This study uses contingent valuation to measure Japanese customers' willingness-to-pay to maintain combinations of five telecommunication services that are considered substitutes if universal service is defined on the basis of functionality. The analysis revealed the following results. First,...

The article describes the history of the process of automation in the Japanese Patent Office which will lead eventually to the establishment of a paperless system which is already well under way and will be fully operational from 1993. The system will include: automation of patent and utility...

Although railway services have been suffering financially due to modal shifts and aging populations, they have been, and will continue to be, an essential component of nations' basic social infrastructures. Since railway firms generate positive externalities, and are required to operate in...