Twenty years on, Japan government’s digital ambitions still stuck in piles of paper

The Parliament Building (bottom) is seen in front of office buildings of government ministeries in Tokyo, Japan. In Japan, less than 12% of administrative work is transacted online, according to Japan Research Institute. — Reuters

TOKYO: 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 “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.