Digital Policy
7 items
The Digital Deficit and the 'Year of the AI Agent' — Three Structural Biases Settling in the Draft Phase of Japan's Digital Society Vision Council
The 11th meeting (December 2025) and 12th meeting (May 2026) of Japan's Digital Society Vision Council form the draft phase of the next Priority Plan for the Realization of a Digital Society. ISVD reads three structural biases solidifying in this phase: (a) the one-directional nature of the "deficit" indicator, (b) the framing of AI as competitiveness, (c) the narrowness of decision-making channels.
Reclaiming "Social Vision" from the Language of State Policy — How ISVD's "Social Vision Design" Differs from the Digital Agency's "Digital Society Vision Council"
ISVD's "Social Vision Design" and the Digital Agency's "Digital Society Vision Council" share part of their names, but differ in actor, scope, and method. This column maps the differences and considers how to keep "social vision" from being absorbed by state policy vocabulary.
Digital Society Vision Council, 12th Meeting (May 22, 2026) — Briefing on the Next Priority Plan and ISVD's Reading
A briefing on the 12th meeting of Japan's Digital Society Vision Council (Digital Agency, held May 22, 2026), with materials submitted by two local government heads (Miyakonojo City, Yamaguchi Prefecture) and one industry leader (Rakuten). ISVD reads the agenda against its own scope of social vision design.
The Day Digital Textbooks Became Official: Decoding Japan's 2026 Cabinet Decision
Japan's April 7, 2026 cabinet decision elevated digital textbooks from "supplementary material" to full legal status as "official textbooks." This column traces the seven-year evolution of their legal standing, maps the 2027-enforcement / 2030-classroom roadmap, and explains why Japan is moving forward precisely as Scandinavia retreats to paper and South Korea's AI textbook collapsed.
Japan's 2030 Digital Textbook Mandate — Three Forces Behind the Cabinet Decision
On April 7, 2026, Japan's cabinet approved a bill to recognize digital textbooks as official textbooks. On the same day, a privacy law amendment was also approved. While Sweden reversed course after reading scores dropped and Norway demonstrated shallower screen reading, why is Japan pressing forward? An analysis of three structural forces revealed by 12 citizen voices on Threads.
Digital Divide 2026 — The Paradox of DX Leaving Behind Those It Should Serve
Fiber at 99.8%, 5G at 98.4%, My Number Card at 80%—Japan's digital infrastructure ranks world-class by the numbers. Yet meaningful adoption gaps persist.
Japan's Digital Platform Regulation — New Rules Drawn by the Transparency Act, Smartphone Act, and Information Platform Response Act
Three laws reshaping Japan's digital platform regulation in 2026: the Transparency Act, Smartphone Competition Act, and Information Circulation Platform Act.