Council of Relevant Ministries and Agencies on the Unification and Standardization of Core Business Systems of Local Governments (3rd) (held on September 1, 2023)

Overview

Date and Time: Friday, September 1, 2023 from 14:00 to 14:20
Location: Online Meeting
Agenda:
1. Opening
2. Message from the Chairman
3. Holding of the Inter-Ministerial Conference
4. Agenda
  1. Proposal for Revision of the Basic Policy on the Standardization of Local
  2. Future Efforts to Unify and Standardize the Core Business Systems of Local Governments
  3. Reports and communication items concerning standardization
5. Interpellation
6. Adjournment

Material

Relevant policy

Unification and standardization of mission-critical systems for local governments

Summary of the Proceedings

Date and

Friday, September 1, 2023, from 2:00 p.m. to 2:20 p.m.

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Online meetings

Attendees

DEGUCHI Kazuhiro (Deputy Director-General, Cabinet Secretariat Administration (Assistant Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Cabinet Secretariat))
KUSUNOKI Masanori (Director-General, Digital Agency)
Tomoaki ABE (Deputy Director-General, Digital Agency)
Tsuyoshi Fukuda (Deputy Director-General, Economic and Social System Division, Cabinet Office's Secretariat)
Yoshiyuki KOMIYA (Director-General of the Children and Families Agency Commissioner-General's
Ken Yamano (Director-General of Local Administration Bureau of Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)
Nobukazu Matsui (Deputy Director-General, Ministry of Justice's Secretariat, in charge of Civil Affairs Bureau) * Attendance by proxy
Yuko Nagano (cybersecurity of Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Secretariat, Deputy Director-General in charge of Policy Planning)
KURODA Hideo (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Executive Deputy Director-General)

Message from the Chairman

(Chairman Ninomiya (Vice-Minister for Digital Policy): Due to his absence, Director-General Kusunoki Digital Agency delivered a greeting on his behalf)

With regard to the standardization of business processes and information systems for local governments, the revised versions of each standard specification were released at the end of March with the cooperation of the ministries and agencies in charge of the system. The revised version of the Basic Policy for the Standardization of Local Government Information Systems is also expected to be approved by the Cabinet soon.
Unification and standardization are initiatives that contribute to improved services for residents and operational efficiency. In addition, standardization of data requirements makes it possible to more quickly develop new measures and apps that utilize various national and local data. For these reasons, it is the foundation of the digitalization of local government administration and an essential initiative for the improvement of public services.
The secretariat will explain the draft revision of the Basic Policy for the Standardization of Local Government Information Systems and future efforts related to unification and standardization, and will share the progress of standardization work at each ministry and agency. We ask for your continued support in steadily advancing future standardization efforts.

Holding of the Inter-Ministerial Conference

Digital Agency explained the changes in the members of the Inter-Ministerial General Directors' Meeting and the Steering Committee due to the changes in the administrative affairs under the jurisdiction of the relevant ministries and agencies in accordance with Materials 1 to 4.

Agenda

Proposal for Revision of the Basic Policy on the Standardization of Local
- Digital Agency provided the following explanation in line with Attachment 5.
  - After the establishment of the Basic Policy for the Standardization of Local Government Information Systems in October 2022, a survey of local governments throughout Japan on the transition schedule and related issues was conducted. The survey revealed that many local governments would be making the transition in FY 2025, and that there were issues with systems that would be extremely difficult to move to.
  - As a revised plan based on these, the migration by the end of FY 2025 was firmly maintained. For systems that are considered to be extremely difficult to migrate, the deadline for completion of the required migration was set based on a thorough understanding of the situation. The deadline after FY 2025 was also accepted as an exception. Even in this case, the system was to be made compliant with the data requirements standards by the end of FY 2025 in order to ensure the smooth uptake of data and contribute to the prompt launch of services for the people.
  - As the transition work is expected to be concentrated in FY 2025, the national government will promote support for local governments so that the transition period will be spread out by moving it forward as much as possible.
Future Efforts to Unify and Standardize the Core Business Systems of Local Governments
- Digital Agency explained the following four points in line with Attachment 7.
  1. Basic Approach to the Revision and Application of Standard Specifications
    - In cases where it is difficult to revise the Standard Specifications up to one year before the Compliance Base Date due to circumstances such as system revisions, responses such as broadly confirming the effects on development business operators, etc. so that there will be no reworking of the development shall be taken from the stage of considering system revisions, etc.
  2. Points to be considered for the operation of standard specifications, etc.
    - As for compliance confirmation, a compliance confirmation tool will be prepared by the end of this month, and the implementation of compliance confirmation tests will be aimed at as early as possible.
    - With regard to character requirements, the GOJ will clarify the whole picture of character identification work by local governments by the end of FY 2023 in preparation for the full-scale operation of identification maps from FY 2024.
  3. Policy for Reviewing the Requirements for Designated Cities
    - We would like to decide whether or not to reflect the issues that were "reconsidered" last year in the standard specifications by the end of FY 2023. With the cooperation of the designated cities and business operators, Digital Agency and the government agencies with jurisdiction over the systems will conduct the final scrutiny based on the status of consideration by each government agency with jurisdiction over the systems.
  4. Support for the Transition to standard compliance system
    - While Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications continues to serve as the point of contact and coordination with local governments, in Digital Agency, "Standardization Liaisons" have been established since May of this year, consisting of personnel dispatched from each prefecture. Using these mechanisms, we will build "face-to-face relationships" with local governments and provide support from a technical perspective while grasping the situation. In doing so, I would like to ask for the support of each government agency responsible for the system.
    - Once the Cabinet decision is made, we plan to conduct surveys in Digital Agency and Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in cooperation with prefectural governments for systems that are considered difficult to transfer. We will set a schedule that will enable the smooth and safe transfer of all systems that are difficult to transfer.
Reports and communication items concerning standardization
- Digital Agency gave an overview based on progress reports submitted by various ministries and agencies.

Adjournment

Digital Agency explained that the next Inter-Ministerial Meeting was scheduled to be held around September next year, and that meetings would be held as necessary.

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