Top > Economic Affairs > G7/G8 > Kyushu-Okinawa Summit > From Okinawa to Genoa G8 Action Based on the Decisions of Okinawa > Summary of the Second IT Policy Dialogue Mission (January 14-23)

Summary of the Second IT Policy Dialogue Mission (January 14-23)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
January 24, 2001

1. Background

(1) As a follow-up to Japan's Comprehensive Cooperation Package to Address the International Digital Divide, which was announced by Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori prior to the G8 Kyushu-Okinawa Summit, the Government of Japan is implementing a policy dialogue as a basis to develop specific projects. This second mission visited Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia. (The first mission visited the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia from the end of October to the beginning of November 2000.)

(2) The second mission was constituted by the head of delegation, Mr. Nishigahiro, Deputy Director-General of the Economic Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other directors in charge from the Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications; Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA); and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

(3) The mission held discussions with officials of ministries and agencies in charge of IT policy in each country. The mission also heard opinions from local private companies and representatives of Japanese companies stationed in those countries.

2. Main places visited and people consulted

(1) Indonesia (January 14 - 16)

  • Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs Rizal Ramli (vice-chairman of Indonesian ICT Coordinating Team)
  • Senior officials of IT-related ministries and agencies (Senior Advisor to the Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs Dipo Alam; Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Empowerment of State Apparatus J.B. Kristiadi; Director General of Post and Telecommunication of the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunication Sasmito Dirdjo; Director General of Higher Education of the Ministry of National Education Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro; Deputy Head of the National Development and Planning Agency for Production, Trade, and Infrastructure Bambang Bintoro and other officials)
  • Indonesian IT-related private companies
  • Indonesia-based Japanese companies (general trading companies, electric and electronic companies, telecommunication companies)
  • ASEAN Secretariat (Secretary-General Rodolfo C. Severino)
  • U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) (Director Terry Myers)
  • Local offices of international organizations (World Bank, Asian Development Bank)

(2) Singapore (January 16 - 18)

  • Senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Deputy Secretary/Management Ho Cheok Sun; Director of Technical Cooperation Directorate Anthony Chang; Director of ASEAN Directorate Michael Tay)
  • Senior officials of the Infocommunications Development Authority (iDA) (Senior Director of Strategic Planning and International Hioe and other officials)
  • Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Singapore
  • Canadian International Development Research Center (IDRC)

(3) Vietnam (January 18 - 20)

  • Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc
  • Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment Pham Khoi Nguyen
  • General Secretary of the Department General of Posts and Telecommunications Mai Liem Truc
  • Senior officials of IT-related ministries and agencies (Ministry of Planning and Investment; Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment; Ministry of Education and Training; Ministry of Industry and others)
  • IT-related state-run enterprises
  • Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam

(4) Malaysia (January 20 - 23)

  • Minister of Energy, Communication and Multimedia Leo Moggie
  • Director General of the Economic Planning Unit Iskandar
  • Senior officials of the Ministry of Energy, Communication and Multimedia (Secretary-General Halim, Deputy Secretary-General Suriah and others)
  • Senior officials of the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister's Office and other IT-related ministries and agencies (Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Education; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Energy, Communication and Multimedia)
  • Multimedia Development Corporation
  • Malaysia Multimedia University
  • Malaysia-based Japanese companies
  • United Nations Development Program Malaysia Office

3. Summary of Discussions and Future Response

(1) Overview

  1. Each country shows an extremely strong interest in Japan's Comprehensive Cooperation Package (totaling $15 billion), and a practical and comprehensive policy dialogue was held with senior officials of IT-related ministries and agencies, including ministers, in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia as prospective recipients.
  2. Through the discussions, (i) Japan's Comprehensive Cooperation Package was explained; (ii) priority issues in view of the present state of IT policy and IT utilization in each country were highlighted; and (iii) based on these discussions, the directions for specific cooperation by Japan were explored.
  3. In light of these discussions, Japan will dispatch project-formation survey missions of JICA and JBIC from the end of January into February to discuss cooperation projects more specifically. In order to strategically detect and form desirable projects, it is important to keep close cooperation including information and opinion exchange among Japan's related ministries and agencies, government organizations, embassies and other related institutions, and to give publicity to Japan's private sector vigorously.

(2) Discussions in Each Country

Of the countries visited this time, Singapore is extremely advanced in the IT utilization. Singapore can develop specific cooperation with Japan as a partner in extending support to other ASEAN countries in such area as human resource development.
As for Indonesia and Vietnam, although the governments of these countries recognize the importance of IT and are strengthening their efforts in this area, their actual utilization of IT is lagging even among the ASEAN countries, where they rank just ahead of Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. Active support centered on infrastructure building and human resource development is necessary. In addition, it is important to positively encourage the governments in the areas of policy support and cooperative project formation, since government efforts in these countries are still at the initial stage.
In Malaysia, the government is taking the initiative in implementing IT measures, positioning the promotion of IT as a priority area in national development strategy. While making human resource development and IT utilization in implementing assistance as priority areas, it is important to consider specific projects proposed by the Malaysian government, including infrastructure building in remote areas and the nurturing of IT-related companies, positively as priority matters. In addition, cooperation in third-country support in ASEAN, the Middle East, and Africa is an issue that should be taken up from now on.
Japan needs to consider these projects positively as priority matters.

Back to Index