Home > Statistics > Japan Statistical Yearbook > Chapter 11 Information and Communication / Science and Technology > Explanations
Main contents start here
This chapter covers information and communication, patents, science and technology.
The section of information and communication contains statistics on postal services, radio stations, cable broadcasting facilities, information and communication services and related apparatus. Data are mainly derived from "Communications Usage Trend Survey" compiled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Census of Manufactures" (see "8 Mining and Manufacturing"), "Survey of Selected Service Industries" by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, statistics posted on the website by the Bank of Japan and "Telecom Data Book" by Telecommunications Carriers Association.
The section of patent contains statistics on the number of applications and registrations of patents, utility models, designs, trademarks, etc. The source of data is "Annual Report of the Patent Office" compiled by the said Office.
The section of science and technology contains statistics on research activities in business enterprises, non-profit institutions and public organizations, universities and colleges. The source of data is "Survey of Research and Development" by the Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Postal services in Japan are provided by Japan Post Service Co., Ltd. in accordance with the Postal Act. Data shown in this Yearbook are derived from "Annual Statistical Report on Postal Administration" compiled by the former Japan Post, in addition to the data compiled by Japan Post Service Co., Ltd.
The mails handled by Japan Post Service Co., Ltd. are composed of letter mail and parcel post. The letter mail consists of domestic and international, and the domestic mail is composed of special (i.e., registered, acceptance time recorded, delivery recorded) and ordinary ones. The ordinary letters and parcels are classified into four classes. The first class refers to sealed letters, postal letters, etc.; the second class, postcards; the third class, newspapers, magazines, etc. approved as such; and the fourth class, materials for correspondence courses, braille letters, seeds, scientific publications, etc. The parcel post consists of Yu-Pack for ordinary parcels and Yu-Mail for printed matter.
The Survey has been conducted by the Global ICT Strategy Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications every year since 1990, with a purpose to provide basic information needed for the formulation and evaluation of policies and measures on telecommunication through investigating actual utilization of ICT from the users' point of view and the status of networks in enterprises and their use of ICT. It is composed of the household survey the enterprise survey.
The household survey is conducted in January by the mailing method at the households (for 2011, 40,592 households) randomly chosen from those households whose head is 20 years old or over as of April 1 (from 2002 to 2004, as of March 1) of the survey year.
The enterprise survey is conducted in January by the mail survey method at 5,140 enterprises randomly chosen from the enterprises with 100 or more employees (excluding A - Agriculture and forestry, B - Fisheries, C - Mining and quarrying stone and gravel, S - Government, except elsewhere classified).
Radio stations refer to the wireless telegraphs, wireless telephones and other electric facilities for transmitting and receiving radio waves together with the persons who operate these facilities. Radio stations are widely used in many fields from public broadcasting and communication closely related to the people's living, to the space development. The establishment of a radio station requires the authorization of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications in conformity with the Wireless Telegraphy Act, and the statistics shown in this Yearbook are based on this authorization.
The installation of private or self-managed equipment for cable electric communications is required a notification or authorization under the provisions of the Cable Electric Communication Act with the exception of facilities belonging to the police or the fire protection authorities. Statistics presented in this Yearbook are based on these notifications or authorizations. The cable electric communication facilities include commonly-used telephones and facsimiles in addition to facilities for cable television broadcasting and cable radio broadcasting.
This broadcasting was originally widespread in remote rural areas as joint facilities for receiving television broadcasting. It is utilized now as a means for eliminating defective reception caused by high buildings in urban areas and also for local broadcasting which provides information and other programmes closely related to the local community.
This service was initiated for the purpose of joint listening to radio broadcasting. Now it is utilized for various uses: conveying community information in rural villages, sending music to restaurants, advertising on the street, etc.
They provide cable broadcasting services and telephone services concurrently by means of cable radio broadcasting facilities. The system is an important communication medium in rural villages and requires the authorization of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications.
The survey has been conducted every year by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to clarify the actual situation of the service sector in Japan since 1973.
The survey was initiated as "1973 Survey on Selected Services". The target service industries were split into two categories, those to be surveyed every year (goods rental and leasing, information services and advertising) and those to be surveyed in rotation (knowledge-related industries, leisure-related industries and pollution-related industries). In 1979, the name of the survey was changed to the present name, and the target service industries have been extended to meet the policy need since then.
From 1991 to 1999, The target service industries were split into three categories; <1> those to be surveyed every year; <2> periodically surveyed industries (9 industry groups by 3-year interval); <3> selectively surveyed industries (one or two industry groups every year). From 2000, the upper industry group "business-related services" was changed into "business support industries", and "personal services" was split into "entertainment-related industries" and "culture and living-related industries", and each group of industries was surveyed every 3 years, in general.
In 2006, the sampling frame was changed from the list of business associations to the list of establishments and enterprises, and the target service industries was set as 7 selected minor groups under the divisions H - Information and communications, K - Finance and insurance, O - Education, learning support, Q - Services, n.e.c. of Japan Standard Industrial Classification (Rev. 11). Four industry groups were added in 2007, 10 industry groups were added in 2008, and 7 industry groups added in 2009, and so, 28 industry groups are surveyed currently.
Data are based on "Annual Report of the Patent Office" which is compiled every year by the said Office with respect to the measures for patent administration.
Industrial property right is a general term for the right to patents, utility models, designs and trademarks, by which exclusive use of an invention, utility model, design or trademark registered through the prescribed application procedure is admitted for a specified period of time. The duration of the right is at most 20 years for patents, and at most 10 years for utility models, at most 20 years for designs, and 10 years in general for trademarks.
This survey has been conducted every year since 1953 by the Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, with an aim to clarify research activities on science and technology in Japan. It started under the name "Basic Statistical Survey of Research Institutions", and was renamed as "Survey of Research and Development" with the expansion of the survey in 1960. After partial modifications, the survey was revised considerably in 2002 regarding industrial scope, sampling design and survey items in order to cope with the changing environment of research activities such as the advancement of research and development in non-manufacturing industries and the internationalization of research activities in private companies.
The survey covers companies (including special corporations and incorporated administrative agencies) with a capital of 10 million yen or more (since the 1995 survey) engaged in industries other than specified industries, as well as non-profit institutions and public organizations, universities and colleges. Business enterprises are chosen by a sampling method and other institutions are surveyed by a complete enumeration. The survey is conducted annually as of March 31 (up to 1995, as of April 1). The reference period for financial items such as sales receipts, expenditure on research and development, etc. is the business year ending not later than March 31 (up to 1995, April 1). Questionnaires are sent by mail and the reply may be sent back either by mail or through the Internet.
