The NEC C&C Foundation Symposium entitled ‘Information Accessibility: Role of the State, Regional Administration and Communities’ was held with the support of the Nikkan Kogyo Shinbun Co. Ltd and the IISE. About 120 participants gathered at the Izumi Garden Conference Center to hear lectures in two parts. An international overview was presented by Professor Hajime Yamada of Toyo University while regional views were presented by Mr. Kazuichi Kasmatsu, mayor of Kamikatsu township who is famous for the project “Happa Business”, Mr. Takaya Endo, Principal of M-SAKU Networks and a community activist who moved away from urban life after his retirement from an IT company, and Mr. Naoaki Kano, Executive Director of Sapporo Challenged, an NPO which assists in the promotion of the employment of physically or mentally challenged people. After a short recess, Ms. Chika Sekine, President, UDIT (Universal Design Institute for Information Technology) and Assistant Professor Takashi Kobayashi of School of Political Science and Economics, Department of Political Science the panelists, Tokai University, joined the panel. The panelist engaged in a lively discussion as to what was needed for information to be widely accessible and diverse people to achieve “full participation” in the information society.

Speakers and program:
13:30  Opening speech by Hajime Sasaki, Chairman, NEC C&C Foundation
13:35  Part I: “Information Accessibility: Trends in the World – Procurement Standards in US and Europe”
Presenter:  Hajime Yamada, Professor, Department of Economics, Toyo University
14:00  Part II: Regional Experiments
(1)  Kamikatsu-cho as an Information Society – From the Happa Business to Fight against Global Warming
Presenter:  Kazuichi Kasamatsu, Mayor, Kamikatsu, Tokushima Prefecture
(2)  Community activities in Saku: Learning from a rural community – From the Perspective of a New Senior Resident
Presenter:  Takaya Endo, Principal, M-SAKU Networks
(3)  For More People with Disability to Work in Community – From IT Training to Job Placement Support
Presenter:  Naoaki Kano, Executive Director, Sapporo Challenged, an NPO
15:15  ecess
15:30  Panel discussion: Toward a Full-Participation Society – Roles of the State, Local Administrations and Communities
Coordinator:  Hajime Yamada, Professor, Department of Economics, Toyo University
Panelists:  Kazuichi Kasamatsu, Mayor, Kamikatsu, Tokushima Prefecture
Takaya Endo, Principal, M-SAKU Networks
Naoaki Kano, Executive Director, Sapporo Challenged, an NPO
Chika Sekine, President, UDIT
Takashi Kobayashi, Assistance Professor, School of Political Science and Economics, Department of Political Science, Tokai University
17:00  Closing speech by Hiroshi Gokan, Executive Director of the NEC C&C Foundation
(Provided with summary notes and sign language interpreting)