Shinji Sato, minister for international trade and industry, expressed his opposition Friday to a proposed plan to split the administration of the information and telecommunication industry into regulation and promotion.
"Both regulation and promotion of the information and telecommunication industry should be handled by a single government agency," Sato said.
His remarks were in reference to the government reorganization proposal put forward Wednesday by a blue-ribbon government advisory panel.
The ministry is to be created by reorganizing MITI and a part of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. According to the proposal, the ministry will be in charge of promoting the information and telecommunication industry.
An administrative committee under a new General Affairs Ministry is scheduled to regulate the industry.
Speaking at a news conference, Sato also suggested that technological development of nuclear power generation should be taken over by the future Industry Ministry as part of its energy administration.
That responsibility is currently assumed by the Science and Technology Agency.