Hitachi and Vote.com to Establish a Joint Venture "VOTE Japan"
Apr 23, 2001 10:06 AM
Aiming At the Realization of e-Democracy That Will Enable the Reflection of Citizens' Voices Directly to the Society
Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE:HIT)(TSE:6501) based in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President & Director: Etsuhiko Shoyama, hereinafter abbreviated as Hitachi) and Vote.com, Inc. (based in New York, NY, U.S.A., President: Dick Morris, hereinafter abbreviated as Vote.com) today announced that the two companies have reached an agreement to establish a joint venture, VOTE.co.jp, Inc. (tentative name, hereinafter abbreviated as VOTE Japan) on May 10 of this year. The joint venture will focus on the implementation of a "Citizens' Vote" which will collect the voices of the people making the best of the Internet, and convey them to decision makers.
Hitachi is deploying a total solutions project for electronic administrations ranging from efficiency improvement of public services to the assessment of administrations, and has been so highly evaluated that over 5,000 people from the administrations sector have already visited its Electronic Administrations Showroom, the first of its kind in Japan. Vote.com is operating a new business focused on the realization of e-democracy through a website, which attracts citizens' opinions concerning contemporary news and has conveyed the voices of over 27 million people to "suitable" administrative decision makers. VOTE Japan will aim to become a new media focused on citizen participation. VOTE Japan will form a bridge between citizens who wish to communicate their opinions to the administrations and public organizations who want to hear them, joining together the technology and know-how of its parent companies.