LETTER OF PROTEST
TO NTT DOCOMO ON ITS 30,000 YEN PREMIUM FOR FOREIGN SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

Submitted June 20, 2002 to NTT DoCoMo's President Tachikawa
At DoCoMo's Nagatacho Headquarters, Tokyo
(English Version here)

msshRܭ뭵AuOlR~aΛшv
Rc

mssMڨŕܪ@΋\ھ@Ɠhl
2002N620▶o


Rc

msshRܭ뭵AuOlR~aΛшvRcv


@mssMڨŕܪ@΋\ھ@Ɠhl

@Ɠ@lA

@O@QOOQNSڭP㜭AmsshRiZʭL魢OlV_R~uaΛшv{B|ɰV[魼魢ƈҭխPŖvB

@msshRڞ᭎[u{Բ筸Aʭŕܭ⺭msshRISVK_ݭҭԶҭ|ɰV[uvʭЭɫB

@mQzȶӭ׭᭮aΛш{کAޭ㲭魢mխBAqXMpx]ɅWЪArUצּܭvfAÐ{OlZɳшvѪ᭎uOlMpǭ魢vsO▭Ԛ`ȭsśɫ魈B

@R~zAmsshRZIKΌǭŕܭ筀AȭΌǭшzɫ魢mխAiZʭL魢OlۭAϭwƦҭHЭApшzҭxΌS魎BЭҭvBȭޭθЭ{wEvԣ˭lҭۭB

@AOlڞRܭ孮A}Aέ魍魩筸ٽCOczx𴭢ڏα䖶G魏ڏEﭻlϭЭҭۭBKƤɃa㢪E{dvşPÐٙvB

@uaΛшvۭ|ɰV[Wt{ҭA筃ΌcOɫBIeŕܭmssAƢEÐCxguItBVѪEp[gi[vwA㈭Olqњݭ᭎A䖶IݶWBMܭRGT[rXWҭխCOέ᭎ȭۭ᭻魍붨XAIC[WA{ZCOɅW[OlZ뭵Cl⹭KvʭvB

@فԋAuOlڞ|IθvMܭڌ⣭᭻AMܭԚJ魢vu{lڞшz|Iθv˭mFǭBaΛш[u⏭oŧƈɏvB

@AŊXmsshR{CRbgɩЭ孈BmsshR_{FlۭAs[ѭ΋ܭqΌ᭎ŰCoŕܭg΄ۭƳEBapÀHPTCgƠAihttp://www.debito.org/TheCommunity/NTTkougipressrelease.htmljAԐRc▶o᭎ٓihttp://www.debito.org/TheCommunity/NTTkougibun.htmljBmsshRۭCOs歮ϭ|ɰV[ʭԚ\ҭխǭBAmsshRـzЭҭ筀AܭɅWqqşALy[ھ~B

@XЭɏvBƪX
@QOOQNUڭQO▶o

uUER~jeB[v(http://www.debito.org/TheCommunity)
ڌC@Lժ@oliʭ۪@j
ڌC@CeA[Y@`Ehɪ[

uθŕwŕviUMJjihttp://www.tabunka.orgj
ŕ@WFY@EBѰL\
ŕ@WFY@MbuX



LETTER OF PROTEST
TO NTT DOCOMO ON ITS 30,000 YEN PREMIUM
FOR FOREIGN SUBSCRIBERS ONLY


To: Mr Tachikawa Keiji, President and CEO, NTT DoCoMo
Presented at NTT DoCoMo Headquarters, Nagatacho, Tokyo, June 20, 2002.

Dear Mr. Tachikawa,

We are writing you today to protest your company's decision to impose, from April 1, 2002, a "foreigner tax" on non-permanent foreign residents of Japan who apply for NTT DoCoMo cell phones. We would like to present some reasons why we believe this policy is wrong.

Firstly, we believe very strongly that this is a discriminatory practice. If NTT DoCoMo were to charge such a deposit to all subscribers equally, regardless of nationality, then we could accept the decision. However, making one segment of the population pay a premium, on the basis not of individual credit history but of visa status, is unfair and discriminatory.

It is unfortunate that this policy is being implemented precisely at a time when Japan is co-hosting the 2002 World Cup with Korea, and when the country -- and its large companies -- will be the focus of international attention. According to the English version of the Asahi Shimbun (April 12, 2002), your company has invested almost 2 trillion yen overseas in the last two years "to lay the groundwork for the international spread of i-mode and third-generation mobile phone services." It would seem rational, when considering such an expansion, that you consider the feelings of non-Japanese residents in Japan, who play a large role in shaping international opinions of the country.

Secondly, we would like to point out that although 30,000 yen may not seem like a large amount from the point of view of executives at a large firm such as NTT DoCoMo, there are many non-permanent resident foreigners in Japan who are still students and factory workers , and for whom that sum is a substantial burden.

Finally, it has been pointed out that the procedures for canceling NTT DoCoMo accounts can be extremely laborious, and some individuals may be simply leaving the country without properly unsubscribing because procedures are simply too time-consuming. We urge you to look into this problem and streamline the process if possible.

In any case, we have decided to publicly call upon people of conscience -- Japanese and non-Japanese alike -- to express their disapproval of your company's policy by canceling their accounts, and if necessary registering with the rival cell phone companies who do not charge this special fee. We have prepared a multilingual protest letter (http://www.debito.org/NTTkougibun.html) for unsubscribers to submit to shops when cancelling. We will be carrying out this campaign not only in Japan, but also in foreign markets that NTT is trying to move into.

Bear in mind that negative publicity may have ill effects on your company in the marketplace. The week we last brought this issue before the public (April 10 to April 15, 2002), NTT's share price dropped by 4.2%. Since NTT is reportedly suffering the greatest losses of a company in Japanese history (http://www.debito.org/TheCommunity/NTTdocomotariff.html), maintaining good customer relations are clearly something your company should prioritize.

We strongly urge you to reconsider this policy, and promise you that, when you decide to revoke the decision, we will promptly call off our boycott and inform the press that we are no longer conducting this campaign.

Sincerely yours,

Jens Wilkinson
President, United for a Multicultural Japan (http://www.tabunka.org)

James Gibbs
Vice-President, United for a Multicultural Japan

Arudou Debito
Co-Coordinator, The Community (http://www.debito.org/TheCommunity)

Imtiaz Chaudhry
Co-Coordinator, The Community
--------------------------------------------------

(return to the NTT Docomo "Foreigner Tariff" Information Site)

Return to "The Community" Page

Go to the "United For a Multicultural Japan" (UMJ) Page