job Creation and Industrial Competitiveness (Summary)
July 13, 1999 1. Health and Welfare Care
(1) Easing the regulations for nurseries (e.g., opening up nursery service to private corporations)
(2) Shortening the training period for welfare care personnel and simplifying the examination system
(3) Encouraging private-sector participation in the care sector
(4) Instituting greater flexibility on Private-Sector Special Homes for the aged and other care businesses
(5) Easing the regulations on hospital and medical care peripheral services
(6) Studying a care voucher system
2. Information Technology and Telecommunications
(1) Instituting Fixed-rate Tariffs for Internet Use and Lowering Charges for Dedicated Lines
(2) Encouraging the Creation of an ITS (Intelligent Transport System)
(3) Improving the super-fast telecommunications network
(4) Acceleration regulatory preparation for the Next Generation Cellular Phones System
(5) Readying the infrastructure for Electronic Commerce, etc. (e.g., introducing etronic verification system)
(6) Preventing internet crime
(7) Networking elementary and middle schools nationwide
(8) Networking the central and local governments (e.g., setting up to accept and process notifications, payments, and the like over the Internet)
(9) Reducing the government holdings of NTT DoCoMo stock
3. Promoting trading in real estate for effective use of scrapped plant sites (e.g., easing of city planning regulations)
4. Protecting the Environment
(1) Relaxing licensing to new entrants into recycling business
(2) Strengthening the regulations regarding waste disposal
(3) Promoting resource recycling and reuse
(4) Implementing model projects on waste disposal reduction, recycling and reuse
(5) Studying adoption of environmental accounting
5. Education and Science and Technology
(1) Enhancing the Community College System
(2) Improving the system of technician accreditation
(3) Developing Internet job market for researchers and research support personnel
6. Finance
(1) Facilitating debt-equity swaps (e.g., more explicit and flexible application of the 5% rule)
(2) Easing the regulations and improving the over-the-counter (OTC) markets
(3) Easing the regulations and promoting the corporate bond market
(4) Broadening the pension fund management options
(5) Promoting the use of cross-held stocks for corporate pension funding
(6) Adopting global accounting standards (e.g., studying explicit statement of hidden real estate profits/losses)
(7) Redefining small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
7. Promoting Private Finance Initiatives (PFIs)
8. Energy Policy
(1) Studying possible abolition of the Anti-Monopoly Laws exemption provision on natural monopolies as regards electric power and gas utilities
(2) Deregulation to Promote natural gas pipelines
9. Biotechnology
(1) Establishing national industrial technology strategy
(2) Strengthening coordination among the five ministries and agencies concerned
10. Easing the regulations on port and harbor transport operations and promoting Sunday and nighttime work
11. Promoting outsourcing of government's works (e.g. in the area of the prevention of illegal parking)