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| (Courtesy CIA World Factbook) |
Back in the 1950s, Japan became the first country to issue an amateur license that did not require a Morse code exam, the so-called Class 4 license. However, it has continued to require code tests for the Class 1 and Class 2 licenses, even as most of the rest of the world has ended amateur code test requirements. Now, according to Newsline, effective October 1, Japan will no longer require code tests for any class of amateur license. Interestingly, on an issue about which so many hams have been so passionate for so many decades, a request for comments on the proposed rule change drew only 39 responses.