[open-data-day] Thoughts from Japan on the new data catalog?

Mon Mar 4 05:46:12 GMT 2013

Hi, Eric.

Hiroichi Kawashima is one of the co-founders of Open Knowledge
Foundation Japan.  He is a key person of discussion in the government.

Though CKAN data portal site had already been launched by some
volunteers in Japan, preparing national government portal is good
news.

All creative works, include databases, are protected in Japan, but
simple facts are not protected.  Government officials tend to appeal
that most of their work are creative and protected by copyright.  The
reason is that they want to control the usage of data to avoid
accusation and misunderstanding by people.

So, we need rules for exclusion of liability for government to expand
free use of government data.

The Japanese government had been deliberated its own copyright license
to the general public.  However, the government announced to start
cooperation with the Creative Commons. They consider that CC is a
fungible and popular mechanism.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs of the Government will hold a
symposium on March 27.
http://www.bunka.go.jp/chosakuken/seminar/contents_sympo8/index.html

I welcome that open data situation in Japan has been getting better.

Masahiko Shoji
Open Knowledge Foundation Japan

----------------------------------
庄司昌彦　Masahiko SHOJI

国際大学GLOCOM　講師／主任研究員
shoji at glocom.ac.jp

2013/3/4 Eric Mill <eric at sunlightfoundation.com>:
> If there's any Japanese open data folk, I'm wondering if you have any
> thoughts about the data portal the Japanese government released:
>
> http://www.futuregov.asia/articles/2013/mar/01/japan-launch-national-open-data-portal/
>
> It's tough for me to evaluate without context whether this is a step forward
> or just fluff, and how serious the line about delicate copyright laws is.
>
> -- Eric
>
> --
> Developer | sunlightfoundation.com
>
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