After the approval of the proposal on “Details of
Activity Plan for FY 2005” at the Planning Committee, ECOM started
to seek WG participants on May 16. The deadline was May 27, but
applications will still be accepted on an interim basis even after
WGs were determined. Board members and Special members can choose as
many WGs as they would like to participate, and regular A members
can join up to three WGs.
We have been accepting proposals from ECOM members on new themes for
activities (until June 10). Your active participation and proposals
would be very welcome.
The outline of the Activity Plan approved at the Planning Committee
is presented below. (WGs marked “*”does not invite participants
because of the nature of their activities.  Page
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| 1. Special Committee on RFID Tags and Traceability |
The individual WGs under this Special Committee aim to examine the
uses of RFID tags in order to comply with international standards
(ISO / IEC) and spread RFID tags across the industry. WGs promote
identification of issues and examination of solutions by clarifying
the areas for the application of RFID tags.
1-1. RFID Tags/Traceability WG
The purpose of this working group is to encourage the use of RFID
tags in product lifecycles, including the three R’s (reduce, reuse,
recycle). The group aims to identify issues with the practical use
of RFID tags by companies and industries and to find solutions,
based on the results of the RFID tag demonstration experiments
carried out in 2004 by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
and the RFID tag demonstration experiments to be carried out in 2005
by the METI.
1-2. FY 2005 RFID Tag Demonstration Experiment Liaison Meeting *
The purpose of this meeting is to analyze the issues of seven RFID
tag demonstration experiment projects that were carried out in FY
2004 by the METI, and to propose solutions for the FY 2005 RFID tag
demonstration experiment projects by the METI.
1-3. Workshop on FY 2004 RFID Tag Demonstration Experiment
The purpose of this workshop is to make a series of announcements to
spread knowledge about the trends relating to RFID tags, such as the
results and problems of the RFID tag demonstration experiments (7
projects), the Hibiki Project, and the infrastructure development
activity for information sharing between companies, all of which
were carried out in FY 2004 by the METI, and also trends in
international standardization.
1-4. Diffusion Promotion / Social Acceptability Studies WG
This working group aims to conduct studies to produce an
introductory guidebook as a reference for companies thinking of
introducing RFID tags, to identify impediments to the spread of tags
related to problems with consumer privacy before the full-scale
spread of RFID tags starts, and to study the technological and
institutional measures that can be taken to eliminate or reduce
constraints. In addition, the WG will prepare an introductory
guidebook for companies, hold seminars and other similar events, and
develop educational activities to help consumers understand RFID
tags. By conducting these two types of activities, the WG will make
efforts to promote the spread of RFID tags and increase their social
acceptability.
1-5. International RFID Tag Utilization Promotion WG
This working group aims to examine dictionaries of shared
information stored in RFID tags and support the international
standardization of the technology relating to RFID tags.
1-6. International Traceability Joint Research WG
This working group aims to examine the possibility of using RFID
tags for facilitating trade between Japan and ASEAN member
countries.
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| 2. EC Safety & Security Group |
2-1. ADR Pilot Project (Internet Shopping Dispute Resolution
Office)*
As this is the final year of the three-year series demonstration
experiments that started in FY 2003, this project aims to summarize
the results.
Proposals will be made, based on the results of past experiments, on
the improvements in the environment that will be necessary to
increase the credibility of the B2C and C2C electronic commerce
markets, mainly from the viewpoint of dispute resolution and
prevention.
2-2. Guidelines (Legal System) Study WG*
This working group aims to support the revision of the “Guidelines
concerning Electronic Commerce” and to prepare a new version for FY
2005. The guidelines have been revised every year since they were
formulated in 2002 by the Industrial Structure Council (Subcommittee
for Rule Development, Information Economy Sectional Committee) of
the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
2-3. Personal Information Protection WG
This working group conducts and promotes educational activities
related to the protection of personal information for EC operators
and EC users.
2-4. Security WG
Within the Security WG, the “Electronic Signature Authentication SWG”
and the “Long-Term Signature Storage Format Diffusion SWG” were
newly established to examine the utilization of electronic
signatures. In addition, the “Information Security Meeting”, which
was active in FY 2004, is to continue.
2-4-1. Electronic Signature Authentication SWG (the first SWG
meeting is to be held on June 22, Wednesday, 2005)
This SWG aims to prepare guidelines for the use of electronic
signatures and make proposals for implementing electronic signatures
by examining the diverse uses of electronic signatures, such as
ready-made PKIs, by analyzing the electronic signature policies set
to be adopted for electronic commerce in each industry, the cases in
which electronic signatures should be used, and the like.
2-4-2. Long-Term Signature Storage Format Diffusion SWG (the first
SWG meeting is to be held on June 22, Wednesday, 2005)
This SWG aims to formulate profile regulations for RFC3126 (an IETF
standard) and signature formats for ETSI (European
Telecommunications Standards Institute), and to summarize the
requirements for the storage and management of these format
documents, and test the requirements based on this profile. In fall
2005, the SWG will test the interoperability of products based on
these test specifications and will announce the products which
passed the test.
2-4-3. Information Security SWG
The purpose of this meeting is to conduct free discussions on
information security: the key issues to be solved in the future,
matters that have not been deliberated, noteworthy technological
results, expectations, and the like.
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3-1. IT Utilization WG
This working group aims to reveal the current status of EC and
understand the latest trends in B2B EC.
3-2. e-Government & Business Collaboration WG
This working group aims to verify the effects of e-governments
overseas, the release of e-government resources to the private
sector, and the e-government functions that are needed for
international business development in Asia.
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| 4. Technological Infrastructure Development Group |
4-1. Information Sharing Technology Promotion WG (Next Generation
EDI Promotion WG)
The purpose of this working group is to achieve information sharing
between companies, in Japan and overseas, especially in Asian
countries, and aims to establish agreements on the information to be
shared between industries and prepare registries and repositories so
that this information can be referenced by all parties, based on a
unified method conforming to ebXML, an international standard
formulated by UN/CEFACT, a specialized agency related to the United
Nations.Page
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| 5. International Relations Group |
5-1. Overseas EC Trend Survey WG
This working group aims to understand the current status of EC
development in each country based on a survey on overseas EC trends.Page
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| 6. Public Relations Group |
This working group aims to publicize widely the details and results
of the Council’s activities both in Japan and abroad by operating a
portal website for EC, RFID tags, and traceability as well as
achievements made by the former ECOM, by holding ECOM forums,
monthly ECOM seminars and special executive seminars, and by
publishing public relations magazines and the like.
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| 7. JIPDEC / ECPC Activities |
STEP and e-engineering-related activities start to be carried out as
the project of the JIPDEC / ECPC (Japan Information Processing
Development Corporation / Electronic Commerce Promotion Center) for
FY 2005. However, ECOM still asks for ECOM members’ participation in
working groups and other activities since these activities had been
carried out by ECOM until FY 2004.
7-1. Collaborative Engineering WG
This working group is related to digital engineering at the core of
the IT infrastructure for collaborative engineering, and aims to
propose the major themes that should be addressed to promote intra-
and inter-company development, and to examine ways of
“representation for design attributes,” one of the possible themes,
and make specific proposals on the future approach.
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 |
“ECOM Forum 2005” Announced
- A Meeting to Present the Achievements of ECOM’s Activities in FY
2004 - |
 |
The “ECOM Forum 2005” will be held for your
understanding of the results of ECOM’s activities in FY 2004 as well
as the activity policy for FY 2005.
In the morning, keynote speeches will be made by Mr. Yoichi Kato,
Director of the Information Economy Division of the Commerce and
Information Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and
Industry, and Mr. Junzo Nakajima, Corporate Officer, COO of the
Information & Telecommunication Systems, Hitachi, Ltd. In the
afternoon, there will be reports on the results of ECOM’s activities
in FY 2004 by research directors. An information exchange session
for participants will be held after the lectures.
In a special program, photos of the seven RFID tag demonstration
experiment projects in FY 2004 by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and
Industry will be displayed. Also, at the area of “ ECOM Member
Companies’ Products Showcase,” corporate brochures will be available
to participants and a variety of ECOM activity reports will be
distributed free of charge.
If you are interested in the latest trends in the electronic
commerce environment, please do take the chance to actively
participate in this forum.
Date: June 9 (Thursday), 2005
Place: Cosmos Hall, Nihon Toshi Center Hotel (2-4-1,
Hirakawa-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
Participation fee:
ECOM members for FY 2004 and 2005 ...... Free
ECOM associate members for FY 2004 ...... 18,000 yen
General participants ...... 20,000 yen
Maximum number of participants: 500 people
Entry: Please register at the application site (http://www.procom-i.jp/ECOM2005/).
Entry deadline: June 8 (Wednesday), 2005 (Applications will be
processed on a first come, first served basis.)
Schedule of the Program
For details, please refer to the application site (http://www.procom-i.jp/ECOM2005/).
|
Host Speech |
|
10:00~10:10 |
Yukiharu Kodama, Adviser of the Next Generation Electronic
Commerce Promotion Council of Japan / President of the Japan
Information Processing Development Corporation |
|
Keynote Speeches |
| 10:10~11:00 |
The Strategy for RFID Tags Diffusion for Structural
Reform of Industries and Evaluation on Demonstration Experiments
Mr. Yoichi Kato, Director of the Information Economy Division of the
Commerce and Information Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry |
| 11:00~12:00 |
T Innovation in the Ubiquitous Information Society:
Link, Expand and Change by 2010
Mr. Junzo Nakajima, Corporate Officer, COO of Information &
Telecommunication Systems, Hitachi, Ltd. |
| Conference Room A |
|
Conference Room B |
| The Latest Trends and Topics in B2B EC |
13:30~14:15 |
How to Promote the Use of e-Government in
Business |
| The Utilization of RFID Tags and Future ECOM Activities
|
14:15~15:00 |
Attribute
Authentication and Protection of Personal Information |
| Coffee break |
15:00~15:20 |
Coffee break |
| Information Sharing Technologies to Support Product Traceability (ebXML) |
15:20~16:05 |
The Personal
Information Protection Act and the Response by Companies Handling
Personal Information |
| Report on a Survey on the Applicability of IC Tags (RFID) in ASEAN
Countries |
16:05~16:50 |
The Roles of
Private ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) in the EC Market / The
Examples of cases handled by the “Internet Shopping Dispute
Resolution Office” |
|
5F Orion |
|
17:00~19:00 |
Information Exchange Session |
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|
Summary of Lectures at the “First ECOM Seminar 2005”
- Problems with the Law Concerning e-Documents, the Long-Term
Storage of Electronic Documents, and the Law Concerning e-Signatures
- |
|
The first monthly meeting of the “ECOM Seminar 2005”
was held on May 17 (Tuesday), 2005, at the Nippon-Seinenkan Hotel
(Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo) under the above theme. Approximately 200
people, both ECOM members and general participants, joined the
seminar.
At the beginning of the first ECOM Seminar of this year, Mr. Shoji
Takedahara, Director of the Next Generation Electronic Commerce
Promotion Council of Japan (ECOM), gave a speech as host, and Mr.
Tomohito Ihara, Assistant Director of the Information Economy
Division of Commerce and Information Policy Bureau at the Ministry
of Economy, Trade and Industry, delivered a guest speech. Three
lecturers discussed the outline of the Law concerning e-Documents
(effective from April 1, 2005) and the Law concerning e-Signatures
(Law No.102, year 2000), the problems with the long-time storage of
electronic documents and electronic signature documents, and the
technological and operational solutions to these problems. Following
the lectures, the lecturers held a panel discussion in which
participants asked questions and panelists responded. A summary of
the lectures and the panel discussion is presented below.Page
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Lecture 1:
“Problems with the Law concerning e-Documents and the Law
concerning e-Signatures”Mr. Tsuneharu Yonemaru
Professor, Graduate School of Law, Kobe
University |
[The increase in electronically signed documents]It is predicted that the number of electronically signed documents
(documents with electronic signatures attached) will increase in the
wake of the Law concerning e-Documents (the Law Concerning the Use
of Information and Communication Technology for the Storage of
Documents by Private Companies and Other Similar Purposes).
[The role of electronic signatures and time stamps]
The authenticity of electronic documents can be verified by using
both electronic signatures and time stamps. Three features to be
verified with e-documents are identity (who committed the document),
no falsification (what), and a time of document existence (when).
Electronic signatures prove the identity and no falsification;
while, time stamps prove the time of document existence and no
falsification. The repeated use of time stamps makes it possible to
verify electronic documents over the long term.
[The establishment of the Law concerning e-Documents]
Before the Law concerning e-Documents was established, only paper
documents were accepted as evidence. On the other hand, private
companies had problems including huge storage costs just for tax
documents, and the failure to computerize in-house documents and
existing paper documents. The Law concerning e-Documents and the Law
for the Development of e-Documents were established in December
2004, as legal systems for solving these problems.
[Summary of the Law Concerning e-Documents]
The Law concerning e-Documents can be summarized as follows: Article
3-1 permits electronic storage ? approval of (1) the electronic
storage of electronic documents that were originally electronically
prepared and (2) the electronic storage of computerized documents,
that is, information computerized by scanning paper documents.
Article 4-1 approves electronic formulations. Article 5-1 permits
electronic inspections, and the like. Article 6-1 permits electronic
issuance, and Articles 3-2, 4-2, 5-2 and 6-2 lay down the deemed
application of ordinance (regulations for applying penalties and
storage periods).
[Electronic storage of national tax-related documents]
Together with the establishment of the Law concerning e-Documents,
the Electronic Ledger Storage Law was revised to permit the
electronic storage of documents received from third parties as well
as documents prepared within a company. The Enforcement Regulations
of the Law were also revised (Article 3-5 was inserted).
[Standards and responsibilities related to the Law concerning
e-Documents]
The Law concerning e-Documents only lays down the principles
relating to the electronic storage, formulation and use of
documents, and the actual responsibility for storing of documents
lies with companies.
[Problems with the Law concerning e-Signatures]
The Law concerning Electronic Signatures and Certification Services
(hereinafter called “the Law concclass="" erning e-Signatures”) in Japan does
not have any regulations for verifying electronically signed
documents in the long term, because it focuses on securing safety at
the time of signing, and the acceptability of electronically signed
documents as evidence in a court. As a result, the verification of
electronically signed documents in the long term depends on the
decisions of independent corporations and the efforts of
certification authorities. In contrast, the Law Concerning
e-Signatures and the new Ordinance on Electronic Signatures in
Germany attach importance to making sure electronically signed
documents can be verified in the long term.
[Conclusion]
The preservation of value of evidence from a legal point of view
depends on the spread of hardware and software that can store
electronic documents for a long period of time. There is a need to
have a broad grasp of the information and examine and develop
systems for storing electronic documents that will function as
evidence in the future.
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Lecture 2:
“The Long-Term Storage of Electronic Documents and
Solutions to the Problems”Mr. Michihiro Kimura
Chief, Architecture Strategies NEC Corporation |
[Properties of electronic documents]
Electronic documents have the properties that they are neither
physical objects nor unique, and that information stored in them
does not degrade.[Impediments to the long-term storage of electronic documents]
The impediments to long-term storage include the fact that media and
devices degrade, that signature algorithms are compromised, and
economic principles (such as incompatibility between hardware and
software).
[Ways to deal with media and devices degrading]
Users need to choose highly reliable media and migrate every 3-10
years in line with advances in technology. Criteria should be
established for identifying clearly which media are appropriate for
long-term storage.
[Ways to extend the validity of signatures]
Evidence should be collected and stored before its validity expires.
Time stamps can prove the existence and completeness of the
evidences.
[Ways to maintain compatibility]
Documents that need to be stored for a long period of time should be
stored in a format that is suitable for long-term storage from the
start.
[Immediate problems]
For the operation of the long-term storage of the e-documents in the
reality, it becomes necessary to optimize the cost for long-term
storage, maintain signature verification tools, and shift from the
existing systems. Document and record management policies and
processes for managing these should be formulated.
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Lecture 3:
“Requirements for the Long-Term Storage of Electronic
Signature Documents Based on Long-Term Signature Formats”Mr. Kazuya Miyazaki
Information Technology R&D Center, Mitsubishi
Electric Corporation |
[Public key cryptography]
Public key cryptography, which uses a pair of different keys for
encryption and decryption (a secret key and a public key), is used
for electronic signatures and time stamps.[Digital signatures]
Signers append signatures to electronic documents using a signature
generation applications on their personal computers. Using signature
verification applications, the verifiers confirm the validity of the
public key certificates and verify the values of the signatures by
comparing them with the electronic signature documents they have
received. Public key certificates prove the identity of holders of
public keys. If a public key certificate is confirmed, this confirms
the period of validity and the expiration status of the certificate.
[Limitations on digital signatures and re-verifying signatures]
Digital signatures can not remain valid for a long period of time
for the following reasons: the signature time generated by time
function of the PC cannot be trusted; public key certificates have
expiration dates; public key certificates may lose their effect; and
the cryptographic algorithm which forms the basis of the digital
signature may be deciphered. In addition, it is impossible to tell
even whether digital signatures were valid at a given point in the
past. The important point is finding a way to confirm the validity
of digital signatures at a given point in the past (verify
signatures again).
[Requirements for reverification]
The requirements for reverifying a signature are the ability to
determine the time when the signature existed, clarifying the
evidence necessary for re-verification, and storing it in a
condition where it is possible to confirm that the evidence is
complete.
[Formats for long-term signature standards]
To make it possible to reverify signatures over a long term, time
stamps, certificates used for the verification of signatures, and
information on the expiration of certificates should be attached as
evidence to the format for long-term signature standard. In
addition, to make it possible to verify the validity of signatures
when they are signed even if private keys for signing long-time
records have been compromised, it will be necessary to attach time
stamps to whole formats.
[Creating long-term signatures]
Signature time stamps can be attached to guarantee the time of
existence of signatures. Archive stamps can also be recorded to
guarantee that the whole document has not been falsified. Archive
time stamps can then be recorded again before their validity
expires.
[Distinctive features]
The signatures are characterized by capabilities of third parties’
verification and takeover of their extension processing, and
encapsulation by using the latest signature technology.
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Panel Discussion:
“The Requirements for Increasing the Use of
Document Storage and Problems with the Law concerning e-Signatures”Coordinator: Mr. Kimura, lecturer
Panelist: Mr. Yonemaru and Mr. Miyazaki, lecturers |
[Technological issues]
Issues:
(1) The unexpected revocation of CAs (Certification
Authorities) and TSAs (Time Stamp Authorities), (2) cryptographic
technologies being compromised, and (3) the complete forgery of CAs
and TSAs
Solutions:
The issues of (1) and (2) can be dealt with to some
extent by repeated use of time stamps. To deal with the issue (3),
certificates must be stored persistently, and official announcements
made to the public by reliable institutions
Case study:
under the Law Concerning e-Signatures in Germany, if
some CAs and TSAs are abolished, other CAs and TSAs are obliged to
take over their data. In the end, the German government will take
charge of the data to ensure that verification is possible for as
long as thirty years. In Japan, it is important that similar systems
are established to make sure long-term verification is possible.
[The provability of electronic documents]
Issues:
Questioning the provability of electronic documents in the
case of (1) Certificates are expired, (2) Certificates issued by
certification authorities which are not designated, (3) the lack of
time stamps, (4) the lack of electronic signatures, and (5)
algorithms are compromised.
Solutions:
(1) It is necessary to confirm properly that signatures have been
recorded within the period of validity of their certificates.
However, signatures that are recorded after the expiration of
validity may be considered effective in the courts of law if the
related parties do not contest the issue.
(2) Safe signature technologies and operations are accepted as
evidence if designated certification authorities are involved. Free
signature software based on ready-made PKIs is accepted as evidence
for other certification authorities. The latter may be admitted by a
court of law if the related parties do not contest the issue, but
may be denied if it is contested. In general, it is better to adopt
the safest signatures for its future use.
(3) It is desirable that the parties signing and sending electronic
documents affix time stamps, as well as the parties receiving and
storing. It is necessary to provide the legal basis for time stamps
at an early date. However, if there are storage-time log files in
document storage systems, then even without stamps, electronic
documents can be treated as evidence to some extent.
(4) Electronic documents without electronic signatures may be used
as evidence if the related parties do not contest the issue in a
court of law.
(5) If the algorithm is compromised, electronic documents may be
used as evidence, depending on whether the documents are reliable.
[Making sure that data is authentic in electronic commerce]
Issues:
The advantages and disadvantages of the two methods for
securing the authenticity of data through EDI-based exchange to
fulfill the obligation under Electronic Ledger Storage Law which was
reviewed on January 31: (1) the method to secure the authenticity of
data by using electronic signatures and time stamps and (2) the
method to secure the authenticity of data by using the overall
system.
Solutions:
The second method is the conventional one, which was used
before the first method was brought in. If these systems are in use,
any cases of fraud or falsification can be proved, but if they are
not used, they cannot. The first method will be safer in the future.
[Converting document format]
Issues:
The provability of documents if the format is converted
Case study:
In Germany, the ordinance stipulates that information to
prove the authenticity of the original documents must be carried
over when the format is converted. It will be desirable to consider
establishment of similar legal standards in Japan.
[Unexpected problems]
Issues:
preparing for unexpected problems
Solutions:
There is a need to set up publicity systems through which
reliable institutions can release information on safety periods.
ECOM:
ECOM has started activities to implement on the
interoperability test on products in long-term signature format. A
list of products which pass the interoperability test will be
announced this fall (press release on May 13).
Case study:
In Germany, safe signature algorithms and hash functions
are made public and are displayed and recommended in official
gazettes every year.
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|
Activity Reports for FY 2004 Released Now! |
|
|
On May 23, 2005, ECOM released complete activity reports for FY
2004 on its website for members (old website:
http://kaiin.ecom.jp/).
Look out for future reports, which will be presented there as they
are produced. (*The website for the members of the Next Generation
Electronic Commerce Promotion Council of Japan is now under
construction. An announcement will be made as soon as it is
completed.)
| Area |
Title of Report |
| XML / EDI Promotion |
Diffusion Internet EDI Design/ Introduction
Guide for Enterprises including Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
|
| EC / IT Utilization |
Survey and Research Report on EC / IT
Utilization |
| e-Engineering |
Proposals on Japanese-Style Collaborative Engineering |
| Electronic Authentication |
Guidelines for the Long-Term Storage and
Visual Readability of Electronic Documents |
| Attribute Authentication Handbook |
| Examination into Attribute Information Providers: Infrastructure for
Using Attribute Information for Privacy Protection |
| Network Security |
Survey and Research Report on Security Problems
Caused by the Development of the Network in Daily Life |
| Survey on the Current Status of the Use of the Mobile Internet:
Energetic Mobile EC and the Expectation of Better Living Standards |
| e-Government / Business Collaboration |
The Ideal e-Government from
the Viewpoint of Business Collaboration |
| Protection of Personal Information |
Activity Report on Protecting
Personal Information in EC |
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|
ECOM Press Release |
| ECOM Starts the activity to implement
Interoperability Tests on Products in Long-Term Digital Signature
Format
- A List of Products that Passed the Interoperability Test Will Be
Released This Fall -
Details:
http://www.ecom.jp/press/2005_002.html
Summary: ECOM’s “Long-term Signature Storage Format Diffusion SWG”
will formulate profile regulations for RFC3126 (the IETF standard)
and the e-signature formats of the ETSI (European Telecommunications
Standards Institute), and summarize the requirements for storing and
managing these format documents and interoperability test
requirements based on this profile. This fall, the SWG will test the
interoperability of products using these test requirements, and will
also announce products accepted on the tests via the ECOM website
(http://www.ecom.jp/).
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|
|
Press Releases and Events by the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry |
 The Establishment of “AntiPhishing Japan”
Details:
http://www.meti.go.jp/press/20050428010/20050428010.html
Outline: “AntiPhishing Japan” was established on April 28, 2005, to
respond to “phishing” which is also known as the Internet scam along
with “billing fraud” in Japan. At the inaugural general meeting, the
details of the organization’s activities, rules for information
handling and similar issues were examined, and it was decided that a
website exclusive to antiphishing (http://www.antiphishing.jp) would
be established to provide information and call for the public
attention. The Japan Information Processing Development Corporation
(JIPDEC) serves as the secretariat for this organization.
Briefing on METI’s Invitation for Public Participation in the “RFID
Tag Demonstration Experiment Project for FY 2005” Held
Details:
http://www.meti.go.jp/information/data/c50513aj.html
Date: May 18 (Wednesday), 2005
Place: Hall on the second floor in the basement, Kikai Shinko Kaikan
Building (3-5-8, Shibakoen, Minato-ku)
Outline: Following its activities in FY 2004, the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry will carry out demonstration experiments
to promote RFID tag systems. A meeting was held to explain the basic
ideas of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on RFID tag
policies and recruitment members of the public for demonstration
experiments for FY 2005.
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|
|
From the Secretary-General |
|
|
 Since
this February, I have visited the flower-viewing spots around
Tokyo and have enjoyed seeing the cherry blossoms, rape
blossoms, Japanese wisteria, dogwood blossoms, and azaleas.
Following the change of the season, I can still see flowers like
Japanese irises and hydrangeas, to relax and get away from the
bustle of daily life.
We
have started to seek WG members for FY 2005 based on
deliberations at the Planning Committee. The WGs constitute the
foundation of all ECOM’s activities. Your strong support would
be most appreciated.
ECOM
Director Takedahara and I participated in the “Korea-China-Japan
RFID Traceability Forum 2005” (hosted by the Korean Ministry of
Commerce, Industry and Energy and the Korea CALS/EC Association
(KCALS)), which was held in South Korea at the end of May. On
the day, more than 350 people participated in the forum, and we
became keenly aware that RFID and traceability are also the
themes “of the moment” in South Korea. Individual presentations
by the research directors of ECOM (Matsumoto, Higashino and
Takemoto) generated plenty of interest in the audience, and will
most probably contribute to future cooperation with South Korea
and China in these areas.
Mr.
Tomohito Ihara, the Assistant Director of the Information
Economy Division of the Commerce and Information Policy Bureau
at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will leave the
Ministry on the last day of June. I have been working with him
since 1995, and have many memories of him, but I remember him
most for our collaboration in establishing the two ECOMs. I
really appreciate his past support and wish him success in the
future. Thank you very much. (Hamanaka)
|
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|
|
ECOM News No. 2
Issue Date: May 31, 2005
Issuer: Next Generation Electronic Commerce Promotion Council of Japan
Kikai Shinko Kaikan Bldg 3F
3-5-8, Shibakoen, Minato-ku Tokyo 105-0011, Japan
Tel: +81-3-3436-7500, Fax: +81-3-3436-7570
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