The Future of the Metaverse

■ The Future of the Metaverse At the Kyoto Smart City Expo 2022, we discussed "The Future of the Metaverse" with Naoto Kato, CEO of Cluster.Cluster is Japan's largest metaverse platform and holds the global record for hosting virtual events.　It has hosted various events, including Virtual Shibuya’s Halloween, the M1 Grand Prix in Virtual Osaka, and events for Disney and Pokémon. Moreover, users are rapidly creating their own spaces, starting businesses, and opening shops within this virtual landscape.Physical digitization begins with gaming,...

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Oshi Economy

■ Oshi Economy"Oshi Economy" by Juno Nakayama explores how the act of supporting one's favorite idols, artists, and characters—known as "Oshi activities"—has created a dynamic economic sphere.Fans purchase multiple items of merchandise and works related to their beloved personalities or characters. They attend performances and concerts. They dance. They cheer. Spending their last dime and their time, this consumption and expression becomes their passion and purpose."Oshi activities" have transcended gender and age, even being nominated for the...

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The Future Predicted by Technology

■ The Future Predicted by TechnologyJoichi Ito's book, "The Future Predicted by Technology."Born in Kyoto, Joi has held positions at the MIT Media Lab and earned a doctorate from Keio University; he is now president of Chiba Institute of Technology. Despite being younger, Joi has many similarities with me and is far ahead, discussing web3 with respect.Here are some key points from his book that I found noteworthy:・Lower Layer FocusIn web1-2, the application layer attracted financial investment. In web3, the focus shifts to the protocol layer.The...

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How to Handle Digital Trust

 ■ How to Handle Digital TrustI participated as a speaker at the "World Digital Conference" organized by Nikkei.Theme: Why is Digital Trust Necessary?I first spoke at the World Digital Summit in 1999, during my time at the MIT Media Lab, after leaving Kasumigaseki. Although the digital climate was energized then, by the following year, the eJapan initiative presented by the government was still grappling with the two major challenges of education and informatization of administration—challenges that persisted even twenty years later in the...

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Maybe Lose the Fax Machines before Talking about DX??

■ Maybe Lose the Fax Machines before Talking about DX??At the Digital Nation Japan Forum, I took the stage in a segment on the development of regional DX talent.  The shortage of IT talent has gone unresolved for 20 years, with 40% of user companies facing shortages. At the same time, transitions from IT company to user company are only increasing. A sense of crisis is emerging in industry, which I view as a positive movement.iU opened its doors to nurture DX talent. As conventional classroom learning would be ineffective, it is being...

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