An Inside View of Japan’s New Digital Agency

The novel coronavirus pandemic has exposed long-acknowledged shortfalls in some critical government administrative services and highlighted how much Japan must do to address its lag in digitization. To that end, the government in February approved bills to promote digitization and establish a Digital Agency in September. Coordinating, integrating and standardizing a unique digital framework to boost the quality of public services is a key policy of the Suga administration. In line with this, the government also wants to enhance Japan’s attractiveness as a digital infrastructure hub.

Together, we will explore current discussions in the Diet, the challenges ahead, and which industries are likely to be affected by the government’s digitization push. We will also examine how much Japan’s digital transformation has progressed, and whether the government can finally succeed in digitizing its complex administration as an example for the rest of society. Please join us for this timely discussion on digital policy in the post-corona era.

This CEO Insights lunch on April 15th will be moderated by seasoned government relations expert Timothy Langley. Mr. Langley is founder and CEO of Langley Esquire, Tokyo’s premier public affairs consulting firm dedicated to resolving issues in Japan’s unique regulatory environment.