August 11, 1986

Officially, Japan's century-old telecommunications monopoly ended in April 1985, when a law opening the market to competition went into effect. Practically, however, the monopoly ended just a few days ago, when the first of many would-be competitors cut a ribbon, flipped a switch and began offering its customers telecommunication services at rates from 20 to 25 percent lower than Nippon Telegraph and Telephone. The new company, Japan Telecom, is but one of several that hope to compete in both domestic and international telecommunications markets that are hotly sought and estimated to be worth billions of dollars in potential sales. Its entry is another signal that the rules are changing, creating new opportunities for foreign companies and foreign products. In monitoring the new market, Government officials and industry leaders have labored to make sure that competition was orderly. Rather than opening the market to all comers, Japan's regulatory authorities have preferred to designate a limited number of competitors so that the new entrants would not battle each other into bankruptcy.

After four weeks of reviewing and refining their positions, the House and Senate negotiators on tax revision legislation plan to sit down together this week to try to write a final bill that could affect the finances of nearly every person and company in America. The time has come, Senator Bob Packwood said over the weekend, to ''lock ourselves in a room and work until we finish.'' The Oregon Republican and head of the Senate conferees said that if the lawmakers failed to reach an agreement before the end of this week, when Congress begins a three-week recess, their task would become more difficult. ''The problem with going out without a complete package,'' Mr. Packwood said, ''is that every single special-interest group would have one last shot at every single senator and congressman'' during the recess.

There is wide disparity in the conditions of New York City's 852 playgrounds, a citywide survey by The New York Times has found. While many are clean, leafy places of joy, excitement and safety, others are filthy, ugly places of boredom, danger and fear. The city's best-kept playgrounds are on Staten Island and in Queens, according to the survey, and the worst are in Brooklyn. In general, the income level of a neighborhood - more than its racial or ethnic makeup - correlated most closely with whether conditions in its playgrounds were good or bad. The best playgrounds were found in the higher-income neighborhoods. Although there were fine playgrounds in low-income neighborhoods, the worst playgrounds tended to be for the children of the poor, in places where the City Parks and Recreation Department has been losing the war against vandalism and drug abuse. What Is a Swing? There were playgrounds in Brooklyn and the Bronx which, at the time of the survey, had been without swings so long that parents said they could not remember when there had been any.

The chairman of the city's Taxi and and Limousine Commission said yesterday that the commission was considering sweeping changes in the licensing of drivers of medallion cabs, including a tiered system that would provide rewards for career drivers. The chairman, Gorman Gilbert, also said the commission planned to introduce a bill in the City Council next month to empower the commission to license and regulate some 35,000 livery vehicles operating in the city. Such vehicles, which include gypsy cabs and community car services, are currently unregulated. The licensing changes, in which first-year drivers would receive an apprentice license and then graduate to a second stage based on their records, is needed because the Commission has not been selective enough in licensing drivers, Mr. Gilbert said. He made the comments on the WCBS-TV program ''Newsmakers.''. #1.1% of Applications Rejected In a later interview, Mr. Gilbert said that in 1985, the commission rejected only 1.1 percent of the 9,000 applicants for taxi licenses. ''I think that tells us we should be looking at the standards to see whether or not they're high enough,'' he said.

''The pictures now have to be seen, and let the imagination run free.'' -Andrew Wyeth. [ C14:4. ]