February 28, 2023 Results of 28th Japan-EU ICT Policy Dialogue

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology of the European Commission held the 28th Japan-EU ICT Policy Dialogue in Brussels, Belgium (with some participants attending online) on Friday, February 24, 2023.
This policy dialogue aims to deepen the mutual understanding of Japan and EU governments and promote their cooperation and collaboration on policies in ICT. The recent meeting saw a lively discussion on the latest initiatives by Japan and the EU in regard to key themes in the ICT field for both parties that will contribute to the digitization of society as a whole.
Based on the results of this meeting, Japan and the EU will advance efforts to further deepen cooperation and make it more concrete.

Main outcomes of the 28th Japan-EU ICT Policy Dialogue
The following matters were the main topics of discussion at the 28th Policy Dialogue, taking into account policy trends and issues in the ICT field in Japan and the EU.

1. Smart Cities

Japan introduced Smart Cities initiatives being undertaken by MIC, including such examples as support for the development and spread of City OS, and Smart City Guidelines. The EU explained its initiatives aimed at promoting Smart Cities in Europe, pointing out similarities to Japanese initiatives and voicing the opinion that efforts should be made to ensure that data sharing based on open standards is possible, to avoid vendor lock-in.

2. 5G and Beyond 5G (6G), etc.

Regarding Beyond 5G (6G), Japan explained its vision of a society, usage scenarios, and a network architecture. Japan also explained its latest initiatives, namely the establishment of a new research and development fund and the activities of the Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium. The EU explained its budget for research and development projects and both sides exchanged views regarding future collaboration. In addition, discussion of the diversification of telecommunications suppliers including Open RAN and efforts to ensure resilience of telecommunications infrastructure primarily focused on an explanation of current initiatives by Japan, and the two sides exchanged views on matters including security and energy efficiency perspectives.

3. Cybersecurity

As well as explaining about the "ICT Cybersecurity Comprehensive Measures 2022". Japan introduced the NOTICE project being implemented by NICT, and also explained the status of cybersecurity human resource development initiatives and efforts for Collaboration between ISACs of EU& Japan. The EU explained a number of its initiatives, including the status of the NIS2 which entered into force on January 16, 2023, the status of the proposed Cyber Resilience Act, and the European Security Operation Center Project, which is a framework for information sharing among member states.

4. A safe and fair online environment

Japan explained MIC's initiatives to date in regard to measures to combat illegal / harmful contents, such as online defamation, and also explained the future direction of measures. The EU explained the status of enforcement of the Digital Services Act.
In addition, Japan explained the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) due to be held in Japan this October and emphasized the importance of an internet based on democratic values. The EU expressed agreement with Japan's way of thinking and talked about the importance of the internet being global and based on a multi-stakeholder approach.

5. AI

The EU explained the status of initiatives relating to AI regulation and AI principles, and also introduced common initiatives within the GPAI. Japan thanked the EU for its cooperation during the GPAI Summit and the two sides exchanged views regarding continued cooperation in international forums.