Measurements for Levels of the Local Information, and Taking-Over of Digital Divide

摘要

In Japan, Internet is widely used for the people, and the connection environment with low-cost and high-speed is established. However, at the low-density population area, such as rural or mountain area, only low speed connection environment can be used, because of high-speed access infrastructures are introduced only to the population concentrated area. In this paper, I focused to study Chiba prefecture. It has 80 municipalities (cities, towns and villages.) To determine the economic and agricultural situations of these municipalities, I performed a principle component analysis. With this analysis, all municipalities grouped three categories. And digital divide has found between economical developed group and agricultural developed group. However, if the Internet is as it is said to be "the most democratic tool", the gap should not to be broadened. And to achieve the sound development of our country, the gap should be eliminated. Therefore, in this paper I referred some movements to support for conquering the digital divide, and to equalize the access costs in rural area, as those in city area.