A digital policy forum starting 20 years after reorganization of the central government

■A digital policy forum starting 20 years after reorganization of the central government

It has been 20 years since the reorganization of the central government. It also marks 20 years of digitalization. The “Digital” Agency finally being born as a result of such speaks to the slowness of Japan’s progress, but the fact that funds, laws, and personnel were gather in such a short period of time to launch it is a remarkable feat that is a testament to the horsepower remaining in this country.

In 1997, Hashimoto’s administrative reforms dissolved the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and issued an interim report that communications and broadcasting would be handled by an independent regulatory commission. Movements aiming to merge with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry or unify with the Ministry of Transport arose within the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. The former was a movement viewing communications policy as industrial policy, and the latter was a movement viewing such as infrastructure policy.

As a result of political coordination, it ended up as an internal bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. This is because the understanding that communications policy is horizontal administration across all fields, rather than vertical administration for industry and infrastructure, won out.

However, horizontal administration by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications did not make progress. The IT division was placed in the Cabinet Secretariat in an attempt to demonstrate horizontal power, but the two major issues laid out in the eJapan strategy of 20 years ago, namely, administrative and educational computerization, are the same as the two major issues laid out in last year’s Basic Policy. There has been no progress.

The digital defeat laid bare by coronavirus. Both government and education are inferior to overseas. There are grave delays in the public sector, including medical care. Rather, management DX, including telework, is not progressing. Is this not the result of all the winners of the Showa era, the world-leading such and such, rejecting DX for the entire Heisei era because they were the winners?

It would be cruel to place the blame on the country. It is a defeat for “everyone.” However, what digital policymakers should regret is the lack of power during that time to raise the priority of digital policy to the top of national policy. What made us aware of our defeat and made digital king was coronavirus, not digital proponents.

What organization is responsible for digital policy? Ever since the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications was established as a compromise, I have advocated for establishment of a “Ministry of Culture” as the next step. It is a vertically and horizontally integrated government office that governs administration of communications/broadcasting, computer/software, IT/intellectual property, and culture/copyright.

This is largely the same as the Ministry of Information, Economy and Society that the Japan Business Federation advocated for in 2018, but I am not claiming copyright. My sense for naming is better. Wouldn’t a government office with such a long name be second rate?

The Digital Agency, suddenly established in the wake of defeat, is the offspring of digital becoming top priority, and we should welcome it.

However, the Ministry of Culture or the Ministry of Information, Economy, and Society is the lowest common denominator of digital policy, but the Digital Agency, which concentrates on administrative computerization, is the greatest common divisor. The outcome of turning it into an organization was exactly the opposite.

Therefore, its mission is sharp. If the entire government goes through DX, the role of the Digital Agency will end. The mission of the Digital Agency is to work diligently and dissolve quickly.

Conversely, who should undertake the role of fostering a permanent digital social economy, which is entrusted to the concept of the Ministry of Culture. Defeated countries cannot afford to waste time reorganizing vertical government offices over and over.

The reason why we started the “Digital Policy Forum” made by collaboration between industry, academia, and government at the same time as the launch of the Digital Agency is to create, with “everyone,” players who embrace that idea. I pray that this attempt will serve as a step toward recovery.