Mr. KONO Taro, Minister for Digital Transformation visited India and Thailand
Published on March 13, 2023
Mr. KONO Taro, Minister for Digital Transformation visited the Republic of India and the Kingdom of Thailand from March 11 to March 12, 2023.
In India, Minister Kono attended the Trilateral Commission Annual Plenary Meeting in India and made a speech on the promotion of the Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT) and exchanged views with ministers and officials of each country. He also met with Mr. Ashwini VAISHNAW, Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology in the Government of India.
In Thailand, Minister Kono visited the local start-up hubs and had extensive discussions with private sectors about the data sharing and digitalization of DFFT.
We will continue to strengthen our partnership with India, as communicated during the business trip this time, and with G20, the Global South, and the private sectors, while making thorough preparations for the success of the G7 Digital and Tech Ministers’ Meeting.
1 Visited the Republic of India
Visited the Republic of India on March 11, 2023.
（1）Meeting with Mr. Ashwini VAISHNAW, Hon’ble Minister of Railways, Communications, and Electronics and Information Technology
Minister KONO Taro visited the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology of India and had a meeting with Mr. Ashwini VAISHNAW, Hon’ble Minister of Railways, Communications, and Electronics and Information Technology.
Based on the exchange at the G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting in Bali, Indonesia in August last year, Minister Kono and Minister Vaishnaw discussed digitalization initiatives of both Japan and India, interoperability of eID, and dispatch of the expert teams. In addition, they exchanged views on enhancing collaboration between the G7, chaired by Japan this year, and the G20, chaired by India, and confirmed future cooperation.
（2）Attended Trilateral Commission Annual Plenary Meeting in India
Minister Kono attended the Trilateral Commission Annual Plenary Meeting in India, a gathering of experts from the Asia-Pacific, North America, and Europe, where he made a speech on the promotion of the DFFT. He also attended G20 related sessions and exchanged views with the participants including H.E. Mr. Gan Kim YONG, Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore, and the private sectors.
At the Trilateral Commission Annual Plenary Meeting in India, Minister Kono made a presentation on the operationalization of the DFFT which is to be promoted at the G7 Digital and Tech Ministers' Meeting and communicated the importance of cooperation to ensure interoperability and transparency among national systems to secure "trust" in cross-border data transfer. He stressed that collaboration between the G20 and the Global South, including India and the G7 is essential in facilitating the digitalization of society and the digital economy globally, including the promotion of the DFFT, and received a big response from the audience.
He also attended the G20 related sessions of the same meeting and exchanged views with H.E. Mr. Gam Kim YONG, Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore on the regulatory sandbox and the current status and issues on social implementation of AI.
With the private sector, Minister Kono received an explanation of projects to promote digitalization in India and exchanged views on the current situation and the future potential for the digitalization of national IDs. Since the meeting was attended by many from the private sector, he shared the concept of the DFFT that he would like to promote through public-private partnerships and called for cooperation.
2 Visited the Kingdom of Thailand
Visited the Kingdom of Thailand on March 12, 2023.
（1）Meeting with Senior Chairman of CP (Charoen Pokphand Group) and the company visit
Minister Kono visited True Tower in Bangkok and exchanged a wide range of views with Mr. Dhanin Chearavanont, Senior Chairman of CP Group, on the common challenges such as digitalization of the large organizations, and the cooperation between CP Group, Startups, and Japan. He also visited True Digital Park, the largest international startup hub in Southeast Asia, where the technology companies in Thailand and the government agencies accumulated.
