Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications FY2022 Information and Communications Budget: 10 billion yen for Beyond 5G research and development (R&D)

The 2022 budget plan of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, which has jurisdiction over the information and communication field, included a general budget amount of 16.462 trillion yen, representing a decrease of 132.8 billion yen (0.8%) from the previous year. Of this general budget amount, the information and communications budget was 126.1 billion yen, representing an increase of 1.1 billion yen (0.9%) from the previous year; this increase is approximately the same as that in the previous year. In addition, the operating expense subsidy to the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) was 28.25 billion yen, representing an increase of 180 million yen (0.6%) from the previous year. A major measure was the allocation of 101.86 billion yen for the "acceleration of digital transformation (DX) and the realization of low power consumption in the private sector."

The breakdown is as follows: 7.26 billion yen for information and communication infrastructure development, such as 5G and optical fiber (e.g., subsidies for local public organizations, wireless communication companies, general corporations, and telecommunications companies); 4.00 billion yen to promote local 5G problem solving (e.g., development of problem-solving demonstrations for local 5G issues); 40.17 billion yen to promote the effective use of radio waves (e.g., R&D for increasing radio wave resources, maintenance of radio wave monitoring facilities, construction and operation of comprehensive radio station supervision systems); 12.81 billion yen for R&D, strategic intellectual property acquisition, and the promotion of international standardization for Beyond 5G that realizes ultra-low-power consumption; and 35.36 billion yen for the R&D of artificial intelligence (AI) (multilingual simultaneous interpretation), quantum cryptography, and space information and communication technology (ICT), among other areas.

Among these funds, 10 billion yen was newly allocated for the implementation of recruitment related Beyond 5G R&D in private companies and universities to promote R&D, strategic intellectual property acquisition, and international standardization for Beyond 5G that realizes ultra-low-power consumption. Twenty billion yen was allocated in the previously established 2021 supplementary budget for the R&D of Beyond 5G. In addition, an operating cost grant of 28.25 billion yen was estimated for the promotion of the basic R&D of AI (multilingual simultaneous interpretation), quantum cryptography, space ICT, and other technologies by NICT.

In other major measures, 6.82 billion yen was allocated to the "promotion of an information and communication environment that is easy for everyone to use and that ensures cyber security"; 6.73 billion yen to "responding to economic security and strengthening strategic economic partnerships"; and 3.15 billion yen to the "promotion of national resilience." Among these funds, the key breakdown for the "promotion of an information and communication environment that is easy for everyone to use and that ensures cyber security" is as follows: 2.11 billion yen for the further promotion of digital utilization support for the elderly (nationwide implementation of seminars to provide advice and consultation on how to use smartphones, such as online administrative procedures) and 3.25 billion yen for technology and human resource development to respond to cyberattacks, and the formation of industry-academia-government collaboration bases. The breakdown for "responding to economic security and strengthening strategic economic partnerships" is as follows: 2.52 billion yen for the overseas expansion of ICT infrastructure systems, such as 5G and optical submarine cables, and 3.59 billion yen for the implementation of international broadcasting (Japan Broadcasting Corporation [NHK] grant). The breakdown for the "promotion of national resilience" is as follows: 900 million yen for the conversion of cable TV (partial subsidy for project costs) and 2.18 billion yen to strengthen the broadcasting network (e.g., support for eliminating difficulty hearing commercial radio signals).