Jiji Press, January 15, 2004

ACCJ, EBC Call for Fair Competition in Telecom Biz.

Tokyo, Jan. 15 (Jiji Press) - The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan and　the European Business Community on Thursday called for the Japanese government to check any anticompetitive practices in the telecommunications business.

In their joint comment submitted to the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications concerning ministerial ordinances of the Telecommunications Business Law, the two trade bodies said the ordinances must give the ministry "the power to actively enforce and monitor the designation of services needed to prevent anticompetitive activity by the dominant provider," Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp.

"The EBC and the ACCJ feel that Japan has the potential to become the most competitive and innovative telecommunications market in the world, providing the best value to consumers and businesses for both traditional and innovative services," they said.

"Implementing the revised Telecommunications Business Law, through the related ministerial ordinances, will play a crucial role in this transformation," they said.

The ACCJ and EBC urged the ministry to pay particular attention to "ensure against anticompetitive practices in the pricing and provision of access circuits including fiber provided by NTT to competing telecommunication carriers. "