And the Industry Structure Research Committee, an advisory group for the Ministry of International Trade & Industry has published a report on the Japanese telecommunications industry which recommends further deregulation of the market, but no break-up for Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp: the committee argues the Japanese industry should nurture NTT’s competitors first, rather than taking an axe to NTT, and suggests the removal of obstacles to competition, including upper and lower limits on telephone charges, strict registration procedures for those wanting to start in business, restrictions on connecting telephone lines to those of NTT, regulations on leasing television cables or telephone lines to third parties, and the separation of domestic and international telecommunications; the report also says that long distance telephone rates could be reduced 73% by 2001; the Ministry of Posts & Telecommunications is deeply disappointed by the report, insisting that the current level of regulation is essential and that NTT should be split up to create more competition in the market – but then the Postal ministry is usually out of step with most other government departments.
