An increasing number of Japanese are plugging into the digital information craze and spurring the information and communications industry to dizzying heights. But they are also working more and getting less sleep, says a government report released Tuesday.
In its 1998 White Paper on Communications, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications says the effects of digital information media proliferation are beginning to have a visible impact on the economy -- and in people's lifestyles.
"The industrial structure in Japan is undergoing major change, and the information and communications industry is becoming a leading industry," said Genichiro Watanabe, director general of the Planning and Research Office of the Minister's Secretariat, who is in charge of the report.