One of the major effects that information and communication technology (ICT) is expected to bring is, needless to say, the elimination of various disparities between central and peripheral areas. In general, when small, peripheral prefectures with limited budgets and human resources adopt this type of strategy, they face two challenges: (1) how to raise funds to develop information infrastructures and (2) how to maintain educational programs comparable to those offered by local governments in central areas like Tokyo. Housuu-juku utilizes ICT in two major ways: holding distant classes, which connect Saga and Tokyo, and connecting the school and its students through an interactive information exchange system (home study system). Housuu-juku enjoys practically no need to pay for expenses for utilizing ICT for these two systems. Since the business school originated from a donation-based course at Saga University, the budget for distance classes is included in the framework of experiments between Keio University and Saga University in which Housuu-juku is considered a provider of the "content of those who take the course" for these experiments. Initially, the home study system was also developed by a venture firm in Saga Prefecture using the prefectural government's budget to support venture firms in its jurisdiction and was provided to Housuu-juku free of charge. Many of Housuu-juku's strong points are premised on the existence of an ICT environment as typified by distant classes offered in cooperation with Keio University and the home study system. In this sense, Housuu-juku can be viewed as one of the end users that benefit from the series of broadband communication environments created by MIC and the Council for the Promotion of NetCom Saga. However, Housuu-juku somewhat justified large public investments in the early stage of ICT infrastructure development, which is usually marked by low profitability, and in the end, it helped the prefectural government to promote the creation of a broadband communication environment.
