1. NAME OF NATION: JAPAN
  1. Name of Respondent Supplying Information: Akihiro Yamaura

    2. Title (if any): Japanese Citizen
    Mailing Address: c/- Mitsubishi Corporation 2-3-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo,Japan
    E-mail Address: yamaura@tk.mitsubishi.co.jp
    Telephone Number: 81-3-3210-4858
    Fax Number: 81-3-3210-4790

  2. Does your nation have an active or proposed initiative for developing a national spatial data infrastructure (or its equivalent)?

    3. YES

    **** POLICY ISSUES ****

  3. LEADERSHIP: Which agency or organization is coordinating or leading national spatial data infrastructure (NSDI) development efforts in your nation? (If no single agency is coordinating, please provide a primary point of contact from whom we may learn more.)

    Agency/Organization Name: Government; Cabinet Internal Affairs Council Public: National Spatial Data Infrastructure Promoting Association

    Mailing Address: Cabinet Internal Affairs Council1-6-1 Nagatacho, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo, Japan
    E-mail Address:
    Telephone Number: 81-3-3581-0760
    Fax Number: 81-3- 3581-5601
    Name of Agency Head or Primary Contact Person: Mr. Kazuhiko Takeshima, Chief Councilor

    Agency/Organization Name: NSDIPA

    Mailing Address: 1-1-24 Totanomon, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan
    E-mail Address:
    Telephone Number: 81-3-3504-3666
    Fax Number: 81-3-3504-3977
    Name of Agency Head or Primary Contact Person: Mr. Osamu Imai, Deputy Chief Officer

  4. AVAILABILITY: What are the primary types, categories or forms of spatial digital data being made available through your nation's NSDI?

    5. Japanese model of NSDI has been proposed by NSDIPA to the National Government since 1995. In 1995, the National Government established GIS Inter Agency Coordination Committee to define Japanese NSDI and work schedule among 22 Agencies. Leadership has been taken by the Cabinet Internal Affairs Council. The Committee's milestone defines first 3 years(1995-1998) for total design and assignment of the work among 22 Agencies and the following 3 years for preparation work.

    NSDIPA has been acting as an adviser role for the Government's planning for the establishment of NSDI.

    Basically Japanese NSDI has adopted US version as a good model. In this sense, establishment of the Framework and Clearing House with Meta Data definition have been worked out.

  5. MECHANICS OF ACCESS: Through what technical and organizational mechanisms are spatial data being made available through the NSDI?   

    Same as US. Spatial Data will be provided through Spatial Data Clearing House.

  1. LEGAL AND ECONOMIC FRAMEWORKS FOR ACCESS: What are the legal and economic constraints under which citizens, businesses or others may gain access to data available through the NSDI?

    2. Spatial Data collected by the Government will be publicly made available through Clearing House but some area of spatial data will not be publicly made available.

  2. DATA COLLECTION COORDINATION: What parties are involved in collecting data for the NSDI and how is data collection coordinated?

    3. Uniqueness of Japanese NSDI will be that spatial data collection coordination will occur not only within the Government but among Private Industries and the Government coordination.

    Utilities like power, telecomm and gas will also participate to provide some kind of spatial data collected and maintained for their own duties.

  3. PRICING: If charges are assessed for spatial data made available through the NSDI, what is the basis or method for determining the price of various forms of spatial data?

    4. Pricing issue will be left out to each spatial data provider. In case of participation from the private industry, charges will occur for the use of value added spatial data service.

  4. COMMERCIAL INVOLVEMENT: Please describe how private commercial firms are involved in helping to build the NSDI.

    5. Commercial involvement mean spatial data is defined as commodities. In this sense geopositional accuracy data and 3 D data will have growing future in Japanese market. Particularly, well spread car navigation systems (already more than 5 million sets have been sold) and ITS will demand more and more precise spatial data series.

  5. PUBLIC DOMAIN DATA SETS: Please describe those digital spatial data sets for jurisdictions within your nation that are available to anyone without any licensing or intellectual property restrictions imposed on the data sets and the data sets are available at no cost or little cost. How may copies be acquired of these public domain data sets?

    6. Many spatial data sets are made available by the Governmental Agencies and private industries sector by sector associations.

  6. PUBLIC GOODS ASPECTS OF NSDI: Please describe any additional services or goods provided by government in support of the NSDI for which individual users are not charged.

    7. No cases found.

  7. PRIVACY: Please describe how the information privacy of individual citizens is protected relative to data that may be accessed through the NSDI.

    8. privacy related data will not be made publicly available.

    **** OPERATIONAL ISSUES ****

  8. AUTHORITY: Do the laws or formal orders of any legislative or executive branches of government explicitly recognize the need to establish or further develop the NSDI?

    9. NO

  9. FUNDING: Have funds been specifically budgeted and acquired for NSDI activities?

    10. If YES, please describe the purpose of the funds and the amounts.

    YES

    For 1998 about $150 million has been budgeted and approved.

  10. INCLUSIVENESS: Please describe the types and extent of participants involved in building the NSDI and their roles.

    11. Not only the National Government, local governments have started to participate to build NSDI.

  11. COMPONENTS: Please indicate whether the vision of an NSDI for your nation incorporates the following components or concepts.

    12. A. METADATA YES
    B. CLEARINGHOUSE YES
    C. DATA STANDARDS YES
    D. CORE DATA YES

  12. RESEARCH: Have funds been specifically budgeted and spent on research projects to advance NSDI concepts? If YES, please describe the types of projects that have been funded.

    13. YES, various kinds of test beds and pilot projects have been budgeted and worked out.

  13. LINKAGE TO GENERAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS - Which international or national information and communication technology standards has the NSDI adopted?

    14. Basically Open GIS Consortium leading technology specifications have been considered when technical issues arise.

  14. GLOBAL SPATIAL DATASETS: Does your NSDI provide access to spatial datasets with global coverage?

    15. No

  15. GLOBAL OR REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVES: Is your NSDI formally affiliated with or connected to any global or regional spatial data infrastructure initiatives?

    16. No

  16. LONG TERM VISION OR STRATEGIC PLAN: Has a long term vision statement or stategic plan been developed for your country's NSDI?

If YES, how may a copy be obtained?

YES