The UK and Japan have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation that will see the two countries share best practice and knowledge to further develop their digital agendas.
The Memorandum of Cooperation will establish links between the UK’s Government Digital Service and Japan’s Digital Agency, who will work in conjunction with each other to share ideas and strategies to encourage the uptake of digital tools and services across the public sectors of both the UK and Japan.
The partnership will also centre around enabling and initialising better technical capacity and capabilities in government departments and agencies, as well as delivering improved efficiencies in government procurement and expenditure.
Alongside the agreement, the UK has sent a delegation of digital experts to Japan who will kickstart the sharing of best practice by taking part in workshops and policy exchanges with Japan’s Digital Agency.
UK’s Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, Minister Jeremy Quin said: “The UK and Japan are two of the largest, most advanced economies in the world, with thriving tech sectors and clear ambitions to become world leaders in digital. By sharing expertise in areas like digital government transformation, we look to support each other in delivering better services and unlocking greater opportunities for our citizens and businesses.”
The UK was represented virtually by the aforementioned Jeremy Quin and was witnessed in-person by Government Digital Service CEO Tom Read – representing Japan in the Tokyo meeting was Digital Transformation Minister KONO Taro.
KONO Taro said: “The UK is an important partner for Japan and we are working together to maximise the benefits of digital. We are happy to welcome the GDS delegation as we have learned from the UK’s experience in delivering our own digital government initiatives, like the establishment of the Digital Agency. By sharing expertise and lessons learned, we are assisting each other in promoting digital transformation in the government and across society to ensure no one is left behind.”
The agreement follows the two countries’ joint statement announcing a deepening of digital collaboration earlier this year.
