Celebrating Japan Digital Days.

■ Celebrating Japan Digital Days.

October 10th.

Digital Day.

The DIGITAL DAYS SUMMIT was held.

100,000 people viewed the event on Nico Live, Youtube, and other platforms.

Thank you very much.

In conjunction with the Digital Agency’s “Digital Days ONLINE EVENT,” the CiP Council, of which I am a representative, explored the future of “entertainment x digital.”

Kyary Pamyu, Hachioji P, Ichiro Yamaguchi of Sakanaction, and Magical Lovely sent their messages of support.

The opening session was a discussion of the Digital Agency, hosted by Karen Makishima, the second Digital Minister who took office a week ago, among others.

The Digital Agency staff introduced an analog case in which it took an agency employee 90 minutes to get a parking certificate.

Hiroyuki introduced administrative online procedures in France. I though France was the country of inconvenience, but I was pleasantly shocked. 

Now, then, the event we hosted.

Digital performances by VJs, DJs, and VFX artists in a virtual XR space from BLACKBOX, a state-of-the-art distribution studio with permanent 4-sided LEDs.

Live entertainment by DJ CARTOON and YELLOCK was a highlight.

The talks by SUGIZO of LUNA SEA/X JAPAN, Tatsuro and Miya, and Digihari President Tomoyuki Sugiyama were also thrilling.

Many people must have been taken aback by the video of SHAG, a jam band led by SUGIZO.

I was also a speaker at the “Superhuman Sports Session: Digital and the Body.”

Attended by the Superhuman Sports regulars Professor Masahiko Inami of the University of Tokyo, Professor Kota Minamizawa of Keio University, President Yoshiaki Sawabe of 1→10, and Shinji Neki, the Vice Mayor of Paralympic Village.

What is digital human extension? What is the jizai (autonomized) body? What is Tech & Pop sports?

Seven years ago, on October 10th, Physical Education Day, 50 years after the opening ceremony of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, superhuman sports made their start.

Physical Education Day became Digital Day. Incorporating the digital into the physical body.

After the new Tokyo Olympics, the next stop is Paris. The year after that, the Osaka Expo.

Let’s connect them in an interesting way.

In preparation for the Digital Days ONLINE EVENT, a “Digital Day Exploratory Committee” was established at the Digital Agency.

Jun Murai was the chairperson and I was the acting chairperson.

Although discussed by a diverse group of members including Yoichi Ochiai and Hiroyuki, the DIGITAL DAYS SUMMIT was planned and implemented almost entirely by private volunteers, mainly from the music industry.

At the end of the event, we welcomed online Takuya Hirai, the first Minister of Digital Media, who was in Kagawa with producer Shogo Mizuno.

He has done a tremendous job in facing the longstanding challenge of public-private partner ship and breaking down stove-piping in the Kasumigaseki area, and successfully implemented this event in one year by allocating the necessary laws, budget, and personnel.

Thank you very much for your hard work.

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Kyoto International Film and Art Festival

■ Kyoto International Film and Art Festival

Like a film festival, but not a film festival. It looks like an art exhibition, but it is not. 

When I asked what it was all about,

“It’s all about film, art, and everything else,” was what I got in return. This is the Kyoto International Film and Art Festival.

The festival was held without incident. As the chairman of the executive committee, I would like to express my gratitude.

For two consecutive years since the Pacific War, the Gion Festival had to cancel the Yamahoko Junko procession.

However, in order to keep the culture alive, Yamahoko floats were still constructed.

As in the previous year, there were only six lightings of the Daimonji (in which a Chinese character meaning “large” or “great” is lit on fire on a mountain).

But lit they were.

The Olympics and Paralympics were held under restrictions.

We thought we should follow these examples and do the best we can.

Last year, we followed through with the event online.

This year, we tried a hybrid solution, holding the event both on- and offline.

This year’s theme:

“Face forward.

Forward.”

We want to make shape of the Reiwa era post-COVID.

Let’s face forward.

Including those who visited the stage greetings and exhibitions, as well as online viewers, a total of 110,000 people attended the festival.

58 films and 90 artworks were screened.

Though, we haven’t yet regained the pre-COVID level of enthusiasm.

I hope that we were able to show a sense of forward moment toward a post-COVID period.

The “Toshiro Mifune” award given to actors went to Kenta Kiritani.

The “Shozo Makino Award” honoring filmmakers went to Masaharu for “The Naked Director” and other films.

This time, the award was given to a young filmmaker.

Face forward, face forward.

The ambassador to present the prize was Kana Kurashina. A young woman.

Face forward, face forward.

Online screenings included the specially screened Chinese film “Beyond the Sky” and the physical screenings at Gion Kagetsu, Hulic Hall, and other venues.

There were also efforts such as the Kyoto International Indies-Cinema, as well as works by the Creator’s Factory for human resource development, among others. I was looking most forward to the silent/classic films.  

https://kiff.kyoto.jp/film/

The art was mainly found at the “Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art.”

https://kiff.kyoto.jp/art/

AU x Shozo Shimamoto “A”

Exhibition and performance by AU, a group of avant-garde artists represented by the late Shozo Shimamoto, a founding member of “Gutai.” The members of AU, Tamaya Shimada, Okakenta, and others worked to create a large “A” (hiragana character “あ”), while Shimamoto himself also created a beautiful “A.” 

This is a modified jukebox where you can watch videos of “A” in production.

It’s a huge PC with buttons as the keyboard, and you’re able type on it.

Analog + digital, super inconvenient! Stupid! Cool!

I want to borrow it and display it at my university. 

There’s also art distributed online.

From the Naoko Tosa Laboratory at the Kyoto University Graduate School of Ars Vivendi (Shishukan) Art Innovation Industry-Academia Joint Lecture, where I am a specially-appointed professor. 

https://kiff.kyoto.jp/art/cat6_artinnovation.html

Dr. Heinrich x Marine Nakamura

Collaboration talk project “Let’s make PoeJan bottles”

It was a real pleasure to invite Dr. Heinrich.

“K-Ko Project” at Gion Kagetsu.

New York artist KAORUKO (that’s formal idol Kaoruko Arai!).

Transmitting her signature K-Ko pose (face out from under the crotch) for good luck.

Ultra Boogies, Kuuki Kaidan, Gerrardon, Dansei Blanco, and Kaerutei posed before the King of Conte semi-finals.

https://kiff.kyoto.jp/art/cat5_kaoruko.html

Theme song of the Kyoto International Film and Art Festival “MEMORIES of FILM”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Viu10JhwTeU

Everyone contributed a picture of their favorite movie, coupled with a message.

I was the last one, after Mr. Kukkii.

Thank you, everyone.

After much deliberation, I chose Fellini’s “8 1/2"

The sweet dream of my boyhood.

Fellini’s Rimini is my Kyoto.

Just what is cinema?

Holding hands, making a circle.

“Life is a festival.”

The Kyoto International Film Festival.

In closing, a greeting.

To Hulic Hall, KYOCERA Museum of Art, Tamanoyu, and everyone who provided the venue.

Thank you very much.

To the film art administration, media sponsors, and to the grandparents, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and children who participated on- and offline.

Ookini (Thank you very much).

Next year, we would like to make the entire city of Kyoto—east, west, north, south, and online as well—a much livelier hybrid event.

Yoroshuu otano moushimasu (Thank you very much for your cooperation).

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COVID-19, decluttering, Kyoto.

■ COVID-19, decluttering, Kyoto.

A young acquaintance of mine has recently taken to decluttering.

She says she is going to get rid of things, become minimalist and live lightly. She will move to a smaller place where she can live within easy reach of things.

She says, “when you lose weight, you become healthy, and when you become light, you can travel. 

From objects to intangible things; eco-friendly and nomadic.

All I need exists digitally.”

That’s right.

She also “decluttered” people by cutting them off. 

She said, “My main customer service business was doomed because of COVID. During that time, I cut my social networking and phone contacts down to the bare minimum.

Even then, I can still contact the people I need to. The vast majority, however, were unnecessary.”

She seems comfortable.

“The digital community and communication can be overly self-limiting if too abundant.”

I wonder.

No work can be had during COVID. No chance to move your body during COVID.

An opportunity to be reborn.

Detox the things and people you have stored up.

Though I wouldn’t want to become the waste product after someone’s detoxing, but it may lead toward someone’s opportunity to detox and be reborn anew.

I have just delved into the service business area of new universities. Now is a time to strengthen communication with the digital community, so I don’t have time to think about decluttering. Yet, it would do me good to be careful not to let my aging leak out as waste.

But decluttering isn’t the goal, is it? What do we do with weight off our shoulders? While you downsize, COVID has put society at a standstill. What does my friend think about this? 

When I asked her, she replied back with, “Wait to be burned out.”

Hm? What does that mean?

“Wait to be burned out. Do nothing. Stay still.

There is no work for me, but nobody else can either. Our community will be destroyed.

I will die out.

Once that happens, I can start over from zero.

And I look forward to that.”

The Kyoto people’s sense of time, looking ahead after the “Onin War” in the 15th century,  is to let COVID be an opportunity to burn oneself out.

Once they’re burnt down, the game is on.

The catchphrase for the 2015 Kyoto International Film and Art Festival was,

“Kyoto likes the weird and disorderly ♡”

“Kyoto creates. Creates, and then destroys.”

“Kyoto destroys. Destroys, and then creates.”

Those phrases must be true.

Hmm…

I am halfway to become a Kyotoite.

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Introducing two punk films.

■ Introducing two punk films.

Here are two punk music films I watched during the COVID pandemic.

First is “AMERICAN UTOPIA,” a collaborative effort between David Byrne and Spike Lee.

Love it.

Love it.

Love it.

The Broadway production is 107 minutes long with 21 songs.

Most of that time I spent crying.

Am I a rare case because the live show I saw 40 years ago is ingrained in my mind and body?

Not at all. Young people who see it for the first time will be shaken it by it.

It was the best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hB7Wl4BNSk

The stage and costumes are stripped of all decoration to create a thrilling, interesting, and dynamic space with primitive expression of the body, instruments, performance, and dance.

Political messages of diversity and inclusion are present throughout.

The production shows that music still carries such profound possibilities.

Even then, David Byrne is already 70 years old. Ugh.

I was right to see the play in a small and loud theater called “Demachi-za” in Kyoto.

Though, this is not something to be seen while sitting down silently with a mask on your face. It was something meant for the audience to participate in.

I can’t wait to get back to that sense of unity. 

Next time, I’ll watch it on the super big screen, shouting with everyone else!

Here’s the next film.

“THE PUBLIC iMAGE IS ROTTEN.”

A documentary by Public Image Ltd. and John Lydon. 

I dropped the needle on their first album, PUBLIC IMAGE. The first song, “theme,” with Wobble’s heavy bass and Walker’s drumming, was immediately followed by Levin’s guitar, a shock I will never forget. 

The evolution from Sex Pistols to PiL was tremendously unbelievable. I have decided to make punk my life’s path.

Though, this movie shows that punk isn’t just about the crazy madness of young people, but something much more profound as a musician and a person.

There are images of when PiL visited Japan in 1983.

Kyoto was very close to the movie theater where I saw their performance.

After the performance, I was having a drink with Bo Gambos and others not far from the theater when John Lydon came over and gave me a piggyback ride! It was a great time.

The year after, I became a bureaucrat, and the year after, I went to see PiL in Tokyo.

I went with Yasuhiko Taniwaki, who was my classmate at the time.

In suits and ties, we were getting wild at Shibuya Public Hall.

We were probably the two most conspicuous people in the area. 

When I’m in “university president” mode, I wear PiL and Sex Pistols badges instead of my family crest. I still haven’t been found out. 

David Byrne and John Lydon.

They were British men who were active in New York and London at the same time.

For me, they are the two great heroes of punk.

It is no coincidence that I met them twice in Kyoto—as a teenager, they gave me inspiration in deciding what I wanted to do with my life, and now, in my sixties.

My punk path still has a long way to go. 

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Theory of JIZAI Body

■Theory of JIZAI Body

“Theory of JIZAI Body” written by Masahiko Inami et al.

The “Inami JIZAI Body Project” is led by Professor Inami, our boss at the University of Tokyo’s Institute for Advanced Study and the co-chairman of the Superhuman Sports Society.

I was drawn in by the self-introductions by young scholars of brain, science, psychology, information engineering, mechanical engineering, information engineering, mechanical engineering, and media design, who gather under the umbrella of body informatics.

In the modern era, technologies of transportation, production, and information have developed. Dr. Inami calls it “de-embodiment” and “liberation” from drudgery.

Yes, and I believe that further development of technology will bring about a “super nothing-to-do society.”

Yet, Dr. Inami says the next step is realizing the “jizai (autonomized) body.”

He says that robots and avatars will be made self-reliant, and that the human body will be turned into a cyborg robot.

The term “autonomization” refers to “the ability of a person to freely handle the expanded capabilities of a machine.”

Those who have seen “MetaLimbs,” which attach a third or fourth arm to the body, will immediately get the idea.

The idea is to extend, distribute, and share such capabilities in both real and virtual space.

Dr. Inami’s project has five research themes.

1. Enhancement of the senses (extrasensory)

2. Enhancement of the physical body (super-body)

3. Design via the separation of body and mind (astral projection/transformation)

4. Alter ego

5. Union of the body

Dr. Inami’s previous books are full of references to science fiction and pop culture, and this publication is a genealogy of his work.

The goal of his project is to establish the basic technology to realize a “digital cyborg,” i.e., “a person who freely manipulates superhuman abilities by freely traversing across physical space and cyberspace.”

The MIT Negroponte “bit and atom combination” will be reincorporated into the body. This is the birth of a “new mankind.”

For this purpose, design via the separation of body and mind (astral projection/transformation) will take place.

The hardware and software of a person are separated and deconstructed layer by layer. 

Then, the outer body will control a robot or avatar as if it was its own; one can wear a machine and feel it as oneself. 

Letting a distant robot avatar take over your actions with automation technology.

Manipulating real robots and virtual avatars back and forth with one’s own self, switching between automatic and manual control.

You will have N bodies in N real + virtual locations.

Dr. Inami explains the “ubiquity of consciousness,” likening it to the ubiquity of machines advocated by Mark Weiser of Xerox, or ubiquitous computing.

The ubiquity of consciousness and the body, or the ubiquity of the self. It stirs the human desire to conquer the earth.

On the other hand, it also scrutinizes the domination and sharing of the self by others.

The “union” of many people into a portable shrine-like structure is also a theme of Dr. Inami’s research.

The possibility of sharing one’s body with others or AI is also being discussed. Experiments are underway in which others can control a robotic arm attached to one’s body.

Extending one’s possessions or body through the process of sharing is also mentioned.

Actions are digitized. Distributed and shares as data. Globally.

The masses could be guided or even controlled and managed by themselves.

Immeasurable impact.

The academic fields appearing this book are mechanical engineering, information engineering, control engineering, brain science, neuroscience, psychology, physiology, and emergency medicine, as well as the aesthetics, ethics, and cultural anthropology of Daisuke Uryu from the University of Tokyo.

Research is the “middle ground,” but additional factors are required. This assumes that social implementation includes the dispersion and sharing of the self, philosophy (what is the self?), economics (output, employment, distribution), and law (freedom of expression and public regulation).

Quite exciting to think about.

It was 20 years ago that I published “Digital Toy Box” after two years of study, research, and interviews at the MIT Media Lab to understand MIT Negroponte’s coupling of bits and atoms.

Dr. Inami’s book is an impactful one. It is sure to motivate you that much more to dive into his theory of the autonomized body.

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Introducing 2 books about AI and the body.

■ Introducing 2 books about AI and the body.

I will introduce two publications about AI and the human body.

“NEO HUMAN” by Peter Scott-Morgan.

The book follows the author, of a scientist diagnosed with motor neurone disease, who transformed himself into a cyborg by replacing his body with a machine while supplementing his brain with AI. He lives virtually through voice synthesis, gaze input, and his own avatar.

Rather than confronting his disease, he uses it as an opportunity to be born again, a challenge that paves the way toward the future of humanity. 

Even if limb or organ function is impaired, life can be maintained as long as the brain can operate.

Rather, the brains direct connection with AI and robots will expand the body and give it freedom of activity.

The author is said to be active even now that his limbs are immobile and he has lost his voice.

The book does not paint a linear picture of the bright future of a fusion between the physical and IT, but rather juxtaposes the author’s difficult life, speaking of the fault lines between him and establishment, the pressures against living as a gay man, and his struggles in business.

The main subject of the book, the execution of his project, is also a harrowing one. In the end, the Seven Samurai finally break through.

This is a book about the way of life.

What we have given up on in the past may be turned around and be used to bring about a new future by embracing technology.

This requires a commitment to fight against the orthodox, to gather comrades, obtain funding, and to communicate.

I wonder if I would have the energy to do so if I think about the author’s situation as my own. That is my impression after reading this book.

The other book.

“Genius Weapons: Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Weaponry, and the Future of Warfare” by Louis Del Monte.

This book questions the development of AI weapons and their control and management by mankind.

Autonomous weapons, omnipotent weapons, autopiloting, AI-implanted soldiers, and the technological and political scenarios they conceive.

It is a looming reality and an endless thought experiment.

I thought about it vexingly.

AI and nanotechnology are too advanced.

A treaty prohibiting the development of autonomous weapons would require both major powers (the United States and China to see the benefits.

This would be when the possibility of small nations, ethnic minorities, and terrorists using the new weapons increases.

This points to a situation in which the democratization of technology would need to be curbed.

What will Japan do to control tech democratization?

The military will become system-engineered.

Operational units will be replaced by AI, and the majority of personnel will be allocated to AI development and maintenance.

Like investment banks.

The unemployment problem among military personnel will be troublesome.

The military may become the strongest force against AI evolution.

This book discusses whether soldiers will control AI or AI will control soldiers, assuming the mass emergence of soldiers with AI implanted in their brains after technological singularity.

There would be no military incentive except for AI to have control over the soldiers. 

The question is, who would want that?

What AI-implanted people upload into the AI system is not knowledge, but experience and emotion.

This would bring about new life support and regeneration, so there would be incentives for this.

Post-singularity. Live to see what technology awaits.

That’s a good goal.

At the end of the book, there is a commentary by Keiji Ono of the Ministry of Defense.

The debate on security should not be kept to the experts.

Hanshin fans in the Kansai region comment on everything from professionals to aunties and children.  Mr. Ono explains the utility of public opinion, “the psychology of Hanshin fan support,” in maintaining governance.

This section of the book hit closest to home for me.

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The Fight Against GAFA’s Expansion

■ The Fight Against GAFA’s Expansion

“The Fight Against GAFA’s Expansion,” written by Masako Wakae.

A business book on how telecommunications, manufacturers, and eC companies suffered defeat.

…which is what I misunderstood it to be, and was late in reading it.

Journalism, academia, and policy theory follows nationalists from industry, academia, and government, who confronted the struggle for data supremacy and questioned national strategy. 

A good book, and a must-read for IT professionals.

The secrecy of communications, freedom of expression, personal data protection, privacy, network neutrality, communications security, extraterritorial application, competition policy, and content policy.

IT Headquarters, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Consumer Affairs Agency, Fair Trade Commission, and the Personal Information Protection Commission.

I would like to pay tribute to the efforts of these organizations in tackling “cross-cutting problems that are difficult to solve in the traditional stove-piped matter.” 

Professor Tsunetoshi Shishido of the University of Tokyo, Attorney Ryoji Mori, President Kunihiro Tanaka of Sakura Internet, and bureaucrats from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry.

Although I knew that many of the people who appeared in the book by their real names, I did not know many of their detailed backgrounds, which made my heart throb with excitement.

They’re distinguished citizens, I thought.

There were a few remarks about Yasuhiko Taniwaki, who left the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

“Taniwaki’s departure is a loss for Japan.”

“Taniwaki is a geek and a bit of an oddball, but he is an academic and plows through anything like a bulldozer, getting it done. I have seen him many a time in late-night discussions with young engineers and customer service representatives at an inexpensive izakaya bar, sharing wisdom about the realities of the industry.”

“At least in his dealings with NTT, Taniwaki did not appear to be corrupt in protecting his interests. Rather, he was feared by them for his willingness to argue about things on their merits.”

I was also thoroughly impressed that, as a reporter taking a hard look at Kasumigaseki, Ms. Wakae has commented on what I would like to testify to.

This book does not tell a narrow story of the Japanese industry’s defeat against American IT companies. Rather, it is a telling of the failure of the Japanese industry and government’s maintenance of monozukuri (production) and in addressing intellectual property and software strategy, as indicated by the 1983 Young Report. she further addressed the lack of sensitivity of society as a whole through data-driven technology.

The author, Ms. Wakae, has interviewed me several times three years ago in the fight against piracy. She was the journalist who most acutely delved into the crosscutting digital constitution issue of the secrecy of communications vs. protection of intellectual property. That, too, has yet to be resolved. 

In the digital field, “cross-cutting problems that are difficult to solve in the traditional stove-piped matter” will still arise.

We strongly hope that the Digital Agency will confront these cross-cutting issues, but if it is not done properly, a new stove-pipe may be created.

We want to create a zagumi (performer’s organization), a community, to confront these challenges.

That is why we created the Digital Policy Forum, a discussion platform consisting of key players in the digital policy industry, academia, and government.

I have asked Ms. Wakae, the author, and other people who appear in this book to join us.

Mr. Taniwaki will serve as the secretariat.

Ms. Wakae’s book has inspired me to take action.

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The Century of Communication

■ The Century of Communication

I read through “The Century of Communication: 150 Years of Information Technology and National Strategies” by Tetsuya Ohno. 

The attack and defense of communication sovereignty and infrastructure development since the Meiji era.

Fierce political and military struggles between nations and dark conflicts between the political, public, and private sectors regarding the domestic telecommunications industry.

Reading this makes the current GAFA measures seem childish.

Teruo Ariyama’s “Information Hegemony and Imperial Japan,” published in 2013, describes the fact that information and communications have been important political matters of the state since the modern era. Furthermore, Japan, too, has seen a series of high-level political decisions by the Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet.

Both publications are must-reads for telecommunications geeks.

I became a telecommunications bureaucrat during the monopoly era of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation (NTT) in Japan and Kokusai Denshin Denwa (KDD) internationally.

In the midst of the technological epoch of telephone automation, the KDD scandal occurred, and the company advanced headfirst toward telecommunications liberalization.

This was followed by the battle with the U.S. and the U.K. over the liberalization of telecommunications, the reorganization of NTT, and finally, deregulation.

It is quite nostalgic as my own work history.

Mr. Ohno takes the harsh view that the restructuring and deregulation of NTT at the end of the 1990s was “a failure of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications,” which lacked the ability to take part in technological progress and market changes.

I, as a middleman, took it as a purely administrative evolution. Though, when considering the correlation between the subsequent reorganization of ministries and agencies with the dismantling of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, I wonder if Mr. Ohno’s view is the legitimate one.

However, the offensive and defensive battleground that continued on for 100 years was drastically changed by the Internet.

Japanese carriers became truly domestic, while AT&T, BT, and Vodafone withdrew.

Yet, the leading role in telecommunications shifted to the upper layers, led by GAFA.

Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are also trying to get their hands on submarine cables.

It was only last year that the Telecommunications Business Law finally accommodated foreign services such as Gmail. As someone who knows the international offensive pre-Internet, it was like watching the Qing Dynasty under imperialism.

Let the EU lead the way and live with the US—is this the way to handle the next few decades?

“I think I would have gone into telecommunications bureaucracy even if I was born a hundred years ago.”

I wrote this seven years ago at the end of my book-reviewing blog on “Information Hegemony and Imperial Japan.”

It is no different now. I would like to enter that field and become a policy entrepreneur.

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The establishment of an industry-academia-government forum on digital policy.

■ The establishment of an industry-academia-government forum on digital policy.

The Digital Policy Forum, a discussion platform for digital policy among industry, academia, and the government, has been launched.

The forum is a community for open online and offline discussion and proposal of cross-cutting themes related to social, economic, and digital issues such as technology.

It is a place where wisdoms are connected and discussed, from which action can be taken.

https://www.digitalpolicyforum.jp/

Purpose: “In recent years, issues such as security measures, cyber-terrorism countermeasures and intellectual property protection have expanded. At the same time, technological innovations such as AI, Big Data, IoT and 5G have advanced and a new international policy agenda has emerged. We will form a community to discuss and make suggestions to further digital policy.”

In addition to myself, the promoters of the Digital Policy Forum include Masaru Kitsuregawa, Director of the National Institute of Informatics, Ken Sakamura, Professor of Toyo University, Hideyuki Tokuda, President of NICT, Masao Horibe, Professor Emeritus of Hitotsubashi University, and Jun Murai, Professor of Keio University. 

The forum’s inaugural meeting was attended by researchers from universities and other institutions, ministries, and agencies including the Digital Agency, the Intellectual Property Headquarters, the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and the Agency of Cultural Affairs.

The central figures discussing digital policy have gathered. More will join. 

As an initial agenda, we presented five items.

Data-driven society: Data distribution market and platform measures

Borderless market: international rules for data transactions

Market structure change: layer structure and competitive environment, especially in the telecommunications sector

IP policy: strategy for digital content

The state of the rules: frameworks for hard law and soft law, co-regulation, etc. 

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Symposium to celebrate the founding of the Digital Agency.

 ■ Symposium to celebrate the founding of the Digital Agency.

“Digital Risk Forum” @ Takeshiba. Celebrating the founding of the Digital Agency.

It has been exactly one year since the opening of the world’s first smart building in Takeshiba. We once again invited Mr. Takuya Hirai, a member of the House of Representatives, who was appointed as the first Minister of Digital Affairs shortly after his arrival at the event. 

https://newmediarisk.org/draforum2021

I addressed the audience as the organizer of the event.

“It was 10 years ago that the widespread use of smartphones and social media led to a number of flaming incidents.

The following year, we established the New Media Risk Association, known colloquially as the ‘Flaming Association.’

Since then, the environment has changed with AI, IoT, and big data, “digital” has become the most important theme for the social economy.

At the same time, COVID-19 has ravaged the world, making digitality all the more important. It was a reminder that Japan was indeed losing the digital fight. It became clear that the Japanese government, healthcare, and business were lagging behind. 

In 1989, Japan’s international competitiveness, which has been the highest in the world, had dropped to 34th place, a clear downfall. The 30 years since have been a period of digital inaction for Japan. 

This is Japan’s last chance for digital transformation (DX). The country has maintained its world-class capabilities in manufacturing, design, education, and public safety. We believe is fully possible to digitally revitalized Japan post-COVID.

However, digital transformation that manifests as a sudden surge will also lead to increased digital risks. Therefore, last year, our association changed its name to the Digital Risk Association and put in place a new structure.

We welcome the inauguration of the Digital Agency, who shares a similar approach. I am pleased that the importance of digital administration has finally been recognized by the agency, and that they have set sail under a worthy first minister. 

In on year, they have developed many relevant laws and gathered human resources to inaugurate the Agency. The sheer horsepower of their work, the likes of which were not seen in the Heisei era, has given me hope. 

The agency’s base here in Takeshiba is a smart city designed to be in full swing in time for the Olympics. 

It was designed as a special zone abundant with digital technology such as 5G, robotics, IoT, and data. We hope to work digitally with the Digital Agency and other government agencies.”

Ms. Yoko Ishikura, who was appointed as Digital Supervisor, gave a comment as well.

Ms. Ishikura was a college of mine at Keio and our rooms were next to each other.

She said she never allowed teachers in. This was the same as when she was at iU. Though, simply calling her “Ms. Ishikura” would have been uninspiring. Ishikura-kan, Digi-kan, Yoko-chan—not sure which fits best.

Minister Hirai remarked,

“Ten years from now, the word ‘digital’ will no longer be used. We won’t even have to think to be digital.”

Great attitude. The digital will merge with our society. Everything will become digital. Consumed as such. This is truly “being digital.”

If their work is successful, the Digital Agency will be gone. This is the goal.

Right now, the conversation is focused on how to move forward with government DX, but what was discussed was a major posture to rewrite analog civilization: how to develop cities and live, how to develop cities and live, how to produce communities, families, and meals. It would be exciting if we could move toward such a policy. 

Let us hope that happens.

“A congressman should not seek happiness. If you do this for long enough, you become a horrible person.”

The minister murmured.

Hmm…

As was the case year ago, the timing of the cabinet change occurred right before the presidential election.

They must be carrying a heavy load.

Great work.

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The Media Content Market Today

■ The Media Content Market Today

The 2021 edition of the "Japan and Global Media Contents Market Database" has been published by HUMANMEDIA.

It estimates that due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the size of the media content market in Japan has become ¥13,107.6 billion, which is a decrease of ¥661.2 billion (-4.8%) from the previous year.

Let's read more.

In 2020, "Entertainment and facilities," including movies and karaoke, etc., fell 43.3% from the previous year due to the impact of COVID-19. "Broadcasting" fell 12.2%, and "Software packages" fell 6.4%.

On the other hand, "Online content", with its large growth in streaming and increased advertising, rose by a total of 5.3%, accounting for 41.4% overall. The total for all segments remained in the ¥13 trillion range despite a 4.8% decrease.

In the 2010s, the content market shrank 5% year-on-year in 2009 following the Lehman Shock in 2008, and remained leveled off until 2012, the year after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

The market began to expand in 2013, and in 2016 recovered to the size it was in 2008. It has continued to expand since then, and in 2019 reached its largest level since 2008.

In 2020, there was a dip due to COVID-19. The question is whether this will continue or reverse in 2021.

In terms of media categories, "Online content" such as streaming, etc., accounted for only 13.4% of the total in 2011, but in 2019 it accounted for as much as 34.8%.

Its size was about three times larger in 2019 than it was in 2011, and the amount increased by ¥3,184.9 billion. This sector was responsible for most of the recovery and expansion of the market in the 2010s.

On the other hand, the "Package content", consisting of video, music, game software, newspapers, printing and publishing, etc., accounted for 43.5% of the total in 2011, but shrank to 27.4% in 2019. Its size declined 27.4% from 2011 to 2019, and the amount declined by ¥1,424.3 billion. "Broadcasting" maintained the ¥3.7 to 3.8 trillion level, but the overall market shrank from 29.5% in 2011 to 28.0% in 2019.

The results of survey of the media content market size in 20 countries and regions around the world showed that on a yen basis for 2019, the United States, China, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France, will be in that same order as they were in the previous year.

The market size in the United States, which is the world's largest, is about four times the size of the Japanese market, with China in second place being about twice as large as Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom in fourth and fifth place being about half the size of Japan, and France being about one-third of the size.

The overseas market for Japanese content will be about ¥2 trillion in 2019. This is a 16.3% year-on-year increase, nearly tripling since 2012. By sector, anime, followed by online gaming for smartphones is the largest.

The largest field was animation, which exceeded ¥1.2 trillion in 2019. Online games came next, with ¥368.9 billion, followed by publishing, mainly consisting of manga, which has also continued to expand.

In 2019, the total market size of domestic media content and related industries in the 5 sectors was ¥56.5 trillion, accounting for 9.9% of the ¥554 trillion GDP. It exceeded food service that was at ¥26 trillion, clothing which was at ¥10 trillion, and has reached a size where it is closing in on the ¥63 trillion in construction investment.

(5 areas: communications including telecommunications, etc.; advertising; characters; media hardware including TV and game consoles, etc.; and live performances)

---

The content market had dipped at the beginning of the transition from analog to digital, but has since been on a trend of growth.

Although also having dipped due to COVID-19, digital expansion will accelerate and live shows will return sooner or later. Overseas markets will also grow.

It is an industry with high expectations. Market expansion revolving around digital content and internationalism, which the government's intellectual property strategy is aiming for, will be in full swing after COVID-19.

Even more than that, we should focus on a market that combines related industries. The total market size of hardware and software is a pillar of industry on par with food, clothing, and construction.

Furthermore, it will have a large ripple effect on markets around it. The viewpoint of expanding the scale of investment in these fields is required in anticipation of the ripple effects.

I recommend that this database, which is compiled on an annual basis, be used as a text for policymaking.

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20 years after 9/11 (September 11th), optimistic expectations.

■20 years after 9/11 (September 11th), optimistic expectations.

I had optimistic slides that I was going to present back in Japan right after 9/11.

September 11th, 20 years ago was the strongest season for the Internet in the United States, even though the Internet bubble had burst.

I had an appointment with president of MaMaMedia, Inc., Idit Harel, a female entrepreneur and graduate of MIT. It was when I was approaching Manhattan after driving from Boston in the early morning, that I came across the terrorist attack.

I have written about this several times.　

While returning to Boston from New York, there was just screaming and confusion coming from the car radio, and I learned of the situation from the images from the TV at a roadside restaurant.

On the East Coast people were commuting to work and school, and on the West Coast, which was three hours behind, people were sleeping.

However, everyone I knew in Japan saw it happening on the news.

The degree of it being in real-time was higher in Asia.

The "Advanced information society," in which the media connects the world through images, had been completed.

With that, the "Optimistic expectations" that mutual understanding would advance, and world peace would come, was showed to be downright lie.

Mutual understanding breeds extinction, hatred, terrorism, and revenge.

The United States brandished nationalism, which soon led to the war in Afghanistan, and then the war in Iraq.

Ten years later, Japan was shaken by March 11th, and the tremors were shared and spread on TV and smartphone social networking sites.

Since September 11th, I have once again recognized the power of images.

However, it was not the images that made me flinch when I entered the area immediately after the quake, but rather a sharply intense "Odor".

That odor was not perceived through the digital images.

My expectations for digital technology were still optimistic.

At that time, smartphones and social networking sites became widespread, and helped democratize the world.

The Arab Spring has arrived.

Democracy and capitalism covered the globe along with the wave of digitization.

We are moving in one direction.

I had such "Optimistic expectations".

Then another 10 years passed.

The United States was in decline, and after 20 years of fighting in Afghanistan, it was defeated and withdrew from the country.

The United Kingdom left the European Union.

The Arabs have reverted to civil wars and iron-fist regimes after the Arab Spring.

China has become too confident and uncompromising, and it is clamping down domestically.

Democracy and capitalism are both without life.

"Optimistic expectations" remained only optimistic once again.

And COVID-19 has brought into sharp relief the shape of the country.

China is suppressing with an iron-fist..

France is also ruling with a heavy hand, but only against protests.

The United States is divided among its states.

The United Kingdom shows the strength of its logistic management.

India makes its people do push-ups.

Japan makes demands, has no presence, and hypothesizes. 

The world is in pieces.

Meanwhile, Japan has been falling. 

Its international competitiveness, which was once 1st, has fallen to 34th.

What we have gained during COVID-19 is a recognition of the digital defeat.

The eJapan strategy of 20 years ago and the last solid policy were both led by introducing IT into administration and education.

For 20 years, we stopped.

Launching the Digital Agency will help us recover from this defeat.

At this moment, digital technology is at the stage of transition from the Internet and smartphones to AI data.

It is the last chance.

After bringing an end to the "Kishotenketsu" (introduction, development, turn and conclusion) of the modern eras that were Meiji, Taisho, Showa, and Heisei, Reiwa will move us on to the post-modern era.

I wonder if that is the mood for the "Optimistic expectations".

The Olympics that were forced through did not glorify nationalism.

Especially the new city-based competitions where teenagers were the main participants. They were cooler, showing smiles rather than a hungry spirit, and what they shouldered was not the nation, but love and friendship.

The nationalistic, modern Olympics, where people competed for medals, was turned around, and became a super-modern, leisurely, and fun festival.

It is a great legacy.

10 years after September 11th was March 11th, and 10 years after that was COVID-19.

With each decade, "Optimistic expectations" have withered away.

What awaits us 10 years from now?

I hope to see the light.

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The OTAKU SUMMIT was held

■The OTAKU SUMMIT was held

Based in Ikebukuro Sunshine City, as Tokyo 2020's official cultural Olympiad.

Representative of The International Otaku Expo Association (IOEA), Kazutaka Sato, was the president of the executive committee.

I gave a congratulatory speech and talk at the opening.

https://otaku-summit.jp/

Plague in the 14th century. The authority of the church declined and the Renaissance was born.

There was the birth of art and science. The Middle Ages departed, and the modern age arrived.

What will COVID-19 produce?

Artists and geeks are resting at home.

There is expression born from difficult times.

Jazz and punk were born out of oppression.

I hope that new pop music will be born.

It has been 20 years since the term "Cool Japan" was coined.

In the past, the image of Japan was that of a "Fighting nation", typified by the words "Harakiri" (ritual suicide by disembowelment) and "Kamikaze" (a suicide attack).

This image was transformed into "Fighting companies", such as Toyota, Honda, and Sony.

Now this image has been replaced by "Fighting characters", such as Naruto, Pikachu, and Super Mario.　

The Western reception of contemporary Japanese culture exhibits different characteristics from that of the old exoticism and Orientalism of Kabuki, Sumo, and Geisha.

And the power to spread, penetrate, and influence, that Japanese pop culture now demonstrates is thought to be far greater than the inspiration that Ukiyo-e once provided for the birth of Impressionism.

In 2018, the "World Otaku Institute" was launched.

The idea is for the CiP Council - an incorporated association that is creating a special zone for the concentration of pop culture in Minato Ward, Tokyo - to collaborate with the International Otaku Expo Association (IOEA), to create a headquarters for otaku researchers from around the world.

In founding this project, I stated the following.

"I want to create a network of leading experts in otaku research, and develop that into a research institute that will bring joy to researchers and fans on all five continents.

I want the World Otaku Institute to be a sandbox for researchers from all over the world, where they can play freely, make mountains how they want to, and dig in.

At the same time, I want to devise ways to circulate research funds and business money."

The trouble with Cool Japan is business.

In 2004, the government set a goal of expanding the content market from ¥11 trillion to ¥15 trillion by 2010.

Currently, the market is at ¥13 trillion, so the target has not been reached.

However, the market for character products, tourism, and other related markets that use this content will amount to ¥57 trillion.

This accounts for 10% of GDP, and is close to the amount invested in construction.

If we look at the content industry by itself, even though it's scale may not be so large, the related industries and the ripple/external effects are significant, and a composite model of earning "By" content is expected.

The government's aim is to use the content industry as a catalyst to enhance brand power and image, and to grow overall industry, including consumer electronics, food, and tourism, etc.

In recent years, the content market has been on a trend of expansion, and in particular, "Online content", such as streaming, has tripled in 2019 since 2011.

Overseas markets are also being developed, and the overseas market for Japanese content has more than doubled in the past 10 years. We can see the light.

Barcelona, Spain, 2019.

IOEA and the World Otaku Institute teamed up to host the "Otaku Summit" at "Manga Barcelona", an event focused on Japanese manga, with a 25-year history, attracting 50,000 people.

Researchers and activists from the United States, Italy, China, and Japan spoke passionately about the challenges and prospects of otaku culture.

In all of these countries, the image of otaku culture is changing for the better.

Once a niche area, it has now become mainstream.

It has become the main culture, rather than a sub-culture.

At the same time as such things were being pointed out one after the other, there were strong opinions that otaku culture is spreading globally, transcending national borders, systems, and religions.

What can otaku culture do in response to global trends such as protectionism, and the swing towards conservatism?

How can we make the most of this power to reconciliate?

How can we strategically utilize the soft power of otaku culture?

Various questions were raised.

It was an opportunity to try and take a fresh look at the possibilities of otaku culture.

The Minister of Culture for Catalonia, Ms. Mariàngela Vilallonga Vives, also attended the event, where she and the CiP Council held a ceremonial signing of an agreement to promote the integration of digital culture and technological innovation.

The idea is to promote a strategy in which cities in the East and West of the world can work together to demonstrate their strengths through pop culture.

The World Otaku Institute is located in CiP, a special tech and pop zone in the Takeshiba district of the Tokyo Bay Area. The project is to create a digital national strategic special zone where content and IT industries are concentrated.

The CiP Council is the parent body that is driving the project forward.

The city opened in September 2020 with the participation of 50 companies and organizations in the animation, game, music, and IT industries.

Pop music and tech events will also be held in Takeshiba.

A showcase for the near future.

"An interesting future that lies a little further ahead". "Change Tomorrow", both of which are abbreviated as "CHOMORO".

The first event will be held the week after the Otaku Summit.

I want to develop research on otaku culture around the world at this new center that combines technology and entertainment.

This is my presentation.

"Otaku culture - the new normal!"

https://youtu.be/1Byq4l1vhy8

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Digital Transformation for Human Resource Development - What Should We Do?

■Digital Transformation for Human Resource Development - What Should We Do?

Digital Nation Japan Forum.

I appeared at the "Challenges of Digital Human Resource Development".

Digital transformation of human resources ranks 63rd in the IMD ranking. What should we do do?

With Member of Diet, Ms. Satsuki Katayama; Mr. Izumi, Head of the Information Economy Division of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Mr. Urakawa, Chairman of SOMPO Systems; and Mr. Mori, Corporate Executive Officer at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.

Here are my comments.

1. Situational awareness of digital transformation

Japan has fallen. The country's ranking in competitiveness has dropped in rank by 30 in 30 years of the Heisei era, and wages have become low.

What became clear during COVID-19 was that Japan's was poor in digital support. Its downfall was due to digital technology.

Remote work has been an issue for 30 years, but is at its lowest level in major nations.

Even more serious than industry are the public sectors of healthcare, education, and government. We cannot respond to crises on site with Fax, only 5% of classes can be done online, and 7.5% of national procedures are online.

For both the eJapan strategy from 20 years ago, and last year's framework policy, the introduction of IT to administration and education is at the core. It has stopped for 20 years.

There is the 4th industrial revolution and Society 5.0 through AI and IoT, but Japan has not even reached the 3rd industrial revolution or Society 4.0.

Firstly, the starting point is to recognize this.

However, I am hopeful. The reason for the delay is that the success experienced in the Showa era was too strong.

In industrial growth, Japanese-style management was highly praised.

The fields of healthcare, education, and government were considered "World-class".

There was little incentive to innovate digitally.

I noticed during COVID-19 that we have real ability.

Few deaths during COVID-19; it is likely to be overcome without lockdowns; and there is no damage to safety and security. Foreigners will return.

I want to respond now and turn this situation into an opportunity.

2. Issues with the digital transformation of human resources

The pool of human resources will expand rapidly.

Digital human resources = IT experts were unevenly distributed among vendors, SIer, and digital companies.

However, all industries and occupations are going digital, and everyone will become a digital human resource.

Not only vendors, but also finance, logistics, manufacturing, construction, and agriculture too.

Not only IT departments, but also management, planning, sales, general affairs, and accounting too.

The top, middle, and bottom layers of the workforce need to be deepened.

Top management = training experts at universities.

Training middle-level business personnel through recurrent education, training, and university curriculum organization.

Even More than that, in the long run, it is important to raise everyone's literacy. This will finally begin by having one PC per person, and making programming a mandatory subject.

iU was created to develop the human resources who will bring about innovation in information and management.

Having human resources who are useful in all industries, instead of just working for an IT company.

All members are trained together with the company as interns.

The fact that the number of partner companies reached 250 within one year of the opening of the university, is proof that there is a need for this from the industrial world.

3. Strategy for human resource development

Takuya Hirai the Digital Minister, has requested a regional Digital transformation of human resources development strategy, and iU is designing the curriculum. However, it is impossible for just one school to do this. I want to expand this nationwide through collaboration between industry and academia.

Teaching can be done online, but hands-on learning centers are needed. The Liberal Democratic Party's proposal calls for the development of 6 to 9 locations. I want to utilize universities in various locations.

However, I am optimistic in the long term.

Ten years from now, the PC mobile generation, who are now around 40 years old, will become presidents. Junior high school students will be entering the workforce. If we can survive until then, we will be fine.

What is needed is a generational change. 

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Participation in the (Art) Museum Policy.

■ Participation in the (Art) Museum Policy.

Museum subcommittee of the council for cultural affairs. Number 1.

I will participate from this term.

We will discuss the promotion of museums, art galleries, zoos, etc.

Prospects of what museums should be like after COVID-19, whilst taking on the major task to revise the Museum Act's registration and curatorial systems.

I will give my personal views on the role art plays in the digital age.

Three initial comments.

1. legal reform.

This clears up a long-standing concern. I support it.

However, why has the system not moved to the point where there is no benefit to registration?

That is also the question of whether there is public support for the institutional change.

It is a community issue, and may be a low priority for the public.

To arrive at legal reform, is it not necessary to make efforts to raise the priority level?

It is important to persuade the public of how important revisions of the Museum Act's registration and curatorial system are for people's lives and the social economy.

It should be stated how when museums change in this way, the benefits to the public will be like this.

At the beginning of the interim summary, museums are viewed as "Facilities that are indispensable to the lives of the people", but we need to make a rigorous evaluation and verification of whether the public actually views them in this way.

2. The role of museums.

WG Chairman Hamada summarized it as follows.

① "Protection and inheritance" - Protection of collections, and the preservation and inheritance of culture

② "Sharing" - Sharing of culture

③ "Cultivating" - Inheritance by future generations

④ "Connecting" - Responding to social issues

⑤ "Managing" - Sustainable management

Sharp, easy to understand, and precise.

The question is whether museums will be allowed to play this role.

Knowledge is rapidly being dispersed due to digitization and networks.

Information and activities are shifting from happening at real places to being virtual.

Conversely, the significance of museums will be severely called into question.

What kind of value will museums strike back with?

Computerization and networking are the central issues.

3. Data sharing.

In order to raise the priority of museum policy and develop a vision, I want to share the data that is a precursor to these things. 

Usage trends: How many people use museums per year/how much time is spent in museums per year?

Market size: What is the total annual operating cost?

Revenue structure: Is the ratio of public, corporate sponsorship, and admission fees sustainable?

How do these basic figures stand when compared with other cultural facilities (education, entertainment, etc.)?

How do they stand when compared to other countries such as G7 and China?

Based on these things,

how do we envision a strategy for growth?

How do we ensure sustainability?

How do we correct the disparities?

I said we needed to draw up policies and strategies based on these things. 

I know it is too much for a newcomer and an outsider to say, but instead of being satisfied with the inside stories of academia and industry, based on the fact that the Museum Act was once setback by legal reforms, etc., I wanted to make a scientific policy argument based on numerical evaluation and analysis, which is usually done in the field of public administration.

Start the discussion.

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The Stir of the Review of the Communications and Broadcasting Administration

■The Stir of the Review of the Communications and Broadcasting Administration

I appeared at the Radio Symposium, "What was behind the Tohokushinsha Film Corporation/NTT entertaining of guests issue?"

The panel consisted of Nobuo Ikeda (ex-NHK), Shin Yasunobe (ex-Ministry of International Trade and Industry), Takeshi Natsuno (ex-NTT Docomo), and myself (ex-Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications).

The independent committee on communications and broadcasting was the point at issue.

I will make a note of what was said and what was not said.

The independent committee comes to the fore every 10 years - from the Hashimoto administration in 1998, to the DPJ administration in 2009, and now this time.

I was in charge at the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in 1998, and I killed that conversation.

I was against it in 2009 as well, and for one reason: "It would tighten regulations". That hasn't changed.

However, the result of that conversation being quashed 20 years ago has led to the current turmoil, so this time I am not opposed to it.

First of all, how do you evaluate the administration of the past 20 years?

I see the media administration as "Doing well" under the the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The main objective which is to develop digital infrastructure, has been more successful in Japan than in other countries, and the reputation of the government office has improved since the days of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.

The independent organizations in the United States., France, and the United Kingdom are much tighter and not transparent.

Conversely, Japan's characteristics are that it is "Weak and narrow".

In my view, the diagnosis of the problem is misplaced, i.e., that it is due to the cozy relationship between the government and the business world, which stems from the powerful authority of telecommunications and broadcasting administrations. Instead, it is the weakness and narrowness of Japan that has led to the current situation.

The Japanese government is weak. It is lax.

In the late 1990s, the government drastically eased regulations on fees and entry into the market, and with the exception of the airwaves, eliminated restrictions on foreign investment.

Even if there is a problem with a TV program, at most there is only a warning. There are absolutely no  recommendations to discontinue the program or fines given with unknown grounds, as is the case in the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. 

I think this is the right administration for Japan.

If you make it independent, it will get out of control and its degree of transparency will lessen,

Since it is independent from politics and the government, it will not have to make the rounds of the Diet members' meetings, or attend Mr. Natsuno's council for regulatory reform.

For the bureaucrats, this is what they want.

All they do is regulate, so they will regulate hard.

If you look overseas, you can imagine that this will happen.

And the Japanese government is narrow.

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications had logistics, finance, and insurance in addition to communications and broadcasting.

The postal service was detached when it became the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

in the 1998 administrative reform.

It merged with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Management and Coordination Agency, but there was no exchange, leaving only communications and broadcasting.

Weak and without regard for the problems, the same people have been with the narrow industry for 20 years. The distortion of this issue is the current problem.

A further problem is the fact that the policy agenda in this area has already changed.

The development of digital infrastructure for both telecommunications and broadcasting has been completed, and the development of a system of integrated techniques was completed 10 years ago. There is also the adjustment of mature markets such as reducing the price of cell phones, and local station management issues.

There is a shift from business administration to consumer administration.

The more important agenda includes matters such as the integration of IT and IP policies, data strategy, overseas platform support, personal information protection, security measures, and the digitization of administration, education, and healthcare.

These have been addressed by various parts of the government over the past 20 years.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications remains narrow and does not play a leading role.

This is also exposed as the problem of vertical division in the digital age.

Communications and broadcasting, IT, intellectual property, computers, copyright, security - these government offices are fragmented.

In addition, a Digital Agency will be created.

The separation of regulation and promotion is not a matter of further subdivision, but rather what is important is making them into a large group.

When creating a large organization, it is necessary to review the administrative structure.

Let's promote streamlining and further deregulation.

In terms of monitoring the market, the functions of the dispute resolution committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications should be strengthened.

In terms of program checks, the authority of the BPO, a private organization, should be strengthened.

For monitoring the administration, the Administrative Management Bureau and the Board of Audit should be strengthened.

We do not need an independent committee.

I don't think any sector wants an independent commission that leads to tighter regulations.

I don't see any sponsors to shoulder the policy.

This is also true of a pulse auction.

Even if there is academic and political discussion, it will not become a realistic plan unless there is pressure from industry, users, and foreign countries, etc., to make it happen.

I am proposing a "Ministry of Culture" for the next reorganization of ministries.

A strong government agency that integrates the administration of digital media, including telecommunications and broadcasting, into a large entity. The Digital Agency should be the nucleus.

The content is almost identical to the "Digital Ministry" (Ministry of Digital Economy and Society) proposed by the Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren) in 2018.

This has a policy sponsor.

I think it would be productive if, after the creation of the Digital Agency, this commotion develops into being the next agenda for an administrative organization discussion for large entities. 

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Thank you, Tokyo 2020.

 ■Thank you, Tokyo 2020.

After 57 years. It has been 8 years since the bid. The long-awaited Olympics.

Success amidst the whirlwind of controversy over COVID-19.

I shudder to think that the Olympics may not have been held without spectators or whatever.

Athletes and sports are precious.

I respect the young and vibrant men and women who fight beautifully against the negative reactions they receive.

Thank you.

I was in front of the display the whole time.

One TV, three PCs, two tablets, and a smartphone.

I also had another smartphone for taking pictures.

I'm following the Olympics on 8 digital devices at home.

The Olympics is a period of training to improve multiple skills.

According to Yoshimoto Osaki, Chairman of the Board of Directors

"A proper sushi restaurant serves eight people at the same time. The counter is for eight people."

I see. Had I been training in making nigiri sushi at the Olympics?

As It's the Edo Olympics!

There were many amazing achievements from Japan's perspective.

Yui Ohashi was the champion in two swimming events.

Daiki Hashimoto, the flower of gymnastics, was the individual all-around champion and the horizontal bar champion.

Europe's secret techniques, the men's epee team in fencing.

Consecutive judo championships for Shohei Ohno and Risako Kawai.

Sena Irie won the women's boxing championship for the first time.

The dramatic turnabout with the "Gon Zeme" (full on aggressive attack) also energized me.

The table tennis team of Mizutani and Ito, and skateboarders Yuto Horigome and Momiji Nishiya.

There were also siblings who got gold medals. 

The Abe siblings in judo, and the Kawai sisters.

Getting the silver medal in women's basketball, Inami getting the silver medal in women's golf, and Kajihara getting the silver medal in the women's omnium are also great achievements.

Japanese women are amazing!

I counted the medals.

Gold 27: women-14, men-12, mixed-1.

Silver 14: women-8, men-5, mixed-1.

Bronze 17: women-8, men-8, mixed-1.

Total 58: women-30, men-25, mixed-3.

The red team won overwhelmingly.

Naomi Osaka, Kento Momota, Daiya Seto, men's 400m relay, and men's soccer.

Some of the athletes were expected to get gold medals, but were unable meet those expectations because of local pressure or something.

However, the gold rush in other events is dazzling, and I feel positive.

I also learned how unreliable the media's pre-event reviews can be.

Before being held, the legacy of the Olympics was as follows:

1. To return the Olympics to being the Olympics.

2. To show the recovery from COVID-19

3. Preserving data for the future

These are the 3 points I considered.

1. Return to a tournament which is athlete-centered, and focused on sports. 

This was a success. 

I was opposed to there being no spectators, nevertheless, watching baseball on the Internet with only the sounds of catching, the crack of the bats, and players' voices, and no play-by-play broadcasting or commentary, gave me a new fascination.

I also felt that it could be done in a devolved way, in local cities, rather than big cities. 

2. Showing the recovery from COVID-19.

This was shown. 

In particular, I think it brought light to the world given the fact that the event was held without any serious problems in Japan, where life without masks has not returned as it has in Europe and the United States, and where the infection situation is getting worse.

3. We still don't know about data. How much of it will become available in the future.

But we have AI/IoT, 4K8K5G, robots/drones.

We were able to display a comprehensive showcase of technology.

Robots working on the track, live coverage through AI, displaying the per-second swimming speed.

IoT cameras were a big success on the bike track.

I want to use all the data left behind by these devices.

e-Sports also left its mark.

The IOC-sponsored "Olympic Virtual Series" held five events before the Olympics, including baseball, cycling, and rowing.

I very much hope that it will be connected with the Paris and Los Angeles games.

To bring it back to Japan once again, we came third in gold following the United States and China. Overall, Japan ranked 5th behind the United States, China, Russia, and Great Britain. 

Never in the future will Japan rank so highly with the great powers of the world. 

The number of medals won at the Olympics reflects the power of a nation. It is a clear indication of the overall economic, cultural, and political power. Nothing surpasses this event in the battle over national flags and anthems. It is a symbol of modern national sovereignty.

That is how I have thought. 

That Showa-era thinking has been clearly overturned.

New city-based competitions such as skateboarding and climbing were cooler, showing smiles rather than a hungry spirit, and what they shouldered was not the nation, but love and friendship.

The sight of rivals carrying Misugu Okamoto, who placed 4th with her full on aggressive attack in the skateboarding women's park event, is a historical scene that shows the change of the times.

Skateboarding has street and park events, and Japan got three golds out of four from Horigome, Nishiya, and Yosozumi in the men's and women's events combined. It is our forte.

Moreover, the four female medalists are aged 19, 16, 13, and 12!

They had fun, laughed, and put the country second.

The fact that the teens presented such an image (sorry to go back to the country again) made me think that Japan has a future.

Japan's specialities of baseball, softball, and karate won't be held in Paris.

It was a treat for Tokyo to host the event.

That's enough of medals and nations right.

That's what I feel like I am being told by girls who could be grandchildren.

The modern, nationalistic Olympics, in which we compete for medals in desperation, will be overturned, and it will become a super-modern, leisurely, fun festival.

I think this is the greatest legacy.

I would like to thank the participants and all those involved who overcame opposition, criticism, and disorder to hold the Olympics.

Thank you so much.

Until Paris in three years, I will be drinking in the lingering excitement of these games.

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