April 30, 2016 Results of G-7 Ministerial Conference on Information and Communications Technology in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture

Points of discussion in the Conference

Discussions were held in four sessions on the following distinct areas: (1) Innovation and economic growth; (2) Unrestricted flow of information, and ensuring the safety and security in cyberspace; (3) Contributing to the resolution of global issues, including digital connectivity; (4) International understanding and international cooperation in the future. The points of discussion in the respective sessions are shown below.

1. Innovation and economic growth

The G-7 ICT ministers agreed to strengthen international cooperation and public-private partnerships to promote the IoT in order to create innovation through IoT and other new ICT applications.
Japan proposed an analysis of the socio-economic influence of artificial intelligence (AI) networking through the cooperation of the G-7 nations, including international organizations, to lead to a discussion of the development principle of AI.

2. Unrestricted flow of information, and ensuring the safety and security in cyberspace

The G-7 ICT ministers agreed that countries should not impose measures requiring data localization (i.e., the installation of server facilities used to provide ICT services) to obstruct a free flow of information, unless there is a necessity for legitimate public policies.
The G-7 ICT ministers agreed that the G-7 nations are strongly against the misuse of ICT for terrorism and crime.
The G-7 ICT ministers agreed to promote research on analytical technology of cyberattack trends and initiatives to utilize indicators to grasp cyber risks objectively in order to ensure safety and secure cyberspace.

3. Contributing to the resolution of global issues, including digital connectivity

The G-7 ICT ministers agreed to aim at enabling 1.5 billion more people in the world to connect to the Internet by 2020 through multi-stakeholders’ initiatives.
Japan proposed the possibility of the G-7 nations’ cooperation in promoting the construction of high-quality infrastructure with consideration of high-infrastructure partnership quality.
The G-7 ICT ministers confirmed that the G-7 nations should promote the utilization of ICT in areas where the G-7 nations have advanced knowledge, such as the aging society and disaster prevention, thus contributing to the realization of the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”