I've long deliberated over the idea of search engines as utility or  infrastructure, what with the internet progressively becoming an major part of the economy and search engines the critical thoroughfares  of commerce and information.

Perhaps search engines are the real 'information superhighways' linking the developing towns, villages and cities made of communities, ideas and applications. Or are they currently just the equivalent of dirt tracks, tollgates and private roads?

With so much power over economies in the hands of search engines a lot of people are asking if there should be legislation and government control over them, to make sure that they can't cause serious economic disruption.

Anyway following after the French, it seems the Japanese have had some ideas around this theme and according to The Times, just over $100 million has already been earmarked for the project to build their own search technology.