THE Japanese Government has marshalled a coalition of technological and corporate firepower in an attempt to break the global stranglehold of Yahoo! and Google.
The project is tipped to cost about £500 million and will probably take about three years to complete, government insiders say. The search engine aims to be the ultimate tool for navigating online content, and will give web users a Japanese alternative to the two US giants.
Work on the search engine begins this week. The project has so much political weight behind it that it will bring together fierce rivals such as Sony and Matsushita.
An internal Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) report obtained by The Times describes the need for Japan to use its technological prowess to fight back in an area where it has so far been only a minor player.
The impetus is believed to come indirectly from the IT research department of the office of Junichiro Koizumi, the Prime Minister. He has embraced the internet as a political tool, and has emphasised Japan’s need to extend its presence in the world of information technology. The Education and Internal Affairs ministries will play a central role, along with the state-funded broadcaster NHK.
More than 20 companies, including Hitachi and Panasonic, have joined the research group, which is expected to receive an initial government budget of about 12 billion yen (£60 million).
METI indicated that as the scheme gathers pace, it may receive further funding from the Government’s IT infrastructure improvement budget, which stands at about £10 billion.
The project is tipped to cost about £500 million and will probably take about three years to complete, government insiders say. The search engine aims to be the ultimate tool for navigating online content, and will give web users a Japanese alternative to the two US giants.
Work on the search engine begins this week. The project has so much political weight behind it that it will bring together fierce rivals such as Sony and Matsushita.
An internal Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) report obtained by The Times describes the need for Japan to use its technological prowess to fight back in an area where it has so far been only a minor player.
The impetus is believed to come indirectly from the IT research department of the office of Junichiro Koizumi, the Prime Minister. He has embraced the internet as a political tool, and has emphasised Japan’s need to extend its presence in the world of information technology. The Education and Internal Affairs ministries will play a central role, along with the state-funded broadcaster NHK.
More than 20 companies, including Hitachi and Panasonic, have joined the research group, which is expected to receive an initial government budget of about 12 billion yen (£60 million).
METI indicated that as the scheme gathers pace, it may receive further funding from the Government’s IT infrastructure improvement budget, which stands at about £10 billion.
