August 5, 2020 Fourth Interim Report of Information and Communications Council in Response to Inquiry about Ideal State of New Information and Communications Technology Strategy (Inquiry No. 22 of 2014)

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) has today received the fourth interim report of the Information and Communications Council in response to MIC’s inquiry No. 22 of 2014. The report outlines the contents specified below.

1. Background of deliberation

The Subcommittee on Technology Strategy (Chief Investigator: Hitoshi Aida, Professor at the School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo), hereafter referred to as the Subcommittee, under the Department of Information and Communications Technology of the Information and Communications Council made three interim reports in the past. These reports were on research and development in the ICT field that Japan should work on and compiled in response to MIC’s to inquiry about the ideal state of new information and communications (Inquiry No. 22 of December 18, 2014).
Recently, to promote ICT technology strategies for the realization of Society 5.0 and global expansion, the Subcommittee resumed the study in November 2019 and has been conducting research and study on technical issues and social implementation measures on which Japan should focus in the ICT field.

2. Report outline and main text

Recommendations are made for research areas that should be strategically promoted in the future, along with measures for promoting research, development, and standardization in the interim report received today.

3. Future plans

MIC will use the fourth interim report to contribute to the advancement of future information and communications administration.