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.