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2nd Expert Meeting for Policy Evaluation and Public Administration Project Review in 2026

Overview

For an overview of the Advisory Panel, please refer to the Summary of the 2026 Policy Evaluation and Public Administration Project Review in , .

Event Information

Date and Time:
Friday, May 29, 2026, from 15:00 to 16:30
Location:
To hold a hybrid event
Committee members present:
Chairperson, Mr. Iwasaki, Mr. Kanbayashi, Mr. Sasajima, Mr. Sato and Mr. Utsuro

Agenda

  • 1. Direction of solutions for each business
    • ① Digital Marketplace (DMP) Catalog Site
    • (ii) Information coordination and utilization system for national qualifications, etc.
  • 2. Policy Evaluation and Administrative Project Review Interim Report (Draft Report)
  • 3. Selection of Projects Subject to the Disclosure Process

Material

Summary of the Proceedings

1. Direction of solutions for each business

After the opening statement by the secretariat, the person in charge explained the direction of solutions for each project, including the purpose, outline, issues, and targets of the project, followed by questions and answers.
The main comments and questions are as follows.

① Digital Marketplace (DMP) Catalog Site

Mem.: . It used 16 billion pounds in 2009. That is quite a lot of money. Is it right to say that Japan will not be able to achieve results unless it uses the same level of money? I think this suggests that we should be patient to some extent because there have not been many results in the U.K. for about five years with the amount of money we are using now. Could you tell us the balance with the effects in terms of the amount of money?

Instructor: First of all, as you pointed out, in the UK, there is a shift from the concern that the excessive amount of 16 billion pounds is spent on ICT to the concern that it should be properly shifted to cloud services. At present, the Japanese IT procurement budget is about 1 trillion yen, so I think the scale is small compared to the UK. As for how to evaluate this, the point is whether the UK's service level is superior to that of Japan in the first place, but I think it is difficult to judge the appropriateness of the budget scale because it is not fully understood.
In the same way that the UK aimed to reduce costs by moving to cloud services through DMP, from the perspective of providing administrative services efficiently, it would be meaningful for Japan to shift its entire public procurement to the direction of using more of those cloud services, and I think we should move in the same direction as the UK.

Mem.: IT and digital transformation are based on precedents and are less expensive for latecomers, I thought we should examine the cost effectiveness a little more closely by looking at the UK's example. Another point is that we need to exercise our brains about what kind of Minister in charge of Administrative Reform Okada problems will be caused by the cloud, which is mostly foreign-made, when we move to the cloud.

Instructor: : First of all, from the perspective of security, we check Supply Chain Risk Management at the software registration stage in cooperation with related ministries and agencies. Specifically, when there is a SaaS business that outsources software to a vendor for development, we check the vendor's nationality, information on the location where it is developed and operated, the country of the platform itself, and the method used. In cooperation with related ministries and agencies, we check the Supply Chain Risk Management and other aspects of the platform and post it.

Mem.: and other ministries and agencies, since it is an administrative project review, it is natural to hold discussions based on the review sheet. At present, there is a review sheet visualization site, so you can check it, but I would like you to prepare a review sheet. Also, I do not know why the amount of 495 million yen was allocated when the initial budget request was zero in fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2024. I wonder if it was a supplementary budget. Also, I do not know what the KPI is for short-term and long-term outcomes. The output is the number of cloud service registrations, which was 660 in fiscal 2024 and is still 330 in total. Why is the initial estimate for fiscal 2025 increased to 944, while it was 660 and 330, which was not achieved? In addition, I think it is quite bullish that the number of registrations of accounts of businesses and administrative agencies to the catalog site for the next short-term outcome has increased from the initial estimate despite the fact that the actual results have not increased much, but please tell me the basis.
In addition, regarding the expenditure items, I think that the full amount has been paid to Simplex Co., Ltd., which is in charge of development and operation. For this, since there were two bids, am I correct in understanding that there were two companies? Despite that, the successful bid rate is 100%. Does this mean that it is 100% because it is a planning competition? Am I correct in understanding that Simplex Co., Ltd. places bids and concludes contracts for companies below that?

Instructor: First of all, regarding the budget, there is a division in Digital Agency, and it is recorded as a lump-sum budget, so basically we do not provide such a breakdown when making a request. In the case of a lump-sum budget, the budget is uniformly blank. As for the execution amount, we input the amount as the execution amount in such a way as to entrust it to Simplex. Also, I think you talked about KPIs, but can I repeat the KPI part?

Mem.: Normally, KPIs should be listed under the logic model. What kind of KPIs correspond to the logic model? Are the descriptions in the review sheet acceptable? What are the prospects for raising the initial target despite the fact that the target has not been achieved?

Instructor: For KPI, we set targets based on the results. For DMP, we have just started a full-scale operation service at the end of 2024, and we expect the number of information on catalog sites to increase in the future, so we are setting KPIs. The KPIs we are setting now are the number of registrations for cloud software services, the number of users, and the number of procurements. DMP can also be used for procurement. In the sense that administrative agencies can search and select appropriate services based on the specifications, we have set the performance goal of eliminating information asymmetry, and based on that, we have set the KPIs I mentioned earlier.

Supervising Deputy Director-General: Just one thing, I'm sorry from the side. When you set the target of 944 for fiscal 2025, don't you set it at a time when you have not yet confirmed the result of 2024, which is 330? Instead of confirming 330 and setting 944, you may have a slight delay in confirming the timing of setting and actual results. I think it would be better to share that in writing later.

Instructor: .

Mem.: : Lastly, I would like to ask you about the lump-sum appropriation. I think lump-sum appropriation is a method in which the budgets used by other ministries and agencies are lump-sum appropriated and the appropriated budget is distributed later. The expenditure for this year was only for Digital Agency. I didn't understand with what the lump-sum appropriation is linked.

Instructor: , and the system is under the jurisdiction of a ministry when it is actually executed, it will be transferred there and executed.

Mem.: In other words, it means that when the money is actually spent, it will come out of each ministry. I see.
One more thing. Is it correct to understand that the money is distributed to the local government when they use it?

Instructor: local government has nothing to do with it. It's only a national institution.

Mem.: Province, I see.

Mem.: : Recently, for example, some start-ups have entrusted almost all of their development work to AI. I think such companies have no problem in terms of developing services. However, they may not be able to act quickly in the event of a problem. Have you looked into this?

Instructor: : The current situation is that we do not see how generative AI is utilized in such development.
On the other hand, there are cases where generative AI models are used in services or generative AI services are incorporated, and in such cases, we confirm with the vendor what model is used.

Mem.: From now on, if a problem occurs in such a place, we will accumulate knowledge. I asked this question because I happened to see and hear about cases where such a problem occurs and the people concerned are in trouble.

Chairman: do not exist in the private sector at present, the provision of such services by the government could indirectly put pressure on the private sector. Therefore, I think that the fact that such services do not exist at the present time does not necessarily mean that they should be provided by the private sector. To be honest, I think that this is not a good reason.
Also, there were a few points in my question where you didn't really understand the intent, so I would like to supplement that. When it comes to SMEs and large enterprises, there is a difference between talking about the benefits of SaaS and whether SaaS is better for SMEs or large enterprises, and talking about whether DMP is better for SMEs or large enterprises, so your answer was about SaaS for SMEs and large enterprises, so I think the intent of the question was not really understood.
Also, for example, when the local government looked at the DMP, only one company was covered, so in fact there were many, but from here, it is feared that they would go to discretionary contracts just because there was only one company, and they point out that if they do not take some measures, they will rather create discretionary contracts.

Mem.: , you mentioned earlier that whether or not to include information in the DMP has been confirmed from the perspective of supply chain risks, etc., but you said that the criteria cannot be made clear at that time. This is related to risks, so of course it is understood that there is a characteristic that the criteria cannot be made clear. However, in light of what the chairman said, I think it is better to consider that it could become a hotbed of bid rigging.
In order to prevent this from happening, places like Hello Work make sure that there is no arbitrariness on the marketplace side, that is, on the Hello Work side, in terms of what kind of job offers are posted and what kind of job seekers they are dealing with. The rule is that job offers and job seekers who meet objective criteria must be posted.
I think this is related to how to ensure fairness when creating a public marketplace. In the case of private services, it is possible to gather job seekers with specific characteristics and create a market by separating them. However, in the case of a public market, it is impossible to do so because fairness must be emphasized. If that happens, various moral hazards and adverse selection will occur in the marketplace itself, and the point that it can cover various pitfalls is the rationale for creating a public marketplace.
In particular, do you have any definite plan or mechanism on how to prevent bid rigging, which is a behind-the-scenes activity?

Instructor: The point that we cannot disclose the actual evaluation criteria for the supply chain is that there is a risk that if we disclose the criteria from the perspective of cybersecurity, we will be treated accordingly, so we cannot disclose it.
As for countermeasures against bid rigging, etc., I believe that it will be an issue in public procurement in general. However, it is a rule to prepare procurement specifications in the form of a check sheet, and the fact that we are fairly narrowing down the procurement based on the check sheet itself is a reason for procurement.

Mem.: For example, if you create a check sheet in which only one company can apply for it, it will really be no different from a discretionary contract. Therefore, when you create a check sheet for procurement specifications, you must create a procurement specification check sheet with a granularity of information that ensures that multiple companies will be included in the target. If you create a procurement check sheet with a coarse granularity, the procurement method itself may become vague and useless.
So, I think you need to be aware of the accuracy of the check sheet in the procurement specifications when designing. Do you have that in mind?

Instructor: I think you are right. First of all, the items in this procurement specifications check sheet are items that must be considered when procuring software. We are conscious of setting items in the check sheet itself so that arbitrariness does not work too much.

Mem.: Have you confirmed its robustness? Do you have a set of evaluation criteria to evaluate the Digi-Agency's procurement sheet? Am I correct in understanding that there is a clear standard that if you add this item, you will remove this item because there is only one company, and that the process of creating a procurement specification check sheet based on this is clear?

Instructor: Does that mean that Digital Agency has such a verification process in place?

Mem.: I'm sorry to bother you again and again with the subject of Hello Work, but the job opening and application forms submitted to Hello Work are fixed in this way, and there is some information that should not be written there. If you write it down, it means that you are using Hello Work to hire a specific individual, and the public marketplace is always having such problems, so I would like you to clarify the process here.

Instructor: In that sense, this procurement specifications check sheet itself is a kind of a template for procurement specifications prepared by Digital Agency, and it is created by breaking down the items based on it. Although it is a certain general procurement specifications that are organized in an easy-to-understand manner, I would like to reconfirm it based on the points you have made.

(ii) Information coordination and utilization system for national qualifications, etc.

Mem.: Store in this system It seems that most of the qualifications are national qualifications. Is it possible to include private-sector qualifications such as the Japanese Language Proficiency Test? Also, is there a possibility that the cost will increase significantly if the eligibility is expanded in that way?

Instructor: Since this system is intended to be used for clerical work related to the management of qualifications based on laws and regulations, private-sector qualifications such as the Japanese Language Proficiency Test are not covered. The scope of coverage is set as a line by whether it is statutory administrative work of an administrative agency.

Mem.: Can't you reconsider that? We would like you to take into consideration not only whether the administrative work is required by law, but also the fact that the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, which is one of the systems for training and employment of non-Japanese, has a very strong public character, as the visa renewal process is affected by whether or not a person is qualified.

Mem.: . Rather than blindly increasing such qualifications, I would like to know how you intend to grasp the needs on the ground, such as whether you will give priority to incorporating qualifications for which there is a high need or, conversely, whether you need to include qualifications for which there is no need.
In addition, I believe that there may be needs for prefectural qualifications such as teaching licenses, and I would like to know if there are plans to include these in the future.
In addition, I feel that there are challenges in understanding the current situation, such as the lack of numerical targets in the outcome logic model and how much budget is actually used because it is difficult to understand the execution rate due to the lump-sum posting. Therefore, I would like you to consider enhancing the review sheet. In addition, is there any problem with competitiveness in that the bidding is single tendering and the successful bid rate is 100%?

Instructor: At present, 128 qualifications are covered, and at the time of the start of operation, adjustments have been made focusing on qualifications related to tax and social security, and it has been expanded in stages.
Many of the 128 qualifications will use the My Number system based on the assumption that the Number Act and the Act on Basic Resident Registers will be revised. Therefore, after consultation with the competent authorities in charge of the national qualifications law in the base laws and regulations, we selected qualifications that are expected to improve the convenience of users, such as simplifying administrative work and omitting residence certificates and Copy or Extract of Family Register, and to improve administrative work efficiency on the administrative side by linking My Number information using this system in accordance with the revision of the Number Act and the Act on Basic Resident Registers. We set the scope of eligibility based on the qualifications that are expected to have such effects.
For this reason, we are proceeding by first narrowing down to a certain range from all the national qualifications.
We are also working to enable the use of this system for qualifications issued by prefectural governments, such as teaching licenses, nursery teachers, and nutritionists, which are qualifications based on laws and regulations and for which the Number Act has been revised. Among prefectural qualifications, teaching licenses are scheduled to be installed within this fiscal year.
We recognize that the execution rate and one party bidding are issues, and we promoted the clarification of specifications and provision of information through the exchange of opinions with business operators and sought the participation of multiple business operators for a positive consideration of bidding.
As a result, in this fiscal year's procurement, there were bids from three companies for design and development and two companies for operation and maintenance, and the situation of single bidding is being resolved. Although the successful bid rate is also on an improving trend, I would like to add that it will be reflected in the review sheet in the future.

Chairman: I would like to add one more point. The fact that the execution ratio is not clear due to the lump-sum accounting was raised as a problem in the review when Digital Agency was established, and due to institutional restrictions, we have not been able to fully respond at this time. I would like to emphasize that I believe that the point made by the committee members is reasonable.

Mem.: Regarding data linkage with the platform, while there is merit in visualizing the field of human resource shortages, there are concerns that data will be concentrated on major career change sites and staffing agencies, leading to the capture of qualification information.
In addition, with the increasing mobility of human resources, there may be issues such as the difficulty of securing human resources due to poaching, even if companies support training and qualification acquisition. What are your thoughts on these issues?

Instructor: This project provides information to Mynaportal and others through private sector APIs with the consent of the person. The premise is that the appropriateness of the business operator will be strictly examined, and the use will be accepted through fair procedures so that it will not be abused. On top of that, we expect that it will contribute to improving convenience and reducing the cost of confirming qualifications through a system that can be linked in My Number Card instead of a paper license.

Mem.: policy, I think this is a very good initiative in that it will lead to greater efficiency and resolve the complexity of past procedures.

Mem.: I have two questions. First, I would like to ask whether this platform can be used by general users. For example, is there a system that allows individuals to check whether they are qualified as a doctor, and if so, how will it be organized from the perspective of protecting personal data? I believe there is a need to check whether they are qualified to be involved, not only by their employers.
The second point is that the costs of several hundred million yen are indicated for development and maintenance costs and operation and maintenance costs, but their validity is difficult to understand. Therefore, I would like to see the effects of comparison with paper-based procedures and benchmarks for determining the rationality of costs.

Instructor: I would like to answer your first question. For example, for doctors, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare discloses information on license holders, and there is a system that allows you to confirm the presence or absence of qualifications and notification status by entering their names. I am aware that there are many national qualifications that already have a certain confirmation method like this.
In addition, for example, for hairdressers, we believe that it is possible to print out a digital certificate of qualification and use a verification barcode or the like to check it on-site instead of displaying a license at a store.
On the other hand, the introduction of this system will not change the legal system itself for qualifications that do not currently have such a mechanism for disclosure and presentation. Therefore, we believe that it will not be possible to view qualification information in a manner not intended by the person as before.
We can't grasp the detailed situation of each qualification, but some of the licenses are made public.
As for the second point, we are aware that it is difficult to evaluate costs using any indicators because we have only shown the amounts for fiscal 2022 and subsequent years. We would like to reconfirm the figures and consider what kind of analysis and presentation are possible.

Chairman: , I would like to supplement the opinions of the committee members. I understand that the first half is an issue of how much information can be shown from the perspective of protecting personal information. In principle, personal information cannot be used for purposes other than those for which it is intended, but this is possible if there is a legal basis. Therefore, for example, if it is assumed that patients can confirm their doctor's qualifications, there is no problem. However, if this is not the case, or if the information is provided to business operators, it may be used for purposes other than those for which it is intended.
I think that this point can be a problem even in cases where it is not a national qualification such as the Japanese Language Proficiency Test.

2. Policy Evaluation and Administrative Project Review Interim Report (Draft Report)

  • *The preliminary report (draft) was explained by the secretariat, and if there were any opinions for additional amendments, they were to be notified by e-mail. Amendments based on the deliberations of the Second Expert Committee were unanimously left to the discretion of the chairman.

3. Selection of Projects Subject to the Disclosure Process

  • *After confirming the projects that each committee member wanted to recommend, the "Digital Marketplace (DMP) Catalog Site" and the "National Qualification Information Collaboration and Utilization System" were recommended as the target projects for the disclosure process based on the opinions gathered from Chairman Sato. Since there was no objection from all the attending committee members, the targets were decided.