First Director-General Level U.S.-Japan Dialogue on the Internet Economy

Today the first-ever Director-General level meeting of the U.S. - Japan Policy Cooperation Dialogue on the Internet Economy was held in Tokyo. United States Coordinator for International Communications & Information Policy Ambassador Philip Verveer and officials representing the Department of State, the Federal Communications Commission, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Homeland Security participated in the dialogue from the United States. Hajime Tonegawa, Director General of the Global ICT Strategy Bureau, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and officials representing MIC, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry participated in the dialogue from Japan. In addition, industry representatives from U.S. and Japanese companies participated in some of the day’s discussions.

In response to the expansion of economic activities utilizing the Internet, and as leading countries in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, participants from both countries recognize the importance of collaboration. During this dialogue, participants shared views on the necessity of the following partnerships for several policy issues which the Internet economy is facing, such as dissemination of cloud computing technology, enhancing security of commercial networks, and openness of the Internet and the freedom to connect and communicate, with a focus on further developments in the ICT field in both countries.

(1) Cloud computing technology.

Participants recognize the importance of:

• Sharing best practices of use of cloud services in the fields such as medical care, education, online commerce, public administration, and transportation, recognizing that these cloud services that utilize ICT contribute to efficiency increases and added value in social and economic activities.
• Sharing information and exchanging opinions on cloud services between both governments and the private sector, as well as developing common principles, with the goal of achieving international principles on cloud-related technologies.
• Sharing ideas for increased U.S.-Japan collaboration to accelerate relevant discussions in various international fora including APEC, the OECD, the ITU, and the WTO, on issues related to cloud services

(2) Enhancing security of commercial networks.

Participants recognize the importance of working towards:

• Sharing best practices for public-private partnership to enhance security of commercial networks.
• Cooperation on security measures and deployment of security technologies for commercial networks
• Enhancing the security and privacy of end-user data and improving the security of applications and devices.

(3) Openness of the Internet and the freedom to connect and communicate.

Participants recognize the importance of:

• Preservation of the open nature of the global Internet
• The promotion of competitive access to communications infrastructure and resources as well as the freedom of users and suppliers to connect to the Internet
• Safeguarding the free flow of information and freedom of expression online

With the economic progress brought by new technology related to the Internet, the importance of strong partnership between the U.S. and Japan on these issues will continue to increase. With this in mind, participants from both countries plan to hold the second Director-General level meeting of this dialogue in 2011 to further continue and embody this partnership.