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February.22nd.2025 KIP Forum "Digital Government in Other Countries and Japan's Efforts"
Ms. Aiko Matsuo, Global Intelligence, Public Policy Supervisory Department at Rakuten
Profile: After completing the Keio Public Policy Program in 2012, she spent seven years at Funai Consulting Institute as a Senior Expert and Global Officer, providing management consulting to small and medium-sized enterprise owners across Japan. Afterwards, following a role as the international relations officer for Tokyo Olympic-related projects, from 2021 she concurrently held positions at Rakuten Group’s external affairs office and the Japan Association of New Economy, primarily engaging in liaison with foreign governments. Subsequently, until May 2024, she was seconded to the International Strategy Team at the Digital Agency, where she supported G7 and G20 initiatives, ministerial overseas trips, prepared ministerial speeches, and managed liaison activities with digital-related ministries in various countries. During her student years, she worked for five years as a secretary intern in the House of Councillors and was deeply involved with the committee from the inception of KIP, being one of its founding members.
【Speech and Q&A】
In her lecture, Ms. Matsuo explained the differences in digitalization progress between Japan and other countries. For example, Estonia is known as a global leader in digital society. In 2001, it developed an e-government platform called X-Road, which is similar to Japan’s My Number system. Today, Estonia allows all administrative procedures, such as voting, obtaining residence certificates, and submitting marriage or divorce registrations, to be done online. Ukraine also launched digital government services in 2019 with a mobile application called Diia. Other countries, including Finland, Armenia, India, and Saudi Arabia, are also advancing digitalization. Looking at Japan’s digital transformation over the past five years, there have been notable developments such as the spread of cashless payments, the adoption of My Number cards, and the implementation of the GIGA School Initiative. Ms. Matsuo emphasized that, as digitalization progresses rapidly in many countries, it is crucial for Japan to learn from international trends and use this knowledge to make decisions in business and policy-making. During the Q&A session, topics such as how to address Japan’s shortage of digital talent, how to promote digital transformation in an aging society, and the incentives for digitalization were actively discussed. Participants also explored questions like who leads digital transformation in different countries. The discussion was highly engaging and thought-provoking.
【Ground discussion】
The discussion topic was "What kind of digitalization should be promoted in Japan’s education sector today?" Participants exchanged ideas from different perspectives. The main points of discussion were 'How students and teachers adapt to digitalization' and 'The benefits and challenges of using digital technology in education.' Many participants agreed that both students and teachers need to develop digital literacy to make effective use of digital tools in education. AI-assisted lectures are becoming more common. As a result, students now have more opportunities to learn independently without teachers. However, some participants pointed out that teachers are not just administrators. Their role goes beyond managing classrooms. Teachers bring diverse backgrounds and can create memorable learning experiences for students. They also provide human interaction and emotional support, which cannot be fully replaced by technology.
【Personal Opinion】
When thinking about digitalization in education, I initially believed that using tablets and online courses would help students develop digital literacy and improve their learning efficiency. However, after hearing different perspectives, I realized that the digital environment varies greatly between schools：Some schools successfully use AI in subjects like English and math and implement the GIGA School Initiative effectively, however, others struggle because teachers are not familiar with digital tools, making it difficult for students to benefit from technology. This made me realize that digitalization must be supported by both students and teachers, along with proper infrastructure. In addition, as digital tools cannot replace essential aspects of education, such as teacher-student and student-student interactions, personalized support for students who struggle with digital learning should also be considered. In conclusion, while digitalization is important, human connection in education must not be overlooked. Finding the right balance between technology and personal interaction is key to improving education in Japan.
Mai Ogawa, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Medicine, 6th year