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30,000 new Wi-Fi spots planned in public spaces in Japan
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Shopping street of departure terminal at Haneda International airport in Tokyo, Japan, on March 4, 2016. The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry plans to install free Wi-Fi hotspots in about 30,000 locations across the nation by 2020, including public schools, parks run by municipalities and museums. (Shutterstock.com/Sean K)
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he Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry plans to install free Wi-Fi hotspots in about 30,000 locations across the nation by 2020, including public schools, parks run by municipalities and museums, it has been learned.
According to informed sources, the ministry aims to use the free internet access for tourism and educational activities in daily life, and to provide evacuation information and confirm people’s safety in case of a disaster.
The ministry plans to spend about ¥10 billion over three years from fiscal 2017 to make an intensive investment in the free public wireless LAN service project, the sources said.
Free Wi-Fi hotspots will be set up at facilities designated as evacuation areas in case of disaster, such as elementary, junior high and high schools, municipal government office buildings and parks. The free Wi-Fi service will also be available at public museums and cultural assets such as historical ruins, according to the sources.
If many people use mobile networks at the same time during a disaster or for other reasons, it causes heavy traffic on the networks provided by cell phone carriers, making it difficult to connect to a network.
Wi-Fi services can provide stable internet access. It proved to be effective in confirming people’s safety at evacuation centers and other purposes in the wake of the Kumamoto Earthquake in April.
(Read also: Database eyed to boost services for tourists in Japan)
By setting up Wi-Fi access in schools, parks and other places, the ministry also plans to promote the use of the internet in daily life, such as enabling teachers to conduct classes using tablet devices and allowing tourists to search for information, the sources said.
As a measure to deal with disasters and the increase in foreign tourists, which is expected to rise ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, the ministry will compile a Wi-Fi installation plan and announce it shortly, the sources said. The ministry earmarked ¥3.2 billion in the fiscal 2017 budget, about 10 times as much compared with fiscal 2016, to accelerate the dissemination of the Wi-Fi service under the initiative of the government.
The ministry has so far promoted the installation of Wi-Fi services by providing subsidies to municipalities at their request. There were about 14,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the nation as of October, including those installed by municipalities and companies on their own.
Under the Wi-Fi service the ministry plans to introduce, users will be required to register their email address and other information to access the internet. To prevent communication content from being hacked, the ministry will enhance cybersecurity measures such as data encryption, the sources said
This article appeared on The Japan News newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
