In the age of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity), characterized by a super-aging society, a low-growth economy, crises as the new normal, and growing concerns over social sustainability, ICT plays an increasingly vital role, through AI-based data processing, the fusion of cyber and physical spaces, and the creation of new cyberspace.
 The ICB formulates comprehensive ICT strategies to resolve social issues and realize a vibrant society.

 Japan faces a challenging economic environment, including a declining workforce due to an aging population and a projected shrinkage of the domestic market. Additionally, there are mounting challenges, such as coping with severe and frequent disasters, and addressing the aging public infrastructure that has been in place for over 50 years.
 Furthermore, as digitalization progresses in society, including the widespread adoption of smartphones and the advancement of network sophistication, the role of information and communication in the lives of citizens and economic activities is increasing. Digitalization has the potential to significantly enhance the productivity and convenience of local communities, improve the quality of industries and livelihoods, and enhance the attractiveness of regions. Moreover, services provided by platforms such as social media and search engines contribute to the improvement of daily convenience.
 On the other hand, issues such as slanderous comments and dis-/mis-information have become apparent in the information circulated on the Internet. Additionally, the advent of new information and communication technologies such as generative AI and the immersive technologies is significantly transforming the digital space.
 The government has raised the banner of the “Comprehensive Strategy for the Vision for a Digital Garden City Nation,” and is actively promoting DX in local areas through the rapid development of digital infrastructure by both the public and private sectors.
 In the context of these challenges and the potential of digitalization, the government promotes the implementation of digital solutions as a key to solving social issues in local communities, contributing to the revitalization of regional societies and economies. Furthermore, the government is comprehensively addressing new challenges associated with the advancement of the digital space, such as the distribution and spread of dis-/mis-information, the proliferation of generative AI, and the immersive technologies.
 Moreover, in order to achieve a society where everyone can enjoy the benefits of various digital services that utilize data, and to ensure that users can utilize information in a safe and secure environment, the government is promoting the realization of a society where everyone can enjoy the benefits of various digital services that utilize data, and to ensure that users can utilize information in a safe and secure environment.

 Broadcasting has played its role as a social infrastructure service that facilitates the sharing of basic social information, such as disaster information and local news. On the other hand, the environment surrounding broadcasting is rapidly changing, as shown by the change in viewing styles due to the diffusion of smartphones and the diffusion of video streaming. Exactly because a great variety of information is distributed by diverse media amid the expansion of information space into the internet due to the arrival of the digital age, the role of broadcasting in disseminating highly reliable information backed by newsgathering and editing work is becoming more and more important.
 Therefore, despite the changing environment surrounding broadcasting, the MIC is developing an environment that enables broadcasting businesses to devote efforts to content production by strengthening their management foundation in order to ensure that high quality broadcasting content is provided to viewers nationwide through diverse means of transmission and to support the dissemination of local news and video streaming by willing local stations.
 In addition, in order to deal with large-scale disasters, whose severity and frequency has increased in recent years, as exemplified by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, the MIC supports the shift to optical cables in the cable television industry to reinforce broadcasting networks and promotes initiatives to realize the common use of terrestrial broadcasting relay stations, measures to guard against power failures so that broadcasting can be continued without power and measures to redress the problem of radio wave obstruction. Broadcasting plays an important role as a means to securely provide information essential for protecting the lives and properties of the people and to obtain disaster information. Therefore, in order to secure information access opportunities via TV broadcasting, the MIC is promoting broadcasting services for people with hearing and visual disabilities by formulating guidelines and subsidizing the cost of producing subtitled programs, explanatory programs, and programs with sign language translation.
 Content business is an industry that is expected to lead the growth of Japan in the future and to play a significant role in projecting Japan’s soft power. To increase interest in Japan and spur foreign demand for local Japanese content, the MIC is promoting overseas expansion of broadcasting content, for example by supporting co-production of content that demonstrates the attractiveness of local communities by Japanese broadcasting business with foreign businesses for global dissemination.

 The postal service was privatized in 2007, and then listed on the stock market in 2015 as three companies: Japan Post Holdings Co., Ltd, Japan Post Bank Co., Ltd., and Japan Post Insurance Co., Ltd. The MIC properly instructs and supervises the postal services in order to secure them nationwide. There are 24,000 post offices nationwide that act as safe and secure bases for public life, for which the MIC promotes efforts to make postal services more convenient and to create new businesses for users.
 Furthermore, the MIC is engaged in international cooperation and contribution by means of activities at the Universal Postal Union (UPU), and also promotes the enhancement of the postal business through overseas developments of the Japanese postal infrastructure, services and systems.
 In order to expand user options for sending letters, the MIC has introduced a letter delivery service system that allows private businesses to handle letter delivery and appropriately guides and supervises those businesses to ensure appropriate business operations.

 While people’s lives are becoming more convenient due to the dissemination and advancement of information and communication technologies and services, the distribution and spread of dis/mis- information on the Internet has emerged as a problem. For example, in some cases, fake images of streets and landscapes and fake videos of celebrities and public officials seemingly making official comments have been created by generative AI and distributed and spread on the Internet. It is important to recognize this situation as a risk to the people’s lives and take necessary actions.
 In view of the results of discussion by the Expert Group on How to Ensure Healthy Information Distribution in the Digital Space, which was inaugurated in November 2023, as well as international trends, the MIC has been implementing a comprehensive set of measures to deal with the distribution and spread of dis/mis-information, including the development of institutional systems, while considering the balance between information access and freedom of expression.