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Study Group on the Promotion of Utilization of the Well-Being Index (10th meeting)

Last Updated:

Overview

  • Date and time: Thursday, October 9, 2025, from 9:00 to 10:00
  • Location: Online
  • Agenda
    1. Opening
    2. Agenda
      • Well-Being Index Data Errors in Objective Indicators
    3. Exchange of views

Material

References

Minutes

Digital Agency Secretariat: , now that it is on time, we will be holding the "10th Study Meeting on the Promotion of the Use of the Community Happiness (Well-Being) Indicator." My name is Tada, and I am in charge of Digital Agency Group of Service for Citizens Well-Being. I look forward to working with you. First of all, I would like to once again deeply apologize for the inconvenience and concern caused to everyone who has always supported us greatly in promoting the use of the indicator. Now, I would like to say a few words from Mr. Miura from Director-General, Group of Service for Citizens, Digital Agency.

Digital Agency Miura Director-General: Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule to gather here today. As I have just mentioned from the secretariat, an error was found in some of the objective indicators, and the dashboard has been suspended for about two and a half months since the end of July. From the perspective that we have been asking local governments across the country to use it and promoting it, I believe it is a very serious problem. Today, I have hastily convened a meeting to give you a thorough explanation of the cause of this deficiency and the recurrence prevention measures. We would like to discuss the future response with you again, but first of all, I would like to report on the summary of the meeting today. We would appreciate your frank opinions.

Digital Agency Secretariat: Now, I would like to ask Mr. Maeno, who is the chairman, to lead the proceedings. Mr. Maeno, thank you very much.

Chairperson MAENO: Thank you, Mr. , Yes, good morning everyone. Today, I have asked you to come in a hurry due to the issue of incomplete data. As a study group, we would like to say what needs to be said while carefully watching how we will take measures and how we will convey them to the people, as what happened happened. As local governments have participated as observers, we hope to share our wisdom on how to solve future issues. It is possible that the fact that "Digital Agency caused a problem due to digital issues" will become major news, but I believe it is important for us to admit that it was our fault and to take prompt and firm measures to prevent a recurrence. First of all, Mr. Digital Agency, please report on this matter.

Digital Agency Secretariat: , the office will explain the data error in the objective indicators this time. First of all, the materials I will explain now will touch on the situation of individual local governments, so there are contents that are not included in the materials distributed in advance. I would like to ask for your understanding on this point.

(2P) This is an overview of the Community Happiness (Well-Being) Index. As you all know, it consists of objective indicators and subjective indicators. This time, errors were found in the objective indicators, but they are mainly made by utilizing statistical data, etc. As I notified the committee members by e-mail, we found that there were errors in some of the objective data, so we temporarily suspended the release of the Community Happiness (Well-Being) Index Dashboard from Friday, July 25. Utilization of the Index We first contacted the local governments (204 local governments as of September) by e-mail about the suspension of the dashboard. We have also explained the situation individually to the local governments (10 organizations) that have inquired about when to resume the dashboard.

(3) There are three main causes of data errors. The first is a failure to respond due to the reorganization of local governments. As a result, in the objective indicators for fiscal 2025, "deviation" occurred in all local governments west of the prefecture where they are located and with a population of less than 100,000. The second is a recognition error in the handling of some data. In the objective indicators from fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2025, there was a recognition error in the handling of some data (zero data was treated as "no data"). The third is a functional error in Excel, a bug in the aggregation tool, and a deficiency in data citation when comparing the name of the local government. After the site was shut down, the contractor and Digital Agency organized the confirmation and correction of the indicators and recurrence prevention measures. Since these works were completed, we would like to report to this study group and publish the dashboard around 15 o' clock tomorrow.

(4P) Next, I will explain the status of errors in objective data. This table shows the percentage of local governments that have 5 to 9 or 10 or more errors in deviation values for each of the 24 factors. In fiscal 2023 and 2024, most factors except for the three factors of natural landscape, health condition, and business-creation in the red frame are in the 0% range, but the red frame shows large errors in deviation values. I have circled it in green. In fiscal 2025, there were generally large errors, but this was due to the failure to respond to the reorganization of local governments I mentioned earlier. However, since the data for fiscal 2025 was disclosed on June 14 and suspended about a month later on July 25, the impact is expected to be limited.

(5P) Next, I would like to explain the composition of objective indicators. Objective indicators are divided into 24 factors, each of which consists of more than 100 KPIs. The reason why there were many errors with deviation values of 5 or more in the three factors I explained earlier, natural landscape, health status, and business creation, is as follows. First, regarding natural landscape, there was an error in the reference source of the excel sheet used to calculate the index. Regarding health status, it is based on the population and national census, which are the basis of calculation, but this was due to the fact that it was based on past data. Regarding business creation, the ratio of newly established corporations, which is one of the KPIs, is calculated by using the number of established corporations per year as the numerator and the number of existing corporations as the denominator. Therefore, in local governments with a small number of corporations, in particular, deviation values fluctuate greatly with slight differences. In this KPI, the number of newly established corporations was incorrectly calculated based on the date of registration in the database, not the date of registration. As a result, there was a large difference, and it has had a significant impact on the deviation value for business creation.

(6P) Next, we will report on the status of data errors in local governments that use indicators. Although the names of local governments are written in alphabet, some local governments listed objective indicators in the Comprehensive Plan (14 local governments) and the Comprehensive Strategy for Revitalizing Communities, Communities and Jobs (8 local governments), and about 200 local governments held workshops using the indicators. In this table, the blank part indicates the fiscal year listed in the plan. The part with (1) indicates the number of factors with errors of deviation value of 5 or more, and the part with (2) indicates the number of factors in which strengths (deviation value of 50 or more) and weaknesses (deviation value of less than 50) were reversed in the SWOT analysis. For example, in F Local Government, the blank part is for fiscal 2023, which means that objective indicators for fiscal 2023 were listed in the comprehensive plan and there was one factor with an error of deviation value of 5 or more. However, there was no event in which strengths and weaknesses were reversed. F Local Government's fiscal 2024 is grayed out, which means that there were three factors with errors of 5 or more, but no objective indicators for fiscal 2024 were listed in the comprehensive plan. Similarly, in O Local Government, the objective indicators for fiscal 2023 were listed in the Comprehensive Strategy for Revitalizing Communities, Communities and Jobs, but there were neither factors with errors of deviation value of 5 or more nor factors with strengths and weaknesses reversed. For fiscal 2024, there were two factors with errors of deviation value of 5 or more and three factors with strengths and weaknesses reversed, but they are grayed out and are not listed in the Comprehensive Strategy for Revitalizing Communities, Communities and Jobs.

(7P) Next, I will report on the cause of the data error and the recurrence prevention measures. The root cause of the data error this time is that the outsourcing business operator was unable to secure sufficient staff despite the large amount of data, about 370,000 rows in Excel for a year. As a result of carrying out this work with a small staff, the work was carried out in a state where the work process and manual were insufficient. Based on this cause, the following recurrence prevention measures have been organized. ① To clarify the schedule and introduce regular audits for process management and monitoring. ② To document and refine the method of acquiring, storing, and updating data and the procedure for calculating deviation values for the purpose of re-improving the work manual. The above are the recurrence prevention measures on the outsourcing business operator side. Furthermore, in ③, Digital Agency would like to consider reviewing the outsourcing method and contract specifications. We would like to consider clarifying the instructions as the outsourcer and the inspection system. We would also like to consider utilizing the AI of data creation and creating a database.

(8P) Finally, regarding the response to the reopening of the indicator site, we would like to take the following actions to users when the indicator site reopens. First, we will provide an Excel file of the errata. If you open this Excel file and enter the name of the prefecture and the name of the local government, the errata of the local government will automatically appear. Factors and KPIs that have errors will be highlighted in yellow, so please check here. This file is also available for download. Next, we will contact each of the 204 local governments that use the indicator. In particular, we will respond more carefully to local governments that use the indicator in comprehensive plans, etc., by holding individual briefing sessions and proposing technical support. That's all for my explanation.

Digital Agency Miura Director-General: . The summary of the data error is as I just said. First, as you can see about the figures for fiscal 2025, we received an inquiry from a local government saying, "There has been a little big change compared to the previous year," and when we checked it, we found that we had failed to respond to the reorganization of local governments as I mentioned earlier. With this as a starting point, we reconfirmed the indicators for fiscal 2025. Furthermore, since it was necessary to confirm whether there were any errors in fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2023, we went back and checked the past. As a result, we found errors in three major factors. We must say that our confirmation was lax. Once again, I would like to deeply apologize. In response to this, we examined why this happened and how we could prevent a recurrence, and as a result, I would like to explain what I have just said. This matter is being taken very seriously within the agency. As Professor Maeno also said at the beginning, there was a severe indication that there was a data error in Digital Agency and that it was a very serious problem. Furthermore, we would like to report that we received a severe indication that would lead to the basics, such as that we should reconsider this indicator in the future. We have set up this meeting to take these indications seriously and receive advice from the teachers to make better indicators. We would like to have a solid discussion, receive guidance, and give us suggestions for the future. Thank you very much.

Chairperson MAENO: Thank you, Mr. Thank you very much. Now, do you have any questions or comments?

Committee Member Uchida: . It is very regrettable that there were errors in the data, but in order for this data to be reliable and used by many local governments and researchers in the future, I think careful responses are necessary. I think it is necessary to send a clear message that we will sincerely respond to this deficiency and at the same time provide reliable data in the future. In particular, I think it is necessary to clarify the background of the occurrence of the deficiency and future response measures. Also, it is impossible to eliminate the occurrence of human error in the future, so I think it would be better to take measures such as setting up a contact point for correction and response when someone finds a mistake. By the way, how did you find the deficiency this time?

Digital Agency: We received an inquiry about the reason why there was a large change in the natural landscape of compared to the previous year, and we investigated it and found that there was a gap.

Committee Member Uchida: Thank you very much. You mean that there are things that are found in the course of analysis. It is common to notice deficiencies when you actually touch the data. Therefore, I think it is necessary to strengthen the checking system and establish a system that can respond properly when something is found. Another question, you mentioned that missing values were corrected to zero. Depending on the data, there may be cases where it is better to treat them as missing values as they are. What are your thoughts on this?

Digital Agency Secretariat: Yes. In this case, we checked the meaning of missing values in the statistical notes of the original data, and dealt with cases where it was defined to mean zero.

Committee Member Uchida: I understand. In other words, in the case of missing values in the true sense, it is correct to understand that they are treated as missing values as they are. The description in this part is a little difficult to understand, and it can be read as if all missing values were treated as zero, so I think you should be careful when releasing the document.

Chairperson MAENO: Thank you, Mr. I agree with you. Please check the documents thoroughly before releasing them.

Digital Agency Miura Director-General: Thank you. I will check it.

Committee Member Suzuki: , in the section on recurrence prevention measures, it says that sufficient staff will be secured, but since it's such a huge amount of information, I think it will be difficult to reduce errors to zero even if the number of staff is increased to, for example, 10 or 20 people. I would like you to do it in that way. For example, I would like to propose that you create a community in which researchers and local government officials participate, and during a certain period before the release, you first have them use it, and after various bugs are squashed, it will be officially released. I think such a system is necessary. Please consider it.

Digital Agency Miura Director-General: Thank you. I'll think about it.

Chairperson MAENO: Thank you, Mr. Last time, I heard that it is important to investigate the cause and prevent recurrence, as well as to respond politely and promptly, which is a bit of a contradiction. It happened on July 25, but you reported it to me in October. What do you think? When a deficiency was discovered, I think it should have been reported promptly at the same time as measures were taken. It may not be my place to say this now, but I think it was also necessary to respond promptly.

Digital Agency Miura Director-General: We are very sorry.

Chairperson MAENO: Thank you, Mr. , in my question, Digital Agency made a data error. I think there are various possibilities, whether it will be conveyed to the people of the local government and that will be the end of it, or whether it will be conveyed to the people and it will cause a fuss. What do you predict about that?

Digital Agency Miura Director-General: Thank you very much. I believe that the degree of impact will vary depending on how much attention is paid to this indicator itself. Going forward, we will be disclosing materials, including today's proceedings, so there is a possibility that it will be taken up in a somewhat funny way, but in that case, I believe we will have to respond firmly. On the other hand, the website has been suspended for about two and a half months, but there was no question other than when it will be resumed. The fact that the website has been suspended has already been disclosed on the website, but the current situation is that there has been no major controversy so far.

Chairperson MAENO: Thank you, Mr. : As I told you last time, the fact that Digital Agency made a mistake means that there is a possibility that the people of Digital Agency as a whole may have doubts that there were other mistakes. This time, there were mistakes due to the special circumstances of handling other data, but I think it is also necessary to explain to the people that "Please be assured that there are no mistakes in other data at Digital Agency." What are your thoughts on this?

Digital Agency Miura Director-General: Thank you very much. I have already reported this matter to the executive members of the Agency. First of all, you said it was a report on the occurrence, but if it is made public as scheduled based on today's discussion, I would like to report it again and tighten the entire Agency.

Chairperson MAENO: Thank you, Mr. Thank you. That is all from the professors for their comments and questions. We will now return the proceedings to the secretariat.

Digital Agency Miura Director-General: Thank you very much for today. I would like to express my gratitude for your very strict but valuable suggestions and opinions. As Mr. Maeno said, I think it is important to think about what to do in response to what has happened, so I will respond firmly based on the opinions I received today. I will do my best to ensure that the regional happiness indicators that I have developed so far are firmly established, so I would like to ask for your support as well. Thank you very much. In any case, I would like to thank you again for gathering early in the morning and having a lively discussion on the sudden meeting. That's all from me.

Chairperson MAENO: Thank you, Mr. . As Director-General has just mentioned, I think it is impossible to reduce the possibility of mistakes to zero because we are human beings, but how can we reduce the possibility of mistakes? We also need to convey words of remorse to the people for what has happened. I hope that we can proceed with a prompt and careful response. I believe that our study group has been able to fulfill its roles by providing tough opinions and advice. When something like this happens, we tend to get upset, but it also means that we are taking on a big challenge. We are taking on the challenge of creating happy local governments throughout the country, and it happened because we are handling a huge amount of data, and because we are doing it for the first time. As a result of taking on a big challenge together, a small mistake was found in a huge amount of data, so I would like everyone to look forward. It is also a Japanese challenge now not to take on challenges out of fear of making mistakes, so let's continue to take on challenges and create better local governments, better Japan, and a better world. The people of Digital Agency, our study group that is watching and monitoring this, and the local governments, all of us must look forward and take the stance that even if there are harsh voices from the people, we will apologize when we really need to apologize, but we will take on challenges when we need to take on challenges. That is all.

Digital Agency Miura Director-General: Thank you very much.

Digital Agency Secretariat: Thank you very much for your valuable opinions today. With this, we will conclude the 10th Study Group on the Promotion of Utilization of the Regional Happiness Index. Thank you very much.

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