[MIC] A Compilation of the Final Report on Policies relating to "Information and Telecommunications with a View towards 2030"

At its 48th meeting, held on June 23, 2023, the Information and Communications Council published the final report on "Information and Communications Policies with a View towards 2030," which responds to the inquiry (Inquiry No. 26) from the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications to the Chairman of the Information and Communications Council on September 30, 2021.

The table of contents of the report is as follows:

Introduction: The need to examine our vision and policies with a view towards 2030... 5
Chapter 1: Changes in the socioeconomic environment surrounding our country and the development of information and communication technologies: Status quo and changes for the future... 5
1. Changes in the socioeconomic environment surrounding our nation... 5
(1) Challenges posed by the declining birthrate and aging population... 5
(2) Efforts and progress towards digitization in our country... 6
(3) The intensification and frequency of disasters and aging social infrastructure... 7
(4) Global environmental issues and other international affairs... 8
2. Advances in information and communication technology... 10
(1) Evolution of networks... 10
(2) Evolution of artificial intelligence (AI)... 11
(3) Evolution of robots and other equipment... 12
(4) Evolution of cross-reality (XR) technology (emergence of the metaverse)... 13
(5) Increased importance of data on human capital, resources, and the environment... 14
(6) Emergence of Web3... 16
Chapter 2: Forthcoming future around 2030... 18
(1) Human AI interaction (AI agents)... 18
(2) Advanced integration of cyber and physical systems... 19
(3) Emergence of new computing platforms that provide social interactions and economic activities (e.g., metaverse)... 20
Chapter 3: The challenges facing our country with a view towards 2030... 21
1. The changing business environment in the digital space... 21
(1) Coping with the rapid evolution of AI... 21
(2) Importance of actuators... 22
(3) Changing stakeholder needs and lagging business transformation... 23
(4) Fostering start-ups as innovation generators... 25
(5) Rule-making in global markets... 26
(6) Competitive environment in the information and communications industry... 28
(7) Safety, reliability, and greening of information and communications infrastructure... 30
2. Changing usage environments in the digital space... 31
(1) Role of information and communication... 31
　①　Sublimation from a means of communication to a space of social interaction... 31
　②　Expectations for a stable network connection... 32
　③　Balancing the need for protection of privacy and freedom of expression... 33
　④　Mixing virtual and real in the metaverse... 33
(2) Attacks in the digital space... 34
　①　Increase and worsening of disinformation, misinformation, and slander damages... 34
　②　Cyber attacks... 36
　③　Personal data protection... 37
(3) Splinternet (the Internet as splintering and dividing)... 38
Chapter 4: Changes required in our country and directions for the study of information and communication policy... 40
1. Changes required in our country... 40
(1) Responding to the competition of new value creation and becoming carbon neutral... 40
　①　Realization of cyber-physical systems... 40
　②　Adapting to digitization in all types of enterprises... 40
　③　Adapting to the digitization of administrative bodies... 41
(2) Accelerate the development of technologies and services for global deployment... 43
(3) Involvement in proactive standardization and rule-making... 43
(4) Strengthening social cooperation in the use of digital spaces... 44
2. Directions for the study of information and communication policy... 45
(1) Environment for the use of generative AI in our country... 45
　①　Construction of AI infrastructure model in Japanese... 45
　②　All citizens develop skills to use AI and other digital tools.... 46
(2) Realization of cyber-physical systems on the premise of global deployment... 47
(3) Realization of a democratic "metaverse"... 48
(4) Strengthen and accelerate efforts toward Beyond 5G (6G)... 49
(5) Addressing Supply Chain Risks... 50
(6) Addressing Cybersecurity Risks... 50
(7) Ensuring a prosperous and healthy information space... 51
　①　Efforts to combat false information, misinformation, and slander... 51
　②　Control from the user's perspective... 51
(8) Future of Information and Communication Infrastructure... 53
　①　Proactive involvement of the government in the information and communications infrastructure as the foundation of society... 53
　②　Competitive environment and user needs for information and communications infrastructure... 54
　③　Efforts towards a new network after 2030... 54
Conclusion... 56
Reference... 57

The final report has the description regarding persons with disabilities: "Even older adults and persons with disabilities in hospitals and at home can operate robots in physical space through cyberspace to conduct socio-economic activities and interaction with real people in physical space." This description appears in "(2) Advanced integration of cyber and physical systems" of "Chapter 2: The Forthcoming Future around 2030," specifically, in "(iii) Participation in socio-economic activities in physical space through cyberspace," as an example of telexistence and stated in ②: "those persons can mutually complement their deficiencies, or participate in socio-economic activities free from the constraints that exist in physical space."

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