The following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America and Japan at the conclusion of the 10th U.S.-Japan Policy Cooperation Dialogue on the Internet Economy:

The United States and Japan emphasized their continued commitment to an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure Internet during the tenth meeting of the U.S.-Japan Policy Cooperation Dialogue on the Internet Economy in Tokyo, Japan, on October 10 and 11, 2019.

The dialogue included discussions with private sector representatives from both countries on promotion of open, interoperable, reliable, and secure fifth generation mobile technologies (5G) networks and services; public-private cooperation on the deployment in third countries of digital infrastructure and services; international coordination on areas such as sharing of best practices of Internet of Things (IoT) security and promotion of free flows of data; and public-private partnership regarding the social implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in a manner that fosters public trust in AI. Both countries welcomed the recent signing of the Japan–U.S. Digital Trade Agreement and the joint statement to the U.S. and Japanese Governments submitted by private sector representatives from the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan and Keidanren.

The United States and Japan emphasized their continued commitment to work together to enhance the global digital economy policy environment including in the International Telecommunication Union, Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) organization, Group of 20 (G20), Group of 7 (G7), and Internet Governance Forum. They reaffirmed their commitment to an inclusive, open, and transparent system of Internet governance based on the multi-stakeholder approach. They also emphasized the importance of deepening discussions on, and sharing best practice of, the social implementation of AI in international fora such as the OECD.

Furthermore, they committed to engage in international policy discussions for harnessing the full potential of data and the digital economy. Both countries will continue to collaborate with international partners in promoting rules that support international data flows, including personal information. Both countries noted the launch of the “Osaka Track” process at the G20 Osaka Summit. Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to work closely together to expand participation in the APEC Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) system, and recognize it as a relevant mechanism to facilitate interoperability and create a globally acceptable cross border data flow scheme that is useful for expanding the free flow of data. Japan also highlighted the concept of data free flow with trust.

Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to realizing a global digital economy environment that is open, interoperable, reliable, and secure through the Working Group on the Japan-U.S. Strategic Digital Economy Partnership (JUSDEP), which was held three times in March, April and August this year. Participants welcomed the continued cooperation between both countries in areas such as smart cities, network infrastructure, and cybersecurity in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. They also decided to hold the JUSDEP Working Group twice a year in principle, including once at the Internet Economy Dialogue, in order to promote concrete projects in the region.

Both countries recognized the importance of promoting open, interoperable, reliable, and secure 5G networks, services, and supply chains. They also recognized the importance of addressing cybersecurity risks relating to information and communications technologies (ICT) including 5G and IoT. Both countries recognized the importance of trust and rule of law as principles in support of secure ICT supply chains. They also highlighted the value of a transparent and open 5G network architecture to support security and vendor diversity. Alongside the dialogue, both countries held an expert-level consultation for in-depth discussions on respective telecom policy issues: universal service, telecommunications relay services, and virtualized networks.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Cyber and International Communications and Information Policy Robert Strayer led the U.S. delegation, which included officials representing the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and the Federal Communications Commission. Director-General Makiguchi Eiji of the Global Strategy Bureau from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) led the Japanese delegation, which included the participation of officials representing MIC; the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI); the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA); the Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC), Cabinet Secretariat; and the National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity (NISC).   back...