Two decades on, Japan government's digital ambitions still stuck in piles of paper

Two decades on, Japan government's digital ambitions still stuck in piles of paper

Asakusa, Taito, Japan. Photo: Claudio Guglieri/unsplash

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.