Launch of the Japan-U.S. Digital Hub
The Abe Administration’s Attempt to Revive Japan-U.S. Intellectual Exchange
The origins of the U.S.-Japan Digital Hub lie here. On the afternoon of April 30, 2013, the “Science and Technology to Promote Economic Growth: U.S.-Japan Public-Private Forum” (hereinafter referred to as the Public Forum) was held at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) in Washington, D.C. This public event, co-hosted by the U.S. Department of State and CEIP, brought together high-level government officials, representatives from universities, think tanks, and industry from both Japan and the United States. The forum was held to convey the discussions from the “12th Japan-U.S. High-Level Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation (JHLC)” meeting, which took place that same morning at the U.S. Department of State, to industry, academia, and the general public.
The JHLC was established based on the Japan-U.S. Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement signed during the 1988 summit between President Reagan and Prime Minister Takeshita.
The JHLC was established based on the “Japan-U.S. Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement” signed during the 1988 summit between President Reagan and Prime Minister Takeshita. It plays a central role in discussions on science and technology cooperation between the leaders of Japan and the United States. Under the JHLC, the expert-level “Japan-U.S. Science and Technology Cooperation Joint Working – Level Committee (JWLC)” organizes JHLC discussions, sets new agendas, and coordinates schedules. However, despite this established framework, a so-called “stovepipe” phenomenon—meaning a vertically compartmentalized structure—exists, making it difficult for discussions to reach industry, academia, and the general public. This phenomenon is likened to a system where smoke is vented outside through a pipe rather than filling the room, highlighting the problem that important discussions fail to reach necessary stakeholders.
The Abe Administration and the Restart of Science and Technology Exchange
The second Abe administration, launched at the end of 2012, prominently featured the slogan “Restoring Japan through Economic Growth.” Consequently, it also announced a policy to revitalize international exchange in the fields of science, technology, and education (human resource development), particularly with the United States. Exchanges with the United States significantly contributed to Japan’s development not only during the Meiji Restoration period but also during the postwar reconstruction era. However, during the prolonged stagnation following the collapse of the bubble economy, the importance of such exchanges was often overlooked, leading to the so-called “Galapagos syndrome.” The importance of Japan-U.S. exchanges is equally indispensable for the United States.
The 12th Japan-U.S. Joint High-Level Committee on Science and Technology (JHLC), held at the U.S. Department of State, was attended by U.S. participants including Dr. John Holdren, White House Science and Technology Advisor and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and Dr. Michael Colglazier, Science Advisor to the Secretary of State. From the Japanese side, Science and Technology Minister Yamamoto and Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Shimomura participated. The Japanese side had a strong desire to seize this opportunity to promote substantive Japan-U.S. exchanges in the fields of science, technology, and education.
I also participated as an “advisor” to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). While I served as a government committee member for other ministries in an academic capacity, this was the first time MEXT had requested my involvement. The then-head of MEXT recognized my connections with senior U.S. officials and requested my appointment as an advisor. My immediate role was to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and facilitate discussions with the U.S. side.
The Open Forum Initiative
The U.S. side requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to “co-host a public forum after the JHLC concludes,” and I was asked for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s (MEXT) perspective on this. I contacted Dr. Colglazier, with whom I have longstanding ties. Dr. Colglazier stated, “There is concern that discussions within the JHLC alone may not sufficiently reach industry, academia, and civil society. A proposal to establish a public forum involving the private sector has emerged within the State Department. While we haven’t yet implemented this with Europe, we would like to try it first with Japan.” Learning that the U.S. side was also considering measures to improve “siloed” phenomena, I strongly urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to accept the proposal, adding, “The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology should also be able to assist in securing Japanese speakers.” Although no specific criteria existed, executives from Hitachi and Nissan, along with the Vice President of Kyoto University, agreed to participate. After the morning JHLC session, we moved to the CEIP venue, about a 10-minute drive away, and held the first open forum. Reflecting Japan’s request, it was titled “Science and Technology for Economic Growth Promotion,” focusing on themes relevant to U.S.-Japan economic growth such as human resource development, researcher exchanges, and joint development of advanced materials. It also included “Applications of Big Data and High-Performance Computing in Disaster Situations,” a topic highlighted in the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake. With strong backing from the U.S. Department of State and CEIP, this forum generated significant resonance.
Continuation in Japan (Second Open Forum)
The JWLC meeting was held in Tokyo on July 7, 2014, with the visit of Ms. Jennifer Haskell, Director of the Bureau of International Science and Technology Cooperation at the U.S. Department of State, confirmed. I proposed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that we use the opportunity of the working committee meeting to co-host the second public forum. The U.S. Department of State agreed, and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) proceeded with preparations in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The venue was set for the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) in Odaiba, the day after the JWLC meeting. The theme title was “Evolving Toward a New Society: Utilizing Scientific Knowledge and Innovation.” Speakers included then-Director Haskell and then-Ambassador Kennedy from the U.S. side, and then-Deputy Foreign Minister Kishi, Professor Yamanaka of Kyoto University (known for iPS cell research), and then-Chairman Miyamoto of Shimizu Corporation from the Japanese side. Deputy Minister Kishi read aloud for then-Prime Minister Abe’s “Resolution on Strengthening Japan’s Innovation Capabilities.” A large audience gathered, and a lively question-and-answer session took place.
The 13th JHLC and the 3rd Open Forum
In 2015, the 13th JHLC was held in an unusual format, taking place in Washington, D.C. in April and in Tokyo in October.
From April 26 to May 3, Prime Minister Abe made the first state visit to the United States by a Japanese prime minister. He held summit talks with President Obama and delivered an address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress. On April 30, he attended a breakfast meeting co-hosted by the STS Forum at the headquarters of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the hall of fame for intellectual achievement in the United States, and exchanged views on cooperation with NAS President Cicerone and others. This was the first such opportunity for a Japanese Prime Minister in the long history of Japan-U.S. relations. On the same day, the 13th Japan-U.S. High-Level Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation (JHLC) was held at the State Department, where strategic cooperation in the fields of bio, data, supercomputing, and energy was discussed.
In October, it was decided to hold a JHLC meeting in Tokyo with the participation of Dr. Holdren and Dr. Turekian, Science Advisor to the Secretary of State. Following the meeting, the 3rd Public Forum was held at the Mita Joint Conference Center. The co-chairs were Mr. Holdren, Science and Technology Policy Minister Yamaguchi, and Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Shimomura. While Dr. Colglazier did not attend, he facilitated participation from U.S. stakeholders, including the Editor-in-Chief of the U.S. scientific journal Science, the Director of International Science at the NSF (National Science Foundation), and the Chairman of Moody’s. From the Japanese side, RIKEN Director Matsumoto and the heads of JST and NEDO participated. The theme was “The Future of Japan-U.S. Science and Technology Cooperation: Advancing Science to Enrich Lives Worldwide and the Roles Japan and the U.S. Must Play.”
Toward a Japan-U.S. Digital Hub
I was convinced the Open Forum would help improve the JHLC’s “stovepipes.” However, advancing Japan-U.S. science and technology cooperation presented even greater challenges. The invitation for the 3rd Open Forum stated, “Amid the rapid development of emerging technologies, Japan-U.S. stakeholders will discuss the nature of science and technology cooperation.” The major challenge was how to effectively conduct Japan-U.S. cooperation in these rapidly developing emerging technology fields.
At the time, these emerging technologies were referred to as “Digital Technology” and “Advanced Technology” (now termed CET, Critical and Emerging Technologies). Many of these initially developed rapidly, centered around Silicon Valley in the U.S. but behind this growth lay the expansion of “New Science” that became apparent in the 2010s. QIS (Quantum Information Science) entered its “second quantum era,” enabling the engineering manipulation of concepts like ‘superposition’ and “entanglement.” Simultaneously, FMS (Foundational Model Science), including LLM (Large Language Models), also surged. These new sciences began accelerating the development of a group of CETs, including AI, data science, quantum computing, and semiconductors. Furthermore, mutual development between different CETs is occurring. For example, advances in AI are driving progress in data science, quantum computing, and semiconductors, which in turn propel AI forward, creating a cycle. Conventional government organizations alone cannot adequately respond to the development of these CETs. In fact, in the mid-2010s, the U.S. Department of Defense established a permanent office in Silicon Valley to keep abreast of trends and launched a lightweight framework to simplify procurement procedures while still complying with regulations. Furthermore, it established an advisory committee that invited outside experts such as Mr. Schmidt, who was then chairman of Google. In other words, is there an open forum for rapidly developing emerging technologies? However, no matter how much we think about this question in Japan alone, we cannot find the answer. Fortunately, through my connections with the Business Higher Education Forum (BHEF), with which I have been involved for over 30 years, I was able to hear the thoughts of top industry and academic leaders in the United States. The BHEF is a forum where leaders from top U.S. universities and industry participate in their personal capacity to discuss the ideal relationship between industry and academia.
The answer I received was clear: the person interested in these matters should establish a forum where the governments, industries, universities, and research institutions of Japan and the United States can hold discussions on cooperation. In other words, it was a transformation into a voluntary, open forum. The initial name was the Japan-U.S. Digital Innovation Hub. Subsequently, with the support of Japanese and U.S. universities and research institutions, the Embassy of Japan in the U.S., the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, NEDO, JST, RIKEN, and industry, the first meeting was held in November 2015 at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1878, the Cosmos Club counts numerous Nobel laureates, U.S. government officials, and leaders from various fields among its members. It has also included former presidents at times, serving as a “social gathering place for knowledge” dedicated to intellectual exchange and public service.
While I have written in the first person thus far, I wish to clarify that this does not imply I was central to the effort; rather, I was one participant involved in the discussions and practical work from the outset. From the Open Forum to the Japan-U.S. Digital Innovation Hub, I have been deeply impressed by how many individuals I have met who place such high importance on strengthening Japan-U.S. exchanges.
