G7 Digital and Tech Ministers' Meeting in Takasaki, Gunma

In May 2023, the G7 Summit-an international meeting for the candid exchange of views on the current international situation and global-level issues, attended by the leaders of the seven major countries of France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada (listed in order of the group's rotating presidency) and the EU-will be held in Hiroshima. Related ministerial meetings for discussing international issues in various fields will be held alongside the main summit, in 14 cities throughout Japan

At the Digital and Tech Ministers' Meeting to be held in Gunma Prefecture, the themes will be high-priority issues in the digital field, such as promotion of emerging technologies for improving DFFT^*1 and online safety and trust, ICT infrastructure-including beyond 5G/6G^*2-and human-centered approaches to artificial intelligence.

*1 The concept of Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT) is to promote free flow of data internationally, whereby data useful for business and solving social issues can freely cross borders, while ensuring trust in privacy, security, and intellectual property rights.

*2 Communications infrastructure more sophisticated than 5G that, in addition to enhancing the characteristic functions of 5G-i.e., ultra-high speed and high capacity, ultra-low latency, and ability to handle a massive number of connections-has additional functions that contribute to the creation of new, sustainable value in the form of autonomy, expandability, ultra-high safety/reliability, and ultra-low power consumption.