Marcus Spectrum Solutions in Japan

Invited Speaker at 1996 Spectum Resource Development Symposium

• Dr. Marcus has made over 25 visits to Japan since 1973.  He has been a visiting researcher at the University of Tokyo's Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), Keio University, and the Communications Research Laboratory (now NICT).

• In 1997-99 he was in the Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program, a US/Japan cooperative agreement that involves 1 year of intensive Japanese language study in the US and then 1 year in Japan working with related agencies and institutions. He was a trainee in Japan at:

• Radio Department of the former Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (now MIC),

• Association of Radio Industries and Business (ARIB) - the key radio technology standards organization

• Telecommunications Engineering Center (TELEC) - runs the Japanese equipment authorization program on behalf of the ministry

• Office of Representative Naokazu TAKEMOTO, National Diet of Japan (Osaka 15th District)

Sharing the podium during internship with Rep. Takemoto

at Tondabayashi City bonodori August 1999

• Final report on participation in the Mansfield Fellowship Program and observations on Japan

• "Regulatory Transparency in Japan: Half Full or Half Empty", Asia Perspectives, Vol. 3, No. 2, p. 20-22 (March 2001)

Japanese Langauge Publications

Article on internship in Rep. Takemoto's office in Bamboo Journal, Heisei 11, No.4 (1999) Bamboo Journal is the quarterly publication of Rep. Takemoto. (In Japanese)  (Anglophones - The first two syllables of Takemoto sound like and are written with the same Chinese character as "bamboo" , hence the name of the publication.)

Interview with Rep. Takemoto in Bamboo Journal, Heisei 13, No. 2 (2001).  Several topics, although the section on Osaka's Olympic  bid seems rather dated now. (In Japanese and English.)

Interview with Dr. Marcus in 20 January 2003 issue of Nikkei Electronics (In Japanese)

Article on software defined radio and its possible impact on amateur radio, CQ ham radio, January 2004.  (In Japanese - Note the article erroneously lists James Miller as the translator, he should be listed as coauthor.)

Presentation at YRP UWB conference

December 2005

In front of MIC Headquarters, Tokyo

(The sign is MIC's name in Japanese, which does not really mean

Ministry of Internal Afffairs and Communications.)

• Marcus Spectrum Solutions services in Japan are offered in partnership with FuuUn & Rivals, Ltd., a policy and regulation related consulting and political consulting firm established in 2001 in Tokyo. Yoshihiro Tanaka, FuuUn's President, is Michael Marcus's past colleague in the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and the Japanese Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. FuuUn's home page is www.fuuun.com

Need help with technical Japanese documents? Contact Hideaki SATO

Links in Japan Related to Spectrum Policy (English language sites only)

Prime Minister's Website

Good entry point to Japanese Government with some similarity to US' firstgov.gov  Includes organization chart with links to major agencies

UN Paper on Overview of National Public Administration in Japan

A quick overview of the Japanese government from a somewhat neutral source.

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

Japan's telecom reguator. Site includes links to laws , statistics , and biweekly newsletter. There's a lot of information and some propaganda.  While requests for public comment are often announced here, you really have to go to the Japanese side of the site to get details on proposals. (But then again, FCC doesn't have any information in Japanese on its site.)

Information and Communications Statistics Database (MIC)

Include both telecom statistics and links to other MIC and outside English sites.

Radio Use Website

MIC's website for details about radio regulation in Japan.

Public comment procedures in Japan

The equivalent of the Administrative Procedures Act in Japan for rulemaking is this cabinet order. Since it is not a law, it is difficult to challenge noncompliance.

TELEC

TELEC is what I call a "quasigovernmental entity" in Japan.  There are many such agencies that perform governmental-like functions but are not formally agencies. TELEC performs many of the equipment authorization functions of the FCC Laboratory.

ARIB

ARIB, the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses, is also a quasigovernmental organization although it sees itself as more like TIA in the US.  Its main activity of interest to foreigners is developing technical standards, which  in Japan have much more influence than "voluntary standards" in the US.

U.S. and Japanese Approaches to SDR and Cognitive Radio: Legal and Cultural Factors Expressed in Certification and Technical Rules by James Miller, Mansfield Fellow

A paper with an interesting comparision of US and Japanese approaches to the same techical issue.

Other Japan Links - In response to many requests, here are some general links in English on Japan, Japanese language study and travel to Japan .

Contact Information:

 
Michael J. Marcus, Sc.D.

Director

Marcus Spectrum Solutions

Cabin John MD 20818 USA

[Washington DC area]

e-mail: mjmarcus@alum.mit.edu
Tel.  +1-301-229-7714