April 29, 2023 Signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation between Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications MATSUMOTO Takeaki and German Federal Minister for Digital and Transport Volker Wissing

On April 29, 2023, Mr. MATSUMOTO Takeaki, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan, held bilateral meeting with Dr. Volker Wissing, Minister for Digital and Transport of the Federal Republic of Germany, and signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC, “Joint Working Plan”) in the field of ICT for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV).

Purposes of signing the MoC with the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport

The MoC between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport of the Federal Republic of Germany has been signed on the following items:

• The ministries recognize the importance of an open and secure communications infrastructure in developing and deploying 5G networks and promote cooperation to build the necessary infrastructure.
• Both sides have confirmed the importance of deepening specific cooperation to promote emerging technologies such as Beyond 5G/6G.
• Both sides aim to strengthen cooperation in ICT utilization and contribute to further utilization by sharing their experiences.
• Both sides have confirmed that both sides will drive international discussions on AI based on humancentric principles.

At the bilateral meeting, based on the contents of the MoC, they exchanged opinions, including cooperation in specific ICT infrastructure utilization, such as Open RAN and high-speed communications on high-speed train. Both sides agreed to strengthening cooperation further.