An old and worn out media policy

 　Five years ago I presented a private policy proposal titled “Ten goals for media policy.” Even as we were being rocked by overseas pressure from the likes of Google and Apple, the administration’s media policy was backward-looking, whether on media convergence, encouragement of competition, or opening the airwaves. I was impatient. The 10 goals are listed below. (References to current circumstance indicate 2009, the year at the time they...

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A former Paris spy and a Diet member.

 　At the counter of an Akasaka pub, I ran into a particular Diet member for the first time in 18 years. At that time, 18 years ago, I was a spy in Paris. Dispatched by the government to a certain  foundation, I was wining and dining French government employees and members of the media, gathering information. There was a team of Americans I often ran into during the occasional receptions. They were engaged in the same kind of activities as I. One day, those Americans were forcibly deported for the crime of espionage. That was when I realized...

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The taboo-defying digital textbook

　Digital textbook. I created a consortium four years ago, but things don’t catch on that easily. In the first place, there is no such thing, strictly speaking, as a digital textbook. According to law, textbooks are only recognized as such if they are written on paper. 　It has become necessary to tackle the three big themes surrounding the legal position of textbooks, matters concerning the exam system, and the ways in which copyright law is used....

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Colleges are worried about the Digital Age

 　Heidelberg Castle rises sharply above the valley, looked upon from below by the Neckar river. Heidelberg University, located along its banks, was established in 1386 and is Germany’s oldest University. The old sanctuary, with its tightly packed rows of chairs, is a dim and austere space, though good for one’s posture. There were certainly a few rowdy fellows who broke the rules. The school prison from years past still remains. In accordance...

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