The 9th Inter-Ministerial General Directors' Meeting on digitalization by Business Operators

Overview

Date and time: Thursday, October 2, 2025 from 14:30 to 15:30
Location: Online
Agenda:
1. Opening
2. Agenda
  1. Release of G-Biz Portal
  2. Stocktaking of Administrative Procedures, etc.
  3. Introduction of Remote Signature System for Commercial Registration electronic certification
  4. Status of e-Gov Usage and Planned Major Functional Enhancements
  5. Efforts to Promote the Use of Low Cost Procurement Services
  6. Promotion of digitalization by Business Operators and the 2025 Income Tax Return
3. Adjournment

Material

Minutes, etc.

Members present

Mr. President

Tomohiro OKADA (Deputy Director-General, Group of Service for Citizens, Digital Agency)

Member

Teiichiro SEKI (Deputy Director-General of the Cabinet Secretariat Administration (Assistant Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Cabinet Secretariat))
*Representative: Bunpei Miki (Director Cabinet Secretariat (Assistant Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Cabinet Secretariat))
Rika Kishida (Deputy Director-General, Secretariat of the New Regional Economy and Living Environment Creation Division, Cabinet Secretariat)
Hei Hiroshi Yoshida (Deputy Director-General, Secretariat of the Cabinet Secretariat Digital Administrative and Fiscal Reform Council)
Tomio Kuge (Director, General Affairs Division, General Affairs Office, Director-General of Cabinet Legislation Bureau
Yoshihisa AKIBA (National Personnel Authority General Secretariat cybersecurity, Informatization Deputy Director-General)
Atsuyuki OGAWA (cybersecurity and Deputy Director-General of Information Technology, Secretariat of Cabinet Office)
Masashi Fujita (Director, Secretarial Division, Director-General's Secretariat, The Imperial Household Agency
*Representative: Mitsuaki KODAMA (Director, IT Promotion Office, Secretariat Division, Director-General of the The Imperial Household Agency
Hironori Shigematsu (Deputy Director-General of National Police Agency Director-General's Secretariat)
*Representative: Akihiro Nakamura (Director of Planning Division, Director-General's Secretariat, National Police Agency)
Masanori TSUKADA (Chief Deputy Director-General, Japan Fair Trade Commission Secretariat)
*Representative: Tsukasa Suzue (Deputy Director, General Affairs Division, Secretariat, Japan Fair Trade Commission General Secretariat)
Takashi Nishinaka (Deputy Director-General of Personal Information Protection Commission Jimukyoku)
*Representative: Takeshi Ikuta (Deputy Manager, General Affairs Division, Personal Information Protection Commission Secretariat)
Takeshi Nishino (Director, General Affairs and Planning Department, Japan Casino Regulatory Commission Secretariat
Eiji NOZAKI (Deputy Director-General, Financial Services Agency Supervision Bureau)
*Representative: Eisuke Kawaguchi (Deputy Manager, General Affairs Division, Supervisory Bureau, Financial Services Agency)
Katsutoshi Kano (Director in charge of Consumer Affairs Agency Digital and Business Innovation, etc.)
*Representative: Mineko Matsumoto (Deputy General Manager, Digital and Business Innovation Promotion Office, Consumer Affairs Agency)
Morimasa Ozaki (Director, General Affairs Division, Director-General's Secretariat, Children and Families Agency
*Representative: Satoshi Takizawa (Deputy Director, General Affairs Division, Director-General's Secretariat, Children and Families Agency)
Hayato YAMAZAKI (Director attached to Reconstruction Agency Director-General)
*Attendance by proxy: Tadashi IMAI (Deputy Director to Director to Director-General, Reconstruction Agency)
Mitsuo Tanabe (Director, Planning Division, Minister's Secretariat, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)
Hiroshi Takita (cybersecurity, Ministry of Justice, Informatization Deputy Director-General)
Fumito Miyake (cybersecurity and Informatization Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
*Representative: Mitsue Morita (Director of Information Systems Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs's Secretariat)
Yujiro FUJISAKI (Deputy Director-General, Director-General's Secretariat, Ministry of Finance and National Tax Agency)
*Representative: Tetsuya SUGANUMA (Ministry of Finance, Director, National Tax Agency Director-General's Secretariat)
Jugo Imaizumi (Deputy Director-General, Minister's Secretariat, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)
*Representative: Daigo Ishii (Section Chief, Administrative Reform Promotion Office, General Affairs Division, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Secretariat)
Lin Hongxiang (cybersecurity, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Informatization Deputy Director-General)
Masashi Itoh (cybersecurity, Deputy Director-General of Information Technology, Secretariat of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries)
*Representative: Masaaki Sawase (Director, Digital Strategy Group, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries's Secretariat)
Takamasa Murakami (Director, Business Reform Division, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Secretariat)
Takuya Yamazaki (Director, Business Support Department, Small and Medium Enterprise Agency
*Representative: Tsutomu Chiba (Section Chief, General Affairs Division, Director-General's Secretariat, Small and
Ken Takizawa (Minister's Secretariat, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Deputy Director-General cybersecurity
Masashi Norihisa (cybersecurity, Deputy Director-General of Information and Communication, Secretariat of Ministry of the Environment)
Noriyuki Nakano (cybersecurity, Ministry of Defense, IT Deputy Director-General)
*Attendance by proxy: (Coordinator, Cyber Development Division, Development Planning Bureau, Ministry of Defense)
Yoshihiro Komaki

Minutes

Deputy Director-General OKADA: time, the 9th "Liaison Meeting of Relevant Ministries and Agencies Pertaining to digitalization, etc. of Business Operators" will be held.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us today.

In addition, all related organizations that participated as observers in the previous meeting will officially participate from the 9th meeting. Thank you for your coordination.

As a member, I would like to once again thank the people of Cabinet Legislation Bureau, National Personnel Authority, The Imperial Household Agency, Japan Fair Trade Commission, Personal Information Protection Commission, Japan Casino Regulatory Commission, Consumer Affairs Agency, Children and Families Agency and Reconstruction Agency.

With the addition of new members, the relevant ministries and agencies will continue to work together on the digitalization of business operators, etc., and I would like to ask for your cooperation.

Today's agenda consists of a total of six items as per the agenda that has been sent to you in advance. In addition, as for questions and answers, we will have a time after all the agenda items, so please ask questions at that time.

Now, let's get down to business.
The person in charge will explain agenda items (1) through (3).
Digital Agency no Mori Director, nice to meet you.

MORI Director: , I have just been introduced. My name is Mori Director, who is in charge of the business procedure system in the Kokumin Group. I would like to explain Materials 1 to 3.

First of all, Document 1, "About the release of G-Biz portal".

In Digital Agency, we are working to improve the experience of using administrative services for business operators, and we are currently developing the G-Biz portal as an administrative system that facilitates the acquisition of procedural information and preparation of applications when business operators perform administrative procedures.

We are building a G-Biz portal as an online window for procedures for business operators who log in with gBizID, which is the authentication infrastructure for business operators, and we are planning to release the α version in March 2026.

The G-Biz portal has three main functions. The first is cross-sectional procedure search, the second is electronic lockers, and the third is the procedure journey.
I will explain each of them in detail after this, but the first cross-sectional procedure search is that you can find information on administrative procedures and subsidies of all ministries and agencies in one place.

The second electronic locker will be able to exchange documents with applicants, supported professionals, and administrative agencies when applying for procedures.

The third part of the procedure journey is that, depending on the usage scenario, procedures that span multiple ministries and local governments are summarized on one page and can be completed without hesitation.

First, I would like to talk about the cross-sectional procedural search. The data on which the search is based has been manually input by more than 6,200 employees of the central government ministries and agencies. We would like to make it easier for users to find necessary administrative procedures and subsidies by using generative AI to collect information on the outline of procedures and subsidies and the target users of applications, and by adding attributes to the information, making inferences in a similar sense even when users search with intuitive words.

This is an image of the procedure search screen, but you can search for information on administrative procedures and subsidies of all ministries and agencies here.

On this page, there is a window with a search keyword "small tractor" on the left side. For example, even if you want to introduce a small tractor, probably not many people know the exact name of the subsidy. Therefore, when you want to introduce a small tractor with a subsidy, it has been difficult to find it.

So, on the right, I will use the generated AI to collect and analyze information on the requirements, guidelines, and systems of subsidies and tag them in advance.

In addition, when "small tractor" is entered and the search button is pressed, the middle part becomes a vector search. Using vector search, we can expand the search keywords and search a wide range of related words.

By using this pre-tagging and search as an extension of keywords, we will be able to find exactly the information that users want. This is a mechanism that is used in the world of Internet shopping, and we would like to use AI to find and propose as close as possible.

This is the result page of the AI. This is an example of the administrative procedures. When the search mode is off, the name of the laws and regulations and the supporting clause are displayed.
As I said earlier, I think it will be a difficult task to divide the work among more than 6,200 people from all the ministries and agencies and write a summary of all the tens of thousands of procedures one by one in detail by human resources. The next page is to see if we can use it in the generation AI.

When the generation AI mode is turned on, the peripheral information collected in the generation AI is displayed. This will allow you to see items such as a summary of the procedure and any required attachments.

As for the content displayed, I believe that those who understand it will understand it if they read it. Although there are some rough parts, we have a feeling that it is not that they are not helpful.
In the first place, it might be a good idea to divide the work among everyone and confirm everything until the end so that the correct information can be posted, but as a matter of fact, I think it is quite difficult.
I believe that the generation AI will continue to evolve, so I hope that it will also evolve, and I will continue to consider reasonable methods.

On the other hand, we recognize that there are risks as a matter of course, and the information derived from generated AI will be posted on the government office's go. jp domain website, so we intend to take some measures. First, on the left, for those who use it, the information derived from generated AI may be inaccurate. With your understanding, we will display a pop-up asking if you want to display it, clearly indicating that the information derived from generated AI is included, and if you do not agree, we will not turn on the AI mode I mentioned earlier. In addition, when you actually apply, we plan to include a note saying that you should refer to the website of each ministry and agency.

In addition, on the right, for the anti-bot, for example, as written in the upper box, by writing the property "data-ai-generated =" true "in the HTML div tag, the learning bots that come to the website will recognize that this part is the information that is output from the generated AI, and it may be possible to draw attention to the generated AI behind the learning bots. At present, I believe that there is still no global standard for such a method, and I believe that it would be beneficial to use such a tag if we are to include the information output using the generated AI in the future.

The second matter is about electronic lockers. During the exchange of opinions with the Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialist Association, I heard that electronic lockers are used for exchanging information, such as when a certified administrative procedures legal specialist prepares an application form together with an applicant, or when a certified administrative procedures legal specialist and an applicant exchange information prior to an application to check whether attached documents have expired or not. On the other hand, I also heard that in the process of consulting with a public office prior to an application, a paper copy of the document is printed out and the application is finally submitted in paper form. In that case, it would be better to have a web shared folder that allows administrative agencies to enter, and that is why I came up with this electronic locker.

In order to implement the electronic locker, we conducted a stocktaking survey of administrative procedures with your cooperation last fiscal year. The survey revealed that there are about 75000 administrative procedures in Japan. As you can see in this graph, the annual number of applications for each procedure is zero, or the number of unknown procedures is in red in the lower right corner. There are about 56000 procedures. There are also about 15600 procedures with one to less than 1,000 procedures, and about 72000 of the total 75000 procedures have less than 1,000 applications per year. For those procedures with a very small number of annual procedures, it would be very cost-ineffective to create a form and build an application system for each. Therefore, we hypothesized that it would be good to use shared folders and electronic lockers for procedures with a small number of annual procedures.

This figure organizes the entire application process for administrative procedures for business operators. We would like to use the G-Biz portal to cover the process before and after the application for each procedure. For example, in the case of administrative procedures, there is a system called the e-Gov, which is a typical one, and in the case of subsidies, there is a system called jGrants. However, the G-Biz portal is not a substitute for the e-Gov or jGrants, but rather, it is a tool that allows people to find procedures, notice the necessary procedures, collect application forms and attached documents using electronic lockers, and prepare applications. We are considering using it in such areas.

Regarding electronic lockers, basically as I explained earlier, I think it is similar to the situation where business documents and diagrams are exchanged on a web shared folder such as SharePoint. In addition to business operators, supporters such as administrative scriveners are expected to enter the electronic lockers to prepare for procedures, and administrative agencies will also enter there to exchange information.

The difference from e-mail is that you can see a list of files, for example, or applicants log in at gBizID, which makes identity verification easier. In particular, small and medium-sized companies often use free email, so I think the use of this electronic locker will reduce identity verification's burden.

In addition, as shown at the bottom of the figure, for example, when an applicant requests a bridge loan from a financial institution, he or she can obtain a document such as a notice of subsidy adoption from the government office and store it in an electronic locker. I think it will be possible to use the document after applying for the subsidy.

In addition, as shown in the diagram on the right, we are considering implementing a simple chat function in the electronic locker. Various related parties, such as private companies and administrative agencies, will communicate with each other during the application preparation. Then, from preparation to consultation, document revision, and application. I wonder if the entire process can be done seamlessly online. I hope that this will reduce the burden on applicants and supporters, as well as the burden on the administrative side.

This is the method of sharing the electronic locker. Among the methods of sharing, we recommend the method of designating by gBizID, which is written in No. 1. Since there are various possible scenarios, we assume that we will adopt each of the three patterns of methods.

This time, I would like to talk about the third function, the procedural journey. I am using the word journey, which means a journey. I have heard that it was originally a term for IT development, but the concept is based on the idea that when the main target group called persona is set as a user, the behavior and psychology of the persona are inferred, and finally the journey until the user achieves something is drawn. This time, as a series of procedural journeys, on this page, I have written a scene of using a cafe. When a persona wants to open a cafe, the first thing he or she has to do is to obtain a business license for a restaurant, and when he or she wants to use fire, he or she needs to submit a notification of the start of use of a property under fire prevention measures, and when he or she wants to make foods, he or she needs to obtain a food production license. In this way, we will inform them that these procedures are necessary. Furthermore, if they want to open a terrace there, they need a permission for occupancy of the road or permission for use of the road, and if they want to open it at night, they need to submit a notification of late-night liquor provision. I would like to make it so that these things can be seen in a list.

In the α version of the G-Biz portal, I would like to start with the three procedural journeys described here. As you can see, the procedures scheduled to be posted on the procedural journey are under the jurisdiction of multiple ministries and agencies, and I am aware that the information on the procedures is managed vertically by each ministry and agency or local governments. Therefore, I would like to cooperate with each ministry and agency or local governments and make an effort to post the information on the procedures on a single page. We would be very happy if this effort would reduce the burden on business operators when they start new things and make them feel positive so that they do not give up in the middle. In addition, I believe that if such procedural journeys increase, the convenience of business operators will increase, and I would like to increase them with the understanding and cooperation of each ministry and agency, so I would very much appreciate your cooperation in the future.
This page and the next page are screens during the development of the procedure journey, so please take a look later.

That's all for the explanation of the G-Biz portal.

Next is Document 2 "Stocktaking of Administrative Procedures, etc."

At the previous meeting, I explained the results of the FY 2024 investigation of all administrative procedures and the future investigation. This time, I would like to explain the investigation for this fiscal year again.
First of all, regarding the survey schedule, we would like to start the survey on administrative procedures in November and subsidies in December. The alpha version of the G-Biz portal, which I explained at the beginning, is scheduled to be released in March next year, and we hope to finish the survey on administrative procedures and subsidies that will serve as back data for the cross-sectional search by around February.

Regarding the investigation of administrative procedures, which will start in November, as you can see in the survey method section at the bottom, we would like to use the online survey tool (DXS) as we did last year. The details are currently being coordinated, but we are planning to hold a briefing session for pMOS from each ministry and agency within this month, and I would like them to attend the briefing session. Thank you very much.
That's all for the explanation of inventory surveys for administrative procedures, etc.
The survey cannot be conducted without the cooperation of the ministries and agencies concerned, so I ask for your cooperation in this matter.

Next is Material 3. It is about "Introduction of Remote Signature System for Commercial Registration electronic certification." The remote signature system for Commercial Registration electronic certification is a measure that is being worked on jointly with the Commercial Affairs Division of Ministry of Justice's Civil Affairs Bureau. This time, as a representative, Digital Agency will explain.

First of all, we recognize that authentication and signatures are commonly required functions in the overall administrative services for business operators, and we are currently providing gBizID as an authentication function and Commercial Registration electronic certification as a signature function. In order to integrate these authentication and signature functions and improve the user experience, we will introduce a remote signature method in collaboration with gBizID for Commercial Registration electronic certification from July 2026.

The remote signing method is premised on gBizID. As many of you may know, gBizID is a verification service that allows business operators to log in to more than 220 websites provided by the national government, local governments, and others once they obtain an account. We have already paid out 1.36 million accounts, and I am aware that it is steadily spreading.

Next is about the commercial registration electronic certification. The commercial registration electronic certification is a electronic certification issued by the registry office to the representatives of the company or corporation based on the registration information of the company or corporation. It was established in 2000 as a system equivalent to the paper seal and seal certificate in the case of electronic transactions of corporations and online application of administrative procedures. The commercial registration electronic certification is issued after the registry office examines whether it is consistent with the registered information of the company or corporation. In other words, it is considered to be highly reliable because it is backed by the registered information of the company or corporation.

With this high level of reliability, the Commercial Registration electronic certification can be used for many online applications and notifications to national and local governments. As for major administrative procedures and services, as shown in the examples in blue frames, they can also be used for electronic contracts between companies, and instead of affixing the registered seal of the company or corporation to the contract, it is also possible to grant a digital signature by the Commercial Registration electronic certification.

While there is convenience as I just explained, there are also issues with the current commercial registration electronic certification. The current commercial registration electronic certification uses the local signature method for electronic signatures, which comes in two forms: file format and IC card format.

As for the file formats, since the signature key is stored in a file on a specific computer, electronic signatures cannot be made without that computer. In addition, since files containing signature keys can be easily copied, there is a possibility that the copied files may be misused by third parties, making appropriate management difficult. In response to these issues, we have been introducing the remote signature method.

As I mentioned earlier, the remote signing system in cooperation with gBizID is scheduled to be introduced in July next year. After the introduction, you will be able to electronically sign the commercial registration of gBizID online using the electronic certification app on your smartphone, regardless of the usage environments. There are three main specific advantages of the introduction, which I will explain from next.

This is the first advantage. Signing keys have been stored on computers in file formats, but they will be stored on the cloud in the future. This will prevent the leakage of signing keys and improve security.

The second point is that it will make it easier to prepare and manage the issuance of commercial registration electronic certification. Currently, regarding the preparation and management of the issuance of commercial registration electronic certification, it is necessary to install software called commercial registration electronic authentication software on the left side on a computer and do it locally. In the future, as shown on the right, we will operate a website that will replace the software. With this, if you access this site, you will be able to prepare, obtain, and manage the issuance of commercial registration electronic certification from anywhere.

The third merit is the collaboration with gBizID. gBizID currently only provides a login method, but in conjunction with the collaboration with remote signatures, gBizID will also be responsible for approval when granting electronic signatures, an operation called signature approval.

To give you a concrete image, I have drawn a picture of the work procedure for signing the application form on the online procedure system. First of all, please access the online procedure system on your browser and select the file to which you will grant an electronic signature in the application procedure.

Then, a four digit number called the authorization code, which is written here as "1234," will be displayed on the screen. Open the gBizID app on your smartphone and enter the authorization code "1234" on the screen. Then, the electronic signature will be completed.

This slide summarizes how the signature granting system will change with the introduction of the remote signature method, so please take a look at it later.

Finally, I would like to talk about the outlook for the future.

We recognize that the current Commercial Registration electronic certification has played important roles in ensuring online data authenticity and preventing falsification since its establishment in 2000. On the other hand, there are issues with the user experience as I mentioned earlier.

Through the introduction of the remote signing system, we will work with gBizID, which already has 1.3 million users, and by operating the system jointly with Digital Agency and Mr. Ministry of Justice, we will promote the integration of authentication and signing services to improve and expand the use of commercially registered electronic certification.

As for the remote signature of the commercial registration electronic certification, I hope that each ministry and agency will also consider the active use of it as a common function. The detailed specifications are scheduled to be disclosed in the near future, and we will notify you again at that time.

The last two slides are for reference, so please take a look at them later.

That's all from me.

Deputy Director-General OKADA: Thank you very much.

Next, the person in charge will explain topics (4) and (5).

Nice to meet you, Director Ohtsuka from Digital Agency.

Director Otsuka: My name is Otsuka, and I'm from Director, in charge of the e-Gov.

I would like to explain the current status of use of the e-Government e-Gov and the main functional enhancements planned for the future.

First of all, the e-Gov is a comprehensive window for e-government, where information and application services provided by administrative agencies can be used in an integrated manner via the Internet. It began operating in fiscal 2001, and a renewed version was released in fiscal 2020. In fiscal 2023, it started operating on a data portal service and a national and regional consultation chatbot, the so-called Govbot, and last fiscal year, it started operating on the Government Cloud. The e-Gov provides various functions, such as online application and laws and regulations searches, cross-sectional searches of open data, and submission of public comments. As a result, citizens and companies have been able to conduct administrative procedures online 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Next, I would like to talk about the results of usage. In fiscal 2024, the total number of accesses was approximately 4.1 billion, and the number of online application and notifications received was approximately 30.43 million, exceeding 30 million for the first time. This is believed to be due to the mandatory online application for large corporations with capital of 100 million yen or more and the impact of policies to make administrative procedures online in principle. Access to data portal sites and public comments is also increasing year by year, and the expansion of usage is remarkable.

Next, I will explain the overall picture of our online application services. e-Gov provides two major services, the e-Gov online application service for users and the e-Gov examination support service for officials of each government agency. The e-Gov online application service provides the basic functions necessary for applications, such as application preparation, error checking, electronic signatures, and acquisition of official documents. In addition, through linkage with REPS, online payment of government funds is also possible. In addition, the e-Gov examination support service can centrally manage work from examination after application, preparation of official documents, approval, and notification of results.

Currently, a total of 4,396 administrative procedures at 19 government ministries and agencies are handled by online application, with Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare having the highest number, with 2,978 procedures available. In the future, the scope will be expanded to procedures for local governments, incorporated administrative agencies, and health insurance associations.
This is the transition of the usage record of e-Gov, so please refer to it.

Next, I will explain the future main function expansion of e-Gov online application service.

The first point is the ability to connect to the Internet for functions provided to government agencies. Functions for government agencies, which were previously limited to connections from dedicated networks such as GSS and G-net, are scheduled to be made available via the Internet. This will make it possible to apply through e-Gov for procedures for independent administrative agencies that cannot use GSS or G-net. It is planned to be released within the fiscal year.

The second point is to support authentication by My Number Card. By utilizing digital Authentication App, users will be able to log in to e-Gov using My Number Card. In addition, the e-signature function will also be available. It is expected to be tested by the end of the fiscal year.

The third point is the addition of a function that allows the same application procedure to be applied to multiple organizations at once. Currently, applications can be made only to one organization, but in the future, applications with the same contents can be made to multiple local governments and organizations at once. For example, as one of the expected usage scenarios, when a business operator who has obtained permission in multiple local governments and is developing a business needs to submit a change notification with the same contents to each local government when there is a change in the representative, etc., it will be possible to submit it to multiple local governments at once, which will greatly improve business efficiency. It is scheduled to be designed by the end of the fiscal year.

These functional enhancements will further enhance the convenience of online application and enable more institutions and users to utilize e-Gov.

Next, we will explain the future enhancements to the main functions of the e-Gov examination support service.

The first is a function that allows partial amendments to the matters in the application and notification. Currently, if there is a deficiency in the application content, it is necessary to instruct the applicant to resubmit or return it. However, in the future, it will be possible to specify only the parts that need to be amended and encourage partial amendments. This will reduce the burden on the applicant and improve the efficiency of the review process. It is scheduled to be released within the fiscal year.

The second point is the addition of a joint examination function by multiple organizations. At present, only one organization designated as the application destination conducts the examination, but in the future, multiple organizations will be able to cooperate and conduct the examination together. For example, even if the submission destination is the Chiba office, it will be possible to share the examination with the Kanto branch. In addition, it will be possible to set the examination order, and a system will be introduced that will automatically forward the application to the next organization as soon as the examination of the previous organization is completed.
These functions make it possible for applicants to respond flexibly, and for the government, they are expected to improve operational efficiency and strengthen cooperation.

That's all for the current state of e-Gov and future enhancements.

As the Director in charge of GEPS, I will continue to explain our efforts to promote the use of the GEPS low-cost procurement service released in March this year.

First of all, the procurement of low-cost items is a sub-function of GEPS that was newly introduced in March this year to support the procurement of low-cost items, which was not covered by the previous e-procurement system. With this function, you can search and order products listed by private sector in a marketplace format. Currently, more than 70 million products are listed. Nineteen ministries and 65 government offices have already started using it, and the number of orders has been increasing steadily since it was introduced.

Why is the use of this function increasing steadily? This is because it has extremely significant advantages for the field, such as operational efficiency, delivery time reduction, and procurement price reduction. In the conventional small-amount discretionary contract, we had to ask several business operators for quotations and compare the prices.

However, with the small-amount item procurement function, you can immediately compare the prices of listed items, and you can get a sense of speed with same-day delivery at the earliest, and delivery in 2.1 days on average. Also, according to a survey, you can buy items about 13 percent cheaper than on external sales sites.

In addition, procurement through this function promotes price competition, making it possible to provide products at corporate prices, leading to a reduction in procurement costs. In the future, we are considering linking with financial accounting systems, and it is expected that the realization of ONCE ONLY will further improve operational efficiency.

Digital Agency has established a solid support system for barriers to adoption. Materials such as "Frequently Asked Questions" and "For First Time Users" have been prepared, and authorization and learning of operation methods proceed smoothly. In addition, we also introduce methods that greatly reduce the labor of input when linkage with ADAMS or EASY is not required.

Digital Agency, we are also actively promoting the use of this system.

At the top-down level, the Deputy Director-General and accounting division managers of each ministry and agency are informed through plenary sessions and executive meetings.
In a bottom-up approach, we are directly reaching out to local officials through regional briefings, individual ministry briefings, operational briefings, exhibitions, and other events.

At the exhibition scheduled to be held in the latter half of the year, we will provide an opportunity to see, touch, and experience actual products, so that each person in charge will want to use them. Digital Agency himself started using it in May, and from August, in order to expand the scope of procurement, we will explain to each group's general affairs, grant authority, and coordinate with the contract team.

In this way, we are creating a system that is easier to use through on-site practice.

Last but not least, this is the current electronic contract rate in our electronic procurement system.

In the future, figures including contracts for small-amount procurement services will be developed as a new indicator for each ministry and agency. For the ministries and agencies that use the small-amount procurement services shaded in blue, when converted into the new indicator, we expect an increase of about 0.1% to 3.3% for each ministry and agency.

The number of contracts using the Small Amount of Goods Procurement Service is large compared to other contract projects, which has the effect of increasing the ratio of electronic contracts. Unused ministries and agencies are encouraged to promote the introduction of the service at this time as part of future work efficiency improvement and DX promotion.

Please feel free to contact the Digital Agency GEPS / GECS staff for any questions or consultation on the introduction.

That's all from me.

Deputy Director-General OKADA: Thank you very much.

Next, the person in charge of agenda item 6, please explain.

It's nice to meet you, Director Suganuma from National Tax Agency.

Director Suganuma: This is National Tax Agency, . Today, I would like to explain about the request for awareness and cooperation on digitalization promotion by business operators. At the last Liaison Meeting, I stated that I would like to request this year as well that the organizations under the jurisdiction of each ministry and agency be made aware of this. This time, I would like to introduce the contents.

What you are looking at right now is from last year. I have summarized the results. At the bottom of the box, at ◆, as a result, we were able to disseminate the results to more than 2,900 organizations. This was all thanks to the response of each ministry and agency. Once again, I would like to express my gratitude.

As for the content, I would like to ask you about the part on the left labeled "①". We did this last year, and basically we would like to ask you to do the same thing this year. 1. ① is about automatic input of salary information for tax returns, ② is about tax returns by e-Tax using the My Number Card from home, and 2. is about promoting digitalization by business operators. I will explain the details from the next slide.

I would like to ask for the third slide.
First of all, we would like to ask business operators to submit their withholding records online. Please take a look at the blue flyer below. It says, "To business owners." If business operators submit their employees' withholding records of employment income online via e-Tax, it will be covered by the Mynaportal Collaboration when employees file their tax returns, and they will be able to use a system that automatically transcribes the information on the withholding records without having to enter it each time. This means that employees can easily and conveniently file their tax returns, which is a benefit for their welfare. We would like to ask you to make this known to everyone.

I would like to ask for the next slide.

The next slide is a request to employees who work at the office, and I would like to ask them to file their tax returns using My Number Card. This is also written in detail, but please take a look at the graph in the middle at the bottom. Among those who file their tax returns from home using e-Tax or the NTA's electronic tax return system, the number of people who use My Number Card is increasing every year. From February to March this year, the number of people who filed their tax returns using My Number Card was 6.4 million, which is about five times that of 2020, and is increasing every year. In addition, we will file our tax returns from February to March next year, and Amazon will be installed on smartphones for not only Androids but also iPhones next year, making it even easier and more convenient for people to file their tax returns. I would like to ask you to make this point known to everyone.

Then, please skip page 1 and go to page 6.

This is to promote digitalization for business operators, and we would like you to use PR materials. It is at ◆ on the top of the box. Business operators' office work, mainly back-office work, has been completed digitally in an integrated manner, which has improved accuracy. In addition, the entire back office work can be made more efficient, and the saved amount of work can be used for the original work, which is expected to benefit productivity improvement.

From this perspective, National Tax Agency has produced various PR materials. Various videos, leaflets, and other materials have been produced, and I believe that various ministries, agencies, and related organizations will hold various briefings and events. We hope that these videos and other materials will be used during these events and that the ministries and agencies will cooperate in promoting digitalization.

In order to promote such measures, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan plans to issue a public notice request around mid-October. I would like to ask all ministries and agencies to inform the organizations under their jurisdiction.

In addition, in order to consider future measures, we would like to harvest the implementation status at the same time, and we plan to ask each organization to respond to the questionnaire. Last year, we asked for a questionnaire separately from the publicity request to be sent out in mid-October, and the response rate was about 15%, which was sluggish, so this time, we plan to include a statement in the publicity request to be sent out in mid-October that we would like you to respond to the questionnaire as well, so we would be very grateful if you would also say that you would like us to respond to this questionnaire when you send the publicity request to each organization.

I'm sorry to trouble you, but thank you very much.

That's all for the explanation.

Deputy Director-General OKADA: Thank you very much.

Now, I would like to move on to the Q & A session. Regarding today's agenda, if you have any comments or questions, please raise your hand. We will pick you in order. Thank you very much.

Is there anything in particular?

There doesn't seem to be any, so I would like to conclude the Q & A session. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the secretariat by email at a later date.

This concludes today's agenda. We hope that the Liaison Meeting will continue to share information and initiatives that we would like to disseminate to local businesses in cooperation with the relevant ministries and agencies, as well as digital transformation initiatives in the fields under our jurisdiction. Digital Agency will provide support as an escort and further deepen cooperation and collaboration among the relevant ministries and agencies, as well as promote digital transformation of public procedures and businesses.

The secretariat will contact you at a later date regarding the date of the next meeting.

Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend today's meeting.