Investment related to information technology will expand to 27.4 trillion yen by 2008, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a survey released Thursday. The amount reached 24 trillion yen in 2001, but dropped 5.4 percent to 22.7 trillion yen last year amid the soft economy.
However, it will probably mark a slight increase from now, the ministry said, citing the survey of 436 listed companies conducted in January and February.
METI classified the companies into four stages depending on how advanced they are in IT, the first such division in a government survey, it said.
The poll shows only 19 percent of respondents have succeeded in incorporating IT in management strategies.