[Interview] Bridging the gap in perspectives through close communication
Table of Contents
- Assigned To
- Create a new point of contact for administrative agencies that is easy to use and improve
- Connecting communication between members with different backgrounds
- It is important to understand the differences in the positions and viewpoints of the ministries and agencies and to adjust the gap.
- Government officials should be reminded that their job is to act from the user's perspective.
- Related Pages
Assigned To
Director Yoshihisa (left photo)
He joined National Police Agency in 1998. After working in departments such as cybersecurity, information management, and community safety, he has been in charge of Mynaportal and various business-related systems at his current position (Director, Digital Agency) since March 2024.
, UEDA Naohiro, Director (right in the photo)
Joined the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 1999. After working in the departments of nursing care, social welfare, pensions, etc., he has been in charge of medical digital transformation and Mynaportal at his current position (Director, Digital Agency) since June 2022.
*Affiliations and job titles are as of April 1, 2025.
Create a new point of contact for administrative agencies that is easy to use and improve
- What are the objectives and challenges of this initiative?
Otsuka Mynaportal aims to change administrative agencies into something that is more familiar to the people, and to become a new contact point for administrative agencies that are close to the lives of each and every citizen by making administrative procedures more efficient as a foundation of the digital society.
Ueda , there were not many functions, and at first, we focused on increasing the number of functions that could be used individually. As a result, the overall flow of traffic was difficult to understand, and the specifications were difficult to improve. Therefore, we separated the front end and back end and entrusted them to companies with strength in each, and built a development system that could make improvements as needed in response to user feedback. We see this initiative as a project that triggered a change in "Let's provide services that are easy to understand for the people," not only in Digital Agency but also across ministries and agencies.
Connecting communication between members with different backgrounds
- What was your role as an administrator?
Otsuka Otsuka What I am responsible for is connecting team communication while verifying from various angles when releasing each function. The team in Mynaportal is a large-scale organization. There are employees with diverse backgrounds and ways of thinking, ranging from national government officer working in the central government to local government employees who have been involved in administrative services from a perspective close to the people of Japan, to people who have joined the government from private companies. We are working to create environments where we can deepen mutual understanding and share values so that the team can move forward in the same direction.
Ueda I don't think that whether or not you have a "user-oriented" way of thinking has much to do with the background of "because you are from an administrative organization" or "because you are from the private sector." The only difference is the "user-oriented" way of thinking. It is important to find out the difference and find a balance.
It is important to understand the differences in the positions and viewpoints of the ministries and agencies and to adjust the gap.
- Please tell us about the achievements and changes you feel during the project.
Otsuka Quick Survey is significant. Mynaportal receives thousands of comments a day. It was epoch-making that such a large number of responses to the administrative service could be shared with related parties as they were. We were able to obtain a high level of satisfaction by building a development system that can quickly make improvements based on the collected public comments as evidence.
Ueda I feel that the roles of administrative services have changed significantly due to digitalization. In the past, the implementation of policies could only be entrusted to municipalities, but digitalization has made it necessary for us to create contacts with users, and I think that's why the "user's perspective" has come to be required in more detail.
Government officials should be reminded that their job is to act from the user's perspective.
- What advice do you have for administrators who want to create better services?
Otsuka I'm repeating myself, but the important thing is communication. If there is something you want to do, create a document that summarizes the evidence and background in an easy-to-understand manner and explain it in a short time. That's it.
Ueda Our job as government officials is to listen to the voices of the people. If we can grasp the essence of this and deepen our communication, we will surely be able to provide better services.