Yoshitaka Sugihara Chair	James J. Foster Vice Chair

The world economy is entering a new period in which the Internet is becoming an ever more essential driver for growth and innovation. In the new Internet Economy, information and content is the new currency and the countries and companies that will prosper in this environment will be those that develop the political / regulatory framework and the economic / business models needed to harness the power of the Web.

The healthy development of the Internet Economy in Japan involves managing a complex set of interrelated concerns, such as: broadcasting, telecommunications, privacy and security, IP and copyrights, competition policy and the various regulations and regulatory bodies overseeing each of them.

The Internet Economy Task Force issued a White Paper in October 2009, to assist the ACCJ's 1300 member companies from over 40 countries better understand, evaluate, communicate views and influence the internal debate in Japan over the future direction of the Internet Economy. The Task Force has identified key regulatory, business and economic challenges related to the Internet Economy in Japan and is working with the U.S. and Japanese governments to offer a corresponding set of recommendations drawn from international experience and best practices.