A draft of the government's new information technology strategy outlines "digital resilience" as the foundation to achieve changes in society amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will convene a meeting of the IT Strategic Headquarters and others on Wednesday at the earliest to finalize the plan.
The draft strategy highlights the frequent occurrence of natural disasters such as heavy rains and the complex crisis that has emerged amid the coronavirus pandemic. The draft includes proposals to reduce the burdens on disaster victims and local governments, as well as measures to prevent the occurrence of infection clusters.
Specific measures include the use of artificial intelligence-equipped tools that can automatically respond to inquiries from disaster victims via social media sites.
In addition to providing appropriate evacuation information to disaster victims, local governments are being urged to promote efforts to collect information from disaster victims. The draft calls for local governments to use My Number identification cards to compile lists of disaster victims and collect information from people at evacuation centers. It also proposes the use of a My Number-linked portal site for the online submission of applications for disaster certificates, which are necessary for victims to file damage claims.
The government's Personal Information Protection Commission will have the authority to supervise the use of data held by the public and private sectors in health and medical fields. The government aims to submit related bills to an ordinary Diet session next year to standardize rules on personal information.
The draft also highlights the urgent need for creating an online environment for home study in the wake of school closures due to the coronavirus outbreak. The goal of providing a personal computer or tablet device to every student at elementary and junior high school will be realized by the end of this fiscal year, three years ahead of schedule.
The government compiles a digital strategy every year.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
