Japan’s IT strategy has seen a repetitive cycle of successes and failures every five years. Between 1990 and 1995, Japan already established Internet access for universities and research centers, which began the foundational structure towards an information society. However, despite this advancement in information technology and the rapid increase of individual Internet users through the launching of Windows 95, IT implementation on the industry and administrative organization levels fell gravely behind by the year 2000.
To break through the slump, the IT Strategic Headquarters was established within the Cabinet Office, and the government and the private sector collaborated to promote the
. As a result, by 2005 Japan boasted the world’s leading broadband network and even leaped into the implementation of e-commerce and trading.
With these IT infrastructures in place, it was expected for information technology to quickly follow and spread through all aspects of society. However, due to the conservative nature of the medical, educational and administrative organizations, Japan was unable to keep up with continuing changes, finding itself falling behind again over the subsequent five years.
In this lecture, Murai will examine these successes and failures of Japan’s IT strategy, and discuss what new plans and goals to set based on these past experiences and lessons.
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Jun Murai, Ph.D.
Dean/Professor, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University
Founder of WIDE Project
Chair of AI3 Project
Chair of SOI Asia Project
Born in March 1955 in Tokyo.
Graduated Keio University in 1979, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science and Technology.
He received M.S. for Computer Science from Keio University in 1981, and received his Ph.D. in Computer Science, Keio University in 1987.
Specialized in computer science, computer network and computer communication.
He is currently the Dean, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University since October 2009.
Former director of WIDE project from 1988-2010.3
Former Vice-President of Keio University from May 2005 to May 2009.
He was an Executive Director of the Keio Research Institute at SFC, Keio University from 1999 to 2005.
He is appointed as one of the advisory member of IT Strategy Headquarters established within the Cabinet of Japan from August 2000 to July 2009, and the Information Security Policy Council established within the Cabinet of Japan since May 2005, a member of Science Council of Japan from October 2005.
A visiting professor at Tsinghua University, Beijing since September 2007.
His recent publications include “Explorers! of the Wonderful Internet”, Tarojirosha Editus Co., Ltd. September 2003, “Internet II”, Iwanami Publication July 1998, “Internet”, Iwanami Publication November 1995, “Evolution and Revolution of the Internet in Japan”, Proc. of CyberJapan:Technology, Policy Society Symposium, The Library of Congress, May 1996. “Unwired Internet”, Impress R&D
as a supervisor, April 2005. “New-generation Internet”, Iwanami Publication January 2010.