Will information technology be utilized for the benefit of all or merely as a business tool? This is a major challenge Japan faces in implementing an IT society, according to Nami Takenaka, president of Prop Station, who spoke Monday.

"This is the era of the IT revolution, and I think Japan is facing a kind of watershed," said Takenaka, whose nongovernment organization holds seminars to equip disabled people with computer skills that will help land them jobs.

"That is, will IT really be used so that people can be proud of (themselves) and participate in society, or will it merely be used as a business tool."