Digital Minister Kono visited Europe and the Middle East
- Published:
Published on May 10, 2024
Digital Minister Kono visited Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and Saudi Arabia from April 29 to May 5, 2024.
Details of the visits are as follows.
1. European Union (EU)
Visited April 29 and 30, 2024.
Digital Minister Kono visited Brussels, Belgium, where he held a signing ceremony for the Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on Digital Identity between the Digital Agency of Japan and the European Commission to advance digital cooperation between Japan and the EU. He also co-hosted the “Second Meeting of the Japan-EU Digital Partnership Council” and adopted the joint statement.
During the council, significant discussions were held on major issues such as data policy and security measures, including DFFT, semiconductors, AI, and Beyond 5G. After the meeting, at the Japan-EU Joint Press Conference, Japan emphasized that the MOC on Digital Identity, signed this time, is a remarkable achievement from the perspective of ensuring the safe and secure digital exchange of critical information between Japan and the EU in the future.
EU has extended its intention to support and cooperate in establishing and advancing the IAP and expressed its expectations for realizing interconnection based on data free flow with trust to strengthen business partnerships between Japan and the EU. They also confirmed their aim to promote strategic cooperation on key digital issues between Japan and the EU and to work together in multilateral collaboration, such as the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting shortly after this meeting.
Please refer to the press release for more details through the following links.
- Second Meeting of the Japan-EU Digital Partnership Council Held
- Digital Minister Kono had a meeting with European Commissioner Breton and signed the Memorandum of Cooperation on Digital Identities
2. the Netherlands
Visited May 1, 2024
Digital Minister Kono met with Mr. Baron, the Chief Technology Officer of the City of Amsterdam, to discuss the Smart City and Shared Mobility initiatives that Amsterdam is working on. He also observed "Roboat," the world's first self-driving passenger-carrying boat that navigates the canals of Amsterdam and exchanged views with the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Netherlands.
(Meeting with Mr. Ger Baron, the Chief Technology Officer of the City of Amsterdam)
3. France
Visited May 2 and 3, 2024
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of its accession to the OECD, Japan chaired the 2024 OECD Ministerial Council Meeting under the theme of "Co-creating the Flow of Change: Leading Global Discussions with Objective and Reliable Approaches towards Sustainable and Inclusive Growth". Digital Minister Kono chaired and led the discussion of the "DFFT (Data Free Flow with Trust), Data Governance and Security" session on the 3rd.
Please refer to the press release for more details through the following link.
4. Saudi Arabia
Visited May 4 and 5, 2024.
Digital Minister Kono met with Minister Alswaha and discussed the potential for interoperability and the sharing of best practices in the field of digital identity, based on the MOC signed by both countries. Minister Alswaha also provided an overview of the progress and strategy of NEOM Smart City during the meeting.
(Meeting with Mr. Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology in Saudi Arabia)
Visits
Minister Kono visited NEOM, the huge Smart City project under Saudi Vision 2030, as well as KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology). He was briefed on the NEOM strategy by Mr. Nadhmi Al-Nasr, the Chief Executive Officer of NEOM, and Mr. Denis Hickey, the Chief Development Officer of THE LINE, one of NEOM's conceptual future cities.
During the KAUST visit, where world-class researchers gather, the university researchers gave reports on their latest research findings, and university start-ups gave presentations and exchanged opinions.
(Visit to NEOM)
(Visit to KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology))