The governments' envisaged digital agency is expected to work on seven major tasks including the standardization of local government digital infrastructure by introducing cloud computing systems, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
The agency, which is to be established in September next year, is expected to serve as a control tower for the administration and the private sector, amid efforts to establish a digital society aimed at improving convenience and saving money for citizens and businesses.
According to a draft compiled by the government, the agency will tackle seven major tasks, including having local governments introduce cloud-based systems for the collaborative management of data sharing on the internet.
The agency will cooperate with the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry to migrate administrative systems, currently operated separately by each local government, to a nationwide cloud system in a bid to reduce costs and save labor.
The agency will also promote the unification of the government's information system. The agency is planning to allocate a lump sum for the system, aiming to reduce the related budget by 30% by fiscal 2025. The related budget for this fiscal year totaled about 800 billion yen.
The government also wants to boost digitization in the private sector to improve productivity and accelerate growth.
The agency is expected to formulate a policy for the development of necessary systems in fields closely related to people's lives, such as health care and education, according to sources.
Operations related to My Number cards are expected to be transferred from related ministries and agencies including the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry to promote the use of the cards.
The goal is for almost all citizens to possess a My Number card by the end of fiscal 2022. The current possession rate is about 20%.
The agency is expected to strengthen its involvement in the Japan Agency for Local Authority Information Systems, which now operates the My Number card management system.
To prevent information leaks due to cyber-attacks and other factors, the agency will have a dedicated cyber-security team. The team will work with the National Center of Incident readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity (NISC) to strengthen measures.
In terms of human resource development, the agency is to create an environment in which people can move back and forth between the public and private sectors.
The digital agency will have about 500 employees, exceeding the number of the consumer affairs and reconstruction agencies, of which 100 to 150 will come from the private sector.
The draft outline is expected to be included in the government's basic policy for the digital agency, which will be finalized by the end of this year.
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