Author: Ushio Usami

In September 2021, Japan took a leap with the establishment of its Digital Agency and the creation of the government cloud. With the goal to build a society in which no one is left behind by improving convenience, health, and happiness through digital technology, Japan’s Digital Agency represents the nation’s bold commitment to digital innovation across government and society. In June 2024, two cloud engineers from the Digital Agency, Kazuma Takeda and Shinichi Nishihata, shared their process and learnings at the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Summit Japan, the largest AWS learning event in the country. For those who were unable to attend or watch virtually, this post summarizes their presentation.

In the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) 2022 Digital Competitiveness Index, Japan ranked 29th out of 63 countries, down one place from last year’s ranking. A 2021 white paper on information and communications by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications highlighted the gap between urban and rural digital transformation initiatives in Japan, with urban areas making more progress and local areas lagging behind. There is an urgent need to accelerate digital transformation across Japan to maintain and strengthen Japan’s competitiveness. Learn about local best practices in digital innovation across seven regions of Japan.