Action Plan for Promoting Active Roles of Female Employees and Work-Life Balance in Digital Agency

Last Updated:: Jul 31, 2025

Basic Approach

As the control tower for the formation of a digital society, Digital Agency is an organization that brings together a diverse range of employees, including government ministries and agencies, local governments, and people with private-sector experience, in order to boldly promote future-oriented digital transformation (DX) and create public-private infrastructure for the digital age in one fell swoop. For this reason, each person's background, such as how they work, may be different, and it is extremely important to take initiatives to promote a well-disciplined work-life balance.
To date, organization survey (staff satisfaction surveys) have been conducted and organizational reforms has been launched to improve engagement.
For example, the human resources infrastructure has been improved through the organization of job descriptions, the introduction of a one-on-one meeting, and the visualization of staff skills, and a communication policy has been developed to improve communication processes between senior management and staff and among staff.
Towards the creation of a better workplace, in line with the "Guidelines for Initiatives to Promote Women's Participation and Work-Life Balance in national government officer" (decided by the Council for the Promotion of Female Employees' Participation and Work-Life Balance on October 17, 2014 (2014); partially revised on January 29, 2021 (2021)), Digital Agency will continue to work on management reform, including work efficiency and digitalisation, as well as appropriate work hour management and appropriate work sharing during teleworking, as the main pillars of work style reform.
The Plan is positioned as an action plan for specified business operators based on Article 19 of the Act on Promotion of Female Participation and Career Advancement in the Workplace (Act No. 64 of 2015) and Article 19 of the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support the Development of the Next Generation (Act No. 120 of 2003). The period of the Plan is from October 1, 2022 (2022) to March 31, 2026 (2026).

Work style reform to promote work-life balance

Digital Agency aims to be a "flexible organization that is not bound by the existing framework" and promote an efficient, free and work-learning working style.
In addition, each employee will act with awareness of "Digital Agency," which is also the values of continuously evaluating our actions in pursuing our goals: "We will question assumptions and customs with a positive attitude, and actively introduce new methods and concepts with the aim of becoming a Japanese company that we can be proud of. continuously evaluating our actions in pursuing our goals will have the courage to decide to stop and work with high productivity."

1. Efficient ways of working (promotion of operational efficiency and digitalisation, etc.)

(1) Working styles with freedom (promotion of teleworking, etc.) [Priority items]

In Digital Agency, the physical infrastructure that allows all employees to work from home has been established, and teleworking is being implemented flexibly. On top of that, we will work to implement more effective teleworking while actively incorporating measures such as the introduction of chat tools to solve problems such as how to communicate through teleworking.
In addition, we will promote flexible and free working styles by introducing a flexible workspace and holding regular all-hands meetings in which all government officials, executives and employees participate.
In addition, through asynchronous information sharing and open information sharing, such as the use of chat tools and joint document editing functions, efficient and open communication will be realized, and meetings will be held mainly remotely, including political affairs and executives, to improve operational efficiency.

(2) Review and improve the efficiency of operations including the abolition of operations

In order to create a system that will ensure that the activities and initiatives of all employees will lead to the "desired results," we have defined "three pillars" as focus areas and will systematically and efficiently promote operations. We will also develop a corporate planning function in cooperation with the government DX to review and streamline operations. Furthermore, we will visualize key items as a dashboard so that we can share targets and indicators within the agency and with related parties.

(3) Streamlining of Diet affairs

(1) Rationalization of responses to the Diet through effective use of teleworking
In Digital Agency, the following initiatives will be continued:

Digital Agency In charge of the National Assembly, the burden on employees will be reduced by introducing teleworking and early / late attendance.
Except for the cases where it is essential to physically come to the office, it will be possible to respond to Diet affairs such as writing answers via telework, and after regular working hours, based on the Diet situation the next day, efforts will be made to minimize the number of personnel who need to be on standby, in addition to limiting the standby to cases where it is truly necessary to respond to the Diet.
The NPA will continue to improve the operation of the system based on users' opinions and streamline the Diet affairs management of the entire NPA.

② Streamlining the process of writing answers in the Diet
Digital Agency does not use e-mail for the coordination of in-house teams or the confirmation of prepared answers, but instead uses groupware for the entire process.

Sharing of the progress status among the parties involved in the reply writing process (the reply writer (including not only the main person in charge but also other relevant teams in charge), the person in charge of the Diet, the person who confirmed the written reply, etc.)
Simultaneous editing of files related to the draft answer prepared
It is possible to quickly determine the direction of an answer by allowing a person who confirms the prepared answer to participate in the preparation process from the start of the preparation of a draft answer, thereby reducing the time required for the preparation of the answer.

(4) Ways of working learned at work

The NPA will develop an environment in which graduates from the private sector and those from the public administration can accomplish the same mission by going beyond their respective areas of expertise and acquire knowledge outside their respective areas of expertise through their work. The NPA will also develop an environment in which graduates from the private sector and those from the public administration can learn while working, for example, by holding study sessions in which they can share knowledge across teams in the entire agency.

2. Systemization of working hours management and thorough management of working hours

(1) Systematization of working hours management

Regarding the management of the daily work performance of employees, the "Attendance Management Application," which was created by the Cabinet Secretariat IT Strategy Office for work time management in FY 2019, was inherited and is currently being used for work time management in Digital Agency. In the future, the Attendance Management Application will be modified as a simple and general-purpose application using a low-code platform based on the government's guidelines for the systemization of work time management. In addition to promoting the understanding of the work time of employees in an objective manner, managers will promote efforts to appropriately understand the work time of subordinates and the status and reasons for overtime work.

(2) Reduction of overtime work and securing of intervals between working hours, etc. through appropriate working hour management

(1) Reduction of overtime work
Take the following measures to reduce overtime work

Establishment of no-overtime day Day
Thorough enforcement of prior reporting of overtime work
Thorough understanding and management of overtime work hours by managers and supervisors
Analysis of the causes of overtime work exceeding the upper limit
Messages from Top Management
Promotion of use of monthly annual leave to the extent possible
Restrictions on meetings (meetings) held outside of working hours and time restrictions

(ii) Ensuring intervals between working hours
Introduce a flextime system and a system that allows employees to arrive early or late for work in order to make working hours more flexible in light of the nature and circumstances of each employee's work. Continue to promote flexible work styles.

(3) Appropriate operation of the system concerning the upper limit of overtime work, etc.

Based on national government officer's measures related to the upper limit of overtime work, the system will be operated appropriately, cases where overtime work exceeding the upper limit is ordered will be sorted out, analyzed, and verified steadily, and necessary improvements will be made.

(4) Personnel allocation, etc.

With the goal of "linking strategies to resource management," we will manage the necessary personnel on the ground and request the necessary organization, staffing and budget, while linking resource management to the overall strategies of the Digital Agency, which clarifies the main goals and focus areas.
In addition to promoting the recruitment of new graduates, including those in the digital category, and the recruitment of hiring of experienced personnel full-time employees, we will continue to actively recruit part-time employees as a private administrative personnel (including public-private exchanges) and private sector specialists as an immediate work force. In the recruitment of private sector personnel, we will establish a job type recruitment method, allocate personnel flexibly according to changes in project priorities, and build an organizational system and resource management system that can fully demonstrate the performance of each individual.

3. Management reform

In a workplace where there are many staff members with different backgrounds, appropriate management by superiors is essential.
The NPA will make efforts to improve the management capabilities of managers, including raising the motivation of employees and promoting their growth, strengthen the roles of executives in management, and strengthen support by the authorities in charge of personnel affairs. In order to steadily implement these measures, the NPA will establish a system to identify the status of executives and managers, employees, and the workplace, and link it to improvement.

(1) Improvement of management of managers, etc. in light of improving the motivation of employees [Priority items]

① Management actions to be taken by managers, etc.
Managers shall appropriately understand the work status of their subordinates, including their working hours, etc., and carry out organizational management with cost awareness, such as appropriate and flexible assignment of tasks and prioritization of tasks.
In addition, the NPA shall conduct regular one-on-one meeting with subordinate officials, actively communicate with them, and provide appropriate follow-ups, so that subordinate officials can improve their performance of public duties by feeling motivated to work on their duties in their daily work and developing themselves.
It is important for not only managers but also employees in Deputy Director and Chief to work on the management of their subordinates. Therefore, we will work on the practice of management required for each position, such as guidance and training of subordinates, in daily work.

(ii) Improvement of management capabilities of managers, etc.
Have all managers who have arrived in Digital Agency undergo training to improve their management capabilities. Conduct multi-faceted observations on the implementation of management by each executive and manager to provide follow-up and feedback and promote management improvement.
In addition, the SESC will make efforts to ensure that executives understand and appropriately evaluate the management status of their subordinates in managerial positions and actively provide them with advice and guidance utilizing the results of personnel evaluation interviews and multi-faceted observations.

(2) Roles of the authorities in charge of personnel affairs for human resource development

(1) Human resource development and career development through personnel changes

With the introduction of HR SaaS, personnel information and organizational structure will be visualized to promote the placement of the right person in the right place.
Hold regular one-on-one meeting meetings with superiors to encourage personal growth through appropriate feedback and dialogue on assignments.

② Providing opportunities for personal growth

In order to help employees acquire skills as advanced IT human resources, a system will be established to enable them to take courses to pass national examinations, such as the Examination for Basic Information Technology Engineers (FE) and the Examination for Applied Information Technology Engineers (AP). At the same time, the independent career development of employees will be supported, while showing career paths according to each employee.

(3) Cultivation of organizational culture

In order to build an organizational culture in which all employees can work together to achieve their goals in the midst of diverse human resources, the mission and vision, which are the common goals to be aimed at, shall be determined and shared, and the action guidelines as employees shall be clarified as values.
In order to create a good organization, it is essential to accurately reflect the voices of all employees, so we aim to become a model organization for organizational development in the digital society by regularly conducting organization survey (Staff Satisfaction Survey) and running a cycle of data-driven and concrete improvement actions.
In addition, all hands meetings will be held periodically for across the position and all employees as a place for two way communication with top management.
Then, we will formulate a communication policy to eliminate the gap between individual employees, such as the existing working style and communication method, and aim for a workplace where teams can cooperate organically and communicate at all times to improve performance.

4. Support for Work-Life Balance

(1) Promotion of male employees' participation in childcare

Based on the "Policies for Promotion of Male Employees in national government officer to Take Childcare Leave and Leave" (decided by the Council for the Promotion of Female Employees' Active Participation and Work-Life Balance on December 27, 2019 (2019)), we aim to have all eligible male employees take childcare leave and leave for at least one month.
In addition, the Government will promote male employees' use of the work-life balance support system by making it known to male employees and managers, and aim to achieve the following goals regarding childcare leave for male employees, based on the goals set forth in the "Children's Future Strategy" formulated on December 22, 2023 (2023).

85% of employees will take at least one week of leave by 2025 (2025)
85% of employees will take at least two weeks of leave by 2030 (2030)
Regarding maternity leave (2 days) for spouses of male employees and special leave (5 days) for child care participation, a total of at least 5 days of both types of leave were taken by all eligible employees

(2) Creating an environment where employees can be active while balancing work and private life

(1) Flexible working hours
In order to realize a work-life balance and ensure the physical and mental health of employees, we will promote flexible working styles utilizing the flextime system and early and late work schedules.

② Securing substitute staff
When employees take childcare leave, etc., business continuity shall be ensured by reviewing operations, assigning substitute employees, or involving personnel transfers, taking individual circumstances into consideration.

(iii) Encouraging employees to take leave
Efforts will be made to improve the environment by, for example, encouraging employees to take a large number of vacation days when summer vacation is available or at turning points such as the year-end and New Year holidays.
In addition, employees shall strive to take annual leave (one year leave per month) of one or more days per month to the extent possible, and managerial personnel shall take care to ensure that employees can take one year leave per month in principle. In addition, flexible measures shall be taken, such as allowing employees to carry over the leave to the following month or later or to take leave in installments at the request of the employee, depending on their work and family situations.

(3) Use of work-life balance support system and support during childcare leave and after returning to work

Create a workplace environment that makes it easy to use work-life balance support systems such as childcare leave and nursing care leave.

Reform to Promote Active Participation of Female Employees

Digital Agency is an organization established in September 2021, and its current employees consist of seconded personnel (full-time employees) and part-time employees from the Cabinet Office and each Ministry, etc. Therefore, it is difficult for Digital Agency to set a target for the appointment of female employees and work on it in a planned manner due to the special circumstances that the appointment to each post is greatly affected by the appointment status of the Cabinet Office and each Ministry, etc. from which they are dispatched. However, efforts will be made to expand the appointment and promotion of women in consultation and cooperation with the Cabinet Office and each Ministry, etc. from which they are dispatched.
The recruitment of new graduates and hiring of experienced personnel have been promoted since FY 2021. In light of the government-wide targets stipulated in the Basic Plan, the ratio of women recruited for Examination for Comprehensive Service and Examination for General Service in national government officer for each fiscal year should be 35% or more, and the ratio of women recruited for Examination for Technical Service in national government officer should be 30% or more.
In addition, based on the government-wide targets set in the Basic Plan, the ratio of female employees in Director and Director for Policy Planning will be set at 10%, in Deputy Director at 17%, and in Chief at 30% as of the end of FY 2025, and efforts will be made to expand the appointment of female employees in consultation and cooperation with the Cabinet Office and each Ministry from which they are dispatched.

1. Expansion of recruitment of women

(1) Promotion of effective public relations activities, etc.

In order to recruit a wide range of excellent women who have the abilities expected of them in the public service, explanatory meetings for students, etc. will be held on an ongoing basis in cooperation with related organizations such as Cabinet Bureau of Personnel Affairs and National Personnel Authority.

(2) Mid-Career Recruitment of Female Employees

The GOJ will make active use of hiring of experienced personnel examinations and strive to recruit motivated and capable employees.

2. Systematic training to achieve the target for the promotion of female employees

(1) Systematic development of female employees through expansion of job categories for female employees, flexibility in personnel management, etc.

With regard to recruitment targets for female employees, based on the government-wide targets stipulated in the Basic Plan, we will actively recruit female employees. At the same time, when appointing Digital Agency proper employees, we will promote systematic development by establishing timely and appropriate learning opportunities and providing opportunities for transfer to other organizations.
In addition, even in the case of leaving the workplace for a long period of time due to childcare, we will proceed with support to make it easier to catch up when returning to work while listening to the voices of employees.

(2) Support for career development of female employees

Efforts will be made to raise the motivation of young female employees who will serve as role models by introducing examples of career paths they have taken.
In addition, for female employees with outstanding potential capabilities, we will actively provide them with the necessary support, such as various job opportunities and training, in order to improve their motivation and skills, and accelerate the pace of promotion, even if they miss the timing for promotion due to childcare.

(3) Creating a system in which female staff can consult on their problems and concerns

In order to secure appropriate consultation opportunities for female employees who are concerned about balancing work and family and their future careers, in addition to improving the one-on-one meeting, we will set up a consultation desk with female employees as counselors and establish a system where they can feel free to consult.

*The numerical targets in this plan are based on the number of full-time employees.