Digital Transformation and Public Acceptance in Japan Legal, Institutional, and Civic Perspectives

This volume investigates the reinforcement of policies designed to cultivate a digital society in Japan. Through the collaboration of the authors, the book identifies critical impediments to this progression, encompassing existing legal frameworks pertaining to information and the administrative processes associated with digitalization. A prevalent institutional inclination towards preserving existing analog operational modalities further exacerbates these challenges, complicating systemic unification and the assurance of interoperability. Japan confronts a notable deferral in its digital transformation relative to other nations exhibiting accelerated technological integration. Societal reluctance to this technology is frequently linked to anxieties regarding information breaches and privacy infringements concomitant with digitalization, alongside apprehensions about intensified governmental surveillance and control, thereby impeding the societal assimilation of novel technologies. However, the specific extent to which these citizen perspectives contribute to the deceleration of digitalization has yet to be subjected to comprehensive empirical scrutiny. This book elucidates the contemporary condition and inherent challenges of digitalization within Japan, concentrating predominantly on the political and administrative domains. Through this analysis, the book substantively deepens the comprehension of the dynamics governing the acceptance and proliferation of digital technology within Japanese society, thereby offering recommendations for the formulation of more efficacious public policy.