Behind the establishment of the Digital Agency, Japanese ministries and local governments have built information systems individually, so it is not possible to exchange data smoothly, and it is not easy for service users to use, as a result. The current situation is that digitization is not progressing.
According to a survey conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) three years ago regarding the digitization of governments around the world, 7.3% of respondents said that they had performed national administrative procedures online in a year. It ranks lowest among the 30 responding countries, and digitization from the user's perspective is far behind the rest of the world.
It has been pointed out that in Japan, ministries and local governments have built their own information systems in the background.
The construction and management of the system was carried out by major electrical equipment manufacturers and IT companies called "vendors", but since the software used and the servers were built in a format that suits the organization, subsequent system maintenance and management There was a situation called "vendor lock-in" in which it became difficult for other companies to enter and the system became rigid because the same company continued to take charge of management.
Under these circumstances, the usability of the administrative system has not improved, and the situation where data across ministries and local governments cannot be used well continues. Last year, when the new coronavirus required urgent measures, the system of the national and local governments The procedure for benefits and subsidies was delayed due to the incompatibility of the format.
In addition, regarding the reports of positive individuals, there was no common online format between the public health center and the government office, and they were exchanged by fax, which delayed the understanding of the spread of the infection.
In addition, the My Number system, which started with the aim of improving administrative services, has a limited card penetration rate, even as of the 30th of this month, about five and a half years after it was issued, due to the limited number of procedures and administrative services available. Issues were pointed out, such as staying at 37.5%.
The aim of the Digital Agency is
The Digital Agency will create a foundation for the unified operation of administrative data that has been individually managed by ministries and local governments, making it easier for the public to use administrative services, improving the quality of administrative services, reducing costs and speeding up. I also aim.
Specifically, we will build an information system infrastructure called "Government Cloud" that is jointly used by the government, ministries, and local governments so that data can be stored and software can be operated in a unified manner via the Internet.
Local governments, etc. provide various administrative services on this "government cloud" using apps created by IT companies.
When IT companies create apps, the Digital Agency decides on standard specifications suitable for carrying out 17 important tasks such as the Basic Resident Register, taxes, and long-term care insurance.
As a general rule, we want all local governments to use the "Government Cloud" by the 7th year of Reiwa, and we expect that by centrally managing data, cyber security measures will be more concentrated and highly implemented. It has been.
In addition, the Digital Agency is prioritizing the expansion of the use of "My Number".
The My Number business, which has been straddling each ministry and agency, has been unified into the Digital Agency, linked with medical information and financial institution account information, and urgent administrative services such as vaccination and payment of benefits. In addition to making it possible to carry out smooth administrative procedures, we aim to be able to carry out ordinary administrative procedures smoothly with a single card.
The new approach is to treat administrative data as digital data instead of the conventional document, and it is necessary to change the way of thinking to change the flow of business and procedures itself to be suitable for digital.
To encourage these changes, the Digital Agency has hired about 200 of its 600 employees from the private sector.
On the other hand, since the existing system will be rebuilt, the opposition from ministries and agencies is expected, and the question is how strong leadership can be used to promote reforms.
Expert "A concrete example that is easy to understand"
Shinichiro Umeya, director of the Institutional Strategy Laboratory of Nomura Research Institute, who is familiar with digital policy, said, "From the perspective of the people, we will consider each administrative system from the perspective of how to improve convenience and efficiency. The Digital Agency has great significance in terms of bundling them together and showing the direction as a whole. "
On the other hand, regarding the reforms carried out by the Digital Agency, resistance is expected from the ministries and agencies that operate the existing system, so he pointed out that the reforms require strong leadership and the support of the people. It is necessary to show a big direction as to how to change the administrative system or change the life, and to inform the people that there is digitalization as a means of doing so. We will explain each one carefully with easy-to-understand concrete examples, such as making the procedure convenient, and even if the corona infection spreads, you can take school lessons remotely, and understand that digitization will realize a convenient and secure society. Isn't it important for them to do it and recognize that they have merits? "