Minister Kono visited Indonesia to attend the G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ Meeting

Minister for Digital Transformation Kono visited Bali, Indonesia, from August 30 to September 3 to attend the G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ Meeting. During the visit, he also held bilateral discussions with ministers from participating countries.

1. G20 Digital Economy Minister' Meeting

Please access the details of the G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ Meeting from the link below.

• Minister for Digital Transformation Kono participated in the G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting

2. Bilateral Meetings

As Japan prepared to assume the G7 presidency in 2023, Minister Kono stated that Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT) would be one of the central priorities of Japan’s presidency. He underscored the importance of advancing the operationalization of DFFT and gathering international best practices on data protection.
During bilateral meetings with representatives of participating countries, he also highlighted initiatives undertaken by the Digital Agency, including digital talent development, government IT procurement reform, and related policy measures.

India:

Meeting with Minister for Railways; Information & Broadcasting; Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw.

India will hold the G20 Presidency next year, and both ministers exchanged views on digital connectivity, supply chain resilience, privacy-related issues, and about the digital talent in India.

Indonesia:

Meeting with Minister of Communication and Informatics, Johnny Plate.

During the meeting, both ministers reaffirmed their shared understanding of the importance of key priority areas—(1) Connectivity and post-COVID-19 recovery, (2) Digital skills and digital literacy, and (3) DFFT—that the Presidency had been advancing toward a Ministerial Declaration, despite no final consensus being reached. They also held in-depth discussions on future approaches and ways to collaborate on developing digital human resources.

Following the meeting, Minister Kono observed the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) among the Asia-Pacific Research and Education Network (ARENA-PAC), the Indonesian Research and Education Network, and Universitas Brawijaya, which aims to strengthen digitalization efforts.

Singapore:

Meeting with Minister for Digital Development and Information, Josephine Teo.

The discussion with Minister Teo deepened mutual understanding of their respective business sectors, organizational structures, and frameworks for private-sector collaboration. They exchanged views on promoting the adoption of Digital IDs and e-Invoices as part of society-wide digital transformation. Under the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed in May 2022, they reaffirmed their shared intention to further advance cooperation.

United Kingdom:

Meeting with Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, Damian Collins.

The meeting with Minister Collins confirmed the strengthening of UK–Japan cooperation in the digital sector and is expected to help shape future discussions within the UK–Japan Digital Group, which was established in preparation for next year’s G7 Summit in Japan. Minister Collins also expressed his expectation that Japan would play a leading role during its G7 presidency in advancing discussions on Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT), particularly in the areas of cybersecurity and online safety.

Saudi Arabia:

Meeting with Minister of Communications & Information Technology, Abdullah Amer Alswaha

Minister Alswaha expressed respect for Japan’s Society 5.0 initiatives and commented that they have had a significant influence on Saudi Arabia. He introduced Saudi Arabia’s current digital policies, smart city initiatives, and efforts in Cyber-Physical Systems (the integration of virtual and physical spaces). He also showed strong interest in e-sports and expressed his intention to continue discussions.

Netherlands:

Meeting with Minister for Digitalisation, Alexandra van Huffelen.

Minister van Huffelen outlined the Netherlands’ experience as one of the most advanced countries in digitalization within the EU. As both countries are facing an aging society, they exchanged views and recognized the challenges and solutions for bridging the digital divide, referring to the initiatives of the Digital Supporters Committee in Japan.

He also exchanged views on security measures, DFFT, and digitalization initiatives with senior officials from Australia, South Korea, and the OECD. They discussed future cooperation, shared Japan’s initiatives, and gathered information for future domestic and international efforts.

3. Online Press Conference

Following the conclusion of the G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ Meeting on September 1, Minister Kono held an online press conference.

The main points of the online conference are as follows:

• Minister Kono outlined his remarks at the G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ Meeting, including the first anniversary of the establishment of the Digital Agency, the recognition of delays in digital transformation revealed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Digital Agency’s efforts to advance a wide range of digital policies.
• The Ministerial Declaration was not adopted, as participants were unable to reach a consensus on issues related to Russia.
• Minister Kono held bilateral meetings with ministerial-level officials from Indonesia, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and other participating countries. During these meetings, he exchanged views on digital policy issues, including Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT), digital transformation, and cooperation in the digital sector.