May 2, 2022 Results of Talks between Mr. KANEKO, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, and H.E. Ms. Vestager, Executive Vice-President, and H.E. Mr. Breton, Commissioner, of the European Commission

On Monday, May 2, 2022, Mr. KANEKO Yasushi, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, held talks with H.E. Ms. Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President, and H.E. Mr. Thierry Breton, Commissioner, of the European Commission. They confirmed the outcomes of cooperation achieved so far between Japan and the EU in the ICT field and agreed to further enhance bilateral cooperation in addressing wide-ranging digital-related issues, including Beyond 5G.

In the talks, they confirmed the outcomes achieved so far in the close cooperation between Japan and the EU through the Japan-EU ICT Strategy Workshop and the INDICO (International Digital Cooperation - ICT Standardization) Project and the promotion of Beyond 5G initiatives among government, industry and academia of both sides.

In this connection, on May 2, 2022, Japan's Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium and the EU 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA) signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the promotion of Beyond 5G/6G. In their talks, Mr. Kaneko, H.E. Ms. Vestager, and H.E. Mr. Breton expressed their welcome for the signing of this MOU. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and the European Commission declared their intention to push forward cooperation in this field.
Both sides also exchanged opinions on issues such as user protection in the digital space and data free flow with trust (DFFT). MIC will further deepen its cooperative relationship with the European Commission in addressing these issues.