TOKYO, July 27 — Two decades after Japan rolled out an ambitious plan to go digital, the Covid-19 crisis has exposed the government’s deeply rooted technological shortcomings as ministries remain stuck in a paper-driven culture that experts say is hurting productivity. While Tokyo has made...
Monday, 27 Jul 2020 07:37 AM MYT
While Tokyo has made “digital transformation” its main policy plank this year, the switch may not prove so easy as bureaucrats from different ministries still aren’t able to hold teleconferences together and little of their administrative work can be done online. In its mid-year policy strategy, the government vowed to accelerate digitalisation of its outdated administration, which has delayed delivery of cash payouts to help citizens weather the pandemic.
Adding to its digital woes is Japan’s vertically structured bureaucracy: each ministry as well as local governments, for instance, have developed their own computer systems that aren’t compatible with each other. Overall, it could cost the government 323 million working hours per year if it doesn’t go digital, translating into personnel costs of nearly US$8 billion , a government regulatory reform panel estimated in a report released in July last year.
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