August 22, 2023 Results of the G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting

On August 19, 2023, the G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting was held in Bengaluru, India. State Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, TSUGE Yoshifumi, represented the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications at the meeting. The meeting was also attended by the G20 member countries and regions, as well as invited countries and relevant international organizations. The G20 discussed various policy issues related to the digital sector and compiled the outcome document and Chair’s Summary.

1. Date

Saturday, August 19, 2023

2. Participating countries, regions, and international organizations

[G20 member countries and regions]
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, EU, France, Germany, India (Presidency), Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, UK, and USA
[Invited countries]
Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain, United Arab Emirates
[Invited international organizations]
ITU, OECD, UNDP, UNESCO, and World Bank

3. Overview

The G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting has been held since 2017 to promote policy discussions on the digital economy sector, as digitalization is having a broad and significant impact on the economy and society and a wide range of new policy issues are being recognized.
The agenda discussed at this year’s meeting in India included digital public infrastructures (DPI) for digital inclusion and innovation, building a secure, resilient, and trustworthy digital economy, and developing digital skills for a future-ready global workforce.
State Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications TSUGE Yoshifumi attended the meeting and contributed to the discussion by commenting on the following matters.

• It is essential to build cybersecurity capacity in developing countries. Japan will continue to support this purpose to address security vulnerabilities and realize a safe, secure, and resilient digital economy.
• To strengthen the security of the digital economy, it is also essential to ensure the safety and robustness of the underlying digital infrastructure. International cooperation will be promoted in such priority areas as the promotion of Open RAN, the laying of optical submarine cables, and the development of data centers. In preparation for Beyond 5G, research and development will be promoted in areas such as HAPS, enabling connectivity to be secured in island areas where the telecommunications environment is not well-developed. Japan will strengthen cooperation with the international community in research and development and international standardization and share examples of advanced initiatives.
• Japan is considering a multi-stakeholder discussion on generative AI at the IGF to be held in Kyoto in October and expects to link this to discussions through the G20 forum.

The outcome document based on the discussions was issued, along with the chair’s summary as the deliverables of the meeting.

4. Overview of bilateral meetings

Taking advantage of the opportunity of this meeting, State Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications TSUGE Yoshifumi held bilateral meetings with the following ministers and officials to deepen dialogue on policy issues shared by each party.
India: H.E. Mr. Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology
Saudi Arabia: H.E. Mr. Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology
UK: H.E. Mr. Paul Scully, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy) at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
France: H.E. Henri Verdier, Ambassador for Digital Affairs for the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
Canada: H.E. Mr. Francis Bilodeau, Associate Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
USA: H.E. Mr. Nathaniel C. Fick, Ambassador-at-Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy Indonesia: H.E. Mr. Budi Arie Setiadi, Minister of Communication and Informatics