VANTAGE POINT: Rakuten Chief Wants Govt Pushing Net

TOKYO (Nikkei)--The Japanese government should promote Internet use to spur business growth just like South Korea has done, Rakuten Inc. (4755) President Hiroshi Mikitani says.

Mikitani recently visited South Korea for separate meetings with the leaders of Samsung Electronics Co. and major local Internet company NHN Corp.

Among the matters discussed was how South Korea's strategic decision to offer cheap and fast Internet connections helped its companies become more competitive globally, and how highways with no speed limits in Germany led to improved automobile performance, Mikitani said.

Learning from the way Samsung and NHN have increased their global market shares in mobile phones and games, the Japanese government should set a policy encouraging Internet use, he argued.

(The Nikkei, March 21 morning edition)

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