Cisco announced a collaboration framework with the government of Japan through Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) Program to drive mass-scale digitization across Japan in support of its Society 5.0 vision and towards an “inclusive recovery” from the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Cisco said that the CDA program is aligned with the Japanese government’s digital agenda and its “human-centered” Society 5.0 vision, which aims to stimulate Japan’s economic growth.
In collaboration with industry, academia and government, the Japan CDA program will accelerate various initiatives, with specific focus on the following areas:
-Secure Public Infrastructure: Cisco said it will support the development of secure network platforms for government and critical social infrastructure. It will also build a cybersecurity human resource development program to develop the next generation of cybersecurity professionals in the country.
-Digital Schools: Cisco will help advance the digitization of education and help bridge the digital divide that exists, in terms of equity of access to online resources. It said that initiatives will be in “close alignment” with the GIGA School initiative, whose goal it is to ensure that each student has access to one digital device and high-speed broadband internet, while introducing online education for children tailored to their preferences and developmental stages.
-Advanced Remote Work: Cisco said it will work alongside enterprises, including small- and medium-sized businesses, to help them adapt to the ongoing changes in the way we work, triggered largely by the pandemic.
-COVID-19 Response and Digital Healthcare: In response to the continued spread of COVID–19, Cisco will help private, public, and not-for-profit sector organizations accelerate their transition to remote functionality to maintain operational continuity, with a specific focus on Digital Healthcare.
-Supply Chain: Cisco will co-innovate alongside Japanese companies in areas such as artificial intelligence, IoT, data analytics, edge computing, etc. to help businesses in Japan improve productivity, accelerate innovation, provide better customer experiences, and improve overall competitiveness.
-Regulatory Reform and Digital Society: Cisco plans to work with regulatory authorities and advise on innovative approaches to promoting a digital society while adhering to environmental, safety, and security considerations. In addition, Cisco said it will aim to “re-imagine the fan experience” in the context of live entertainment and events.
-5G Infrastructure: Cisco will consult and collaborate with an array of stakeholders to build the underlying core infrastructure required to roll out 5G networks across the country.
“The Japanese Government has laid the foundation for future growth by accelerating its digital policy and agenda and Society 5.0 vision. For it to succeed we need structural innovation, infrastructure development, wide-spread adoption and use of cutting-edge technologies, as well as training and development of next-generation of IT workforce. At Cisco Japan, we are committed to playing our role in helping turn this vision into a reality,” said Ichiro Nakagawa, vice president and Head of Japan at Cisco.
Cisco’s CDA team collaborates with national, state, and local governments in 40 countries around the world to accelerate their national digitalization agendas. Cisco said that CDA has over 900 active or completed projects spanning several verticals in close partnership with government, industry and academia.
