With the spread of telephones and television in Japan and the development of computer technology, the Captain service was developed as a revolutionary information media to meet people's individual needs and to allow users to access information at will. Receiving a request for cooperation from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation started the service on November 30, 1984 (Showa 59). The service area consisted of the 23 districts of Tokyo and outlying regions within 30km together with Hachioji, Sagamihara, Fujisawa, Yokosuka, Kamakura, the Osaka region and its outlying main cities, Kyoto, and Kobe. Coverage was expanded to Nagoya in the following year.

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