安倍指示日本移動通信運營商降費
Shares in Japanese wireless carriers fell sharply on Monday following an unusual directive by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urging a reduction in what are some of the world’s highest mobile phone bills.
週一，日本無線運營商股價大幅下挫。之前，日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)作出了一條不同尋常的指示，敦促這些運營商降低話費。日本是全球手機話費最高的國家之一。
The government does not have a direct say in mobile phone rates but Mr Abe’s remarks come as smartphone fees account for a rising portion of Japan’s household spending, which has remained sluggish despite stimulus efforts to lift the economy.
日本政府在手機話費問題上並無直接發言權，但安倍是在智能手機話費在日本家庭支出中佔比越來越高的情況下作出上述指示的。儘管日本政府採取刺激措施努力提振經濟，但日本家庭支出依然低迷。
NTT Docomo, Japan’s largest mobile phone carrier by subscribers, was hit hardest with a drop of 9 per cent in morning trading, while KDDI fell 6.6 per cent and SoftBank slid 4.9 per cent.
早盤時，日本用戶最多的移動通信運營商NTT Docomo受衝擊最大，股價下跌9%，KDDI下跌6.6%，軟銀(SoftBank)下跌4.9%。
Analysts said it was highly unusual for the prime minister himself to intervene in the pricing of mobile phone rates, which are set independently by the carriers.
分析師表示，日本首相親自幹預手機話費定價是極不尋常的。日本的手機通話費率是由各運營商獨立設定的。
Monday’s share price declines came after Akira Amari, economy minister, disclosed on Friday that Mr Abe had instructed the telecommunications minister to study lowering mobile phone fees.
上週五，日本負責經濟財政政策的內閣府特命擔當大臣甘利明(Akira Amari)透露，安倍已指示負責電信的大臣研究降低手機通話費率。
“Some people say the three-player structure [in Japan’s mobile phone industry] has become so solid that the competition strategy is not working,” Mr Amari said in explaining why Mr Abe wanted lower rates.
“有人說，（日本移動通信行業的）三駕馬車結構已變得如此穩固，以致於競爭戰略根本行不通，”甘利明在解釋安倍的想法時表示。
Government figures show that telecom costs including mobile phone fees accounted for 4.9 per cent of annual household spending in 2014, up from 4.1 per cent a decade ago.
日本政府數據顯示，2014年，包括手機話費在內的通信費用佔到日本家庭年支出的4.9%，高於10年前的4.1%。
Monthly bills for smartphones users in Tokyo — averaging a total of around Y7,500 ($62) — are among the highest in the world, compared to Y7,000 in London and Y5,400 in Seoul, according to a recent government white paper. Tokyo prices are lower, though, than monthly bills in New York and Dusseldorf at Y8,700 and Y9,000, respectively.
不久前發佈的一份政府白皮書顯示，東京智能手機用戶每月話費平均約爲7500日元（合62美元），位居世界前列；相比之下，倫敦爲7000日元，首爾爲5400日元。不過，東京的手機話費低於紐約和杜塞爾多夫，後兩者分別爲8700日元和9000日元。
