By C. A. Pomeroy and H. H. Fulmura
Japan Broadcasting Corp. (known for its Japanese acronym "NHK")
will put to use its obsolete testing facilities just north of Tokyo by building
a digital archives center. To be called "SKIP City" -- in honor of the prefecture
(Saitama) and the city (Kawaguchi) where it will be located -- the digital archives
will also gain the full support of Waseda University, one of the largest and
renowned Japanese universities.
Although NHK has a broadcast library in Yokohama, the digital archives looks
to expand usage of "broadcast assests" owned by the public broadcaster. It is
envisioned that Waseda, which is readying to build a "wired" campus further
to the north of SKIP City in the city of Honjo (with a new bullet train stop
to be opened soon), will access the NHK archives with ease due to an optical
fiber link slated to run from Tokyo to Honjo.
Moreover, the Japanese government is looking to expand use of information technology
(having earmarked a large portion of the coming year's budget under the Millennium
Projects framework) in the form of Internet links for schools, and it is expected
that this new endeavor will have an effect on both local secondary schools and
the industrial base in the prefecture.
Furthermore, the software industry is seen being stimulated with the expanded
adoption of digital technology to be utilized at SKIP City, but with "clicks
& mortar results" such as CAD applications to the production of molds for use
in manufacturing, until recently the mainstay industry of Kawaguchi (October
story on "Enplas Corporation").