Currently, the total number of public telephones is about 146,000, and the number is decreasing ... The number of public telephones installed (Fuwa Raizo) --Individual--Yahoo! News

September 11th is considered to be the day of public telephones because the first public telephones in Japan were installed at Shimbashi Station and Ueno Station in Tokyo on September 11, 1900. Therefore, this time, we will confirm the actual situation of public telephones from the Information and Communication White Paper released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in July 2021.

"Public telephones" are literally "public" "telephones", and a large number of them are placed everywhere in a telephone booth and provided as an infrastructure that anyone can use for a fee. It also has implications as a base for calling ambulances and police in an emergency.

However, the role of public telephones, which can be used anytime and anywhere, has been deprived of its position with the spread of mobile phones, and the demand and utilization rate has gradually decreased. The decline in utilization rate leads to a decline in sales, and the number of unprofitable targets is increasing. As a result, the number of installations is being reduced.

As of the end of March 2021, the total number of public telephones in Japan was 145,643. This is a further decrease of 5,670 units, or 3.7%, from 151,313 units in the previous year.

Regarding the situation where the number of public telephones is gradually decreasing, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has reasons such as "high usage of elderly people", "necessary in an emergency", and "the universal service system requires maintenance (even in the red)". Therefore, it is assured that "a downward trend is unavoidable, but the minimum required number will be maintained."

Of these, regarding "necessary in an emergency", relatives and acquaintances used public telephones installed and opened in public institutions while other communication infrastructure was disrupted during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. There are many people who have come into contact with them and have realized it with their skin. This is because the public telephones installed by NTT are treated in the same way as "priority telephones", which can give priority to communication even when outgoing calls and connection restrictions are enforced.

In the future, it will be necessary to manage and maintain public telephones after considering "the appropriate number of public telephones required for infrastructure" and reconfirming "the role as an insurance communication means in an emergency".

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(Note) "(Large) Earthquake" means the Great East Japan Earthquake unless otherwise specified or detailed.

(Note) This article is a partial addition or change to the article posted in [Garbage News].