Joint Statement on the 12th U.S.-Japan Policy Cooperation Dialogue on the Internet Economy
Office of the Spokesperson
The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America and Japan at the conclusion of the 12th U.S.-Japan Policy Cooperation Dialogue on the Internet Economy.
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The United States and Japan emphasized their continued commitment to an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure Internet during the 12th meeting of the U.S.-Japan Policy Cooperation Dialogue on the Internet Economy (IED) hosted in hybrid format by Japan on November 11 and 12, 2021.
The dialogue included discussions with private sector representatives from both countries on the promotion of open, interoperable, and secure fifth generation (5G) wireless technologies, networks, and services; public-private cooperation supporting the development of the digital economy in third countries; international coordination on areas such as sharing of best practices on Internet of Things (IoT) security and promotion of the free flow of data; public-private partnerships to foster public trust in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and support responsible stewardship of trustworthy AI; and use of information and communications technology (ICT) that contributes to green growth and recovery. Both countries welcomed the April 2021 U.S.-Japan Joint Leaders’ Statement including the U.S.-Japan Competitiveness and Resilience (CoRe) Partnership. Both countries also welcomed the joint statement to the U.S. and Japanese governments submitted by private sector representatives from the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan and Keidanren.
Both countries welcomed the Global Digital Connectivity Partnership (GDCP) that was announced in April 2021 as a line of effort under the U.S.-Japan CoRe Partnership. Following expert-level working group meetings of the GDCP in May and October this year, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to promoting secure connectivity and a vibrant global digital economy. Both countries decided to continue cooperation in third countries to develop secure 5G and next-generation mobile networks (“6G” or “Beyond 5G”), foster enabling environments for innovative approaches such as Open Radio Access Networks (“Open RAN”) and virtual Radio Access Networks (“vRAN”), build cybersecurity capacity, and use ICTs that contribute to inclusive green growth and recovery.
Both countries recognized the importance of promoting cooperation on the development and deployment of 5G networks in both advanced and emerging economies to ensure countries, companies, and citizens can trust that firms providing equipment, software, and services will support the development of the digital economy, while strengthening cybersecurity and protecting privacy, intellectual property rights, and human rights. Both countries also recognized the importance of trust and rule of law as principles contributing to secure ICT supply chains. They highlighted the value of transparent, open, and interoperable 5G network architectures and telecommunications supplier diversity in fostering and promoting a diverse, resilient, and secure telecommunications ecosystem. In this regard, they reaffirmed the value of ongoing efforts by the Quad (Australia, India, Japan and the United States) in support of these same goals. They also welcomed the outcomes of the “Beyond 5G International Conference 2021” held in connection with the IED on November 9 and 10, 2021.
Additionally, both countries intend to continue coordination in international fora on 5G network security and shared efforts to advance and promote telecommunications supplier diversity and open and interoperable networks, such as at the upcoming Prague 5G Security Conference. The two countries intend to enhance cooperation on “Beyond 5G” technologies including research, development, and international standards. The two countries also confirmed the need for ongoing, expert-level discussions between the United States and Japan on open networks, telecommunications supplier diversity, and architectures for 5G and beyond.
The United States and Japan emphasized their continued commitment to work closely together to enhance the global digital economy policy environment through multilateral and multistakeholder engagement, including in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Group of 20 (G20), Group of 7 (G7), Internet Governance Forum (IGF), the Quad, and other fora. They highlighted the importance of working together in preparation for ITU meetings in 2022 including the Plenipotentiary Conference, the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) and World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), emphasizing the opportunity to guide the ITU’s future work in advancing connectivity, developing international telecommunications standards, and closing digital divides. They reaffirmed their commitment to an inclusive, open, and transparent system of Internet governance based on multi-stakeholder models. They also reaffirmed their support for the OECD Recommendation on AI and for continuing to work together on the responsible development and deployment of trustworthy AI through the OECD and the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI). The United States welcomed Japan’s forthcoming role as Incoming Chair of GPAI.
The United States and Japan are committed to continued engagement in policy discussions to harness the full potential of data and the digital economy. Both countries intend to continue to collaborate with international partners to promote rules that support international data flows. They reaffirmed the need to continue efforts to deliver tangible progress on the G7 Roadmap for Cooperation on Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT). The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to work closely together to expand participation in the APEC Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) system. They recognized the CBPR system as a relevant mechanism to facilitate interoperability and create a globally useful and acceptable scheme for cross border data flows. They also reaffirmed their commitment to finalizing work in the OECD on high-level principles on government access to personal data held by the private sector.
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Communications and Information Policy Stephen Anderson led the U.S. delegation, which included officials representing the U.S. Department of State, the White House National Security Council, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the International Trade Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Federal Communications Commission, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Director-General Tawara Yasuo of the Global Strategy Bureau from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) led the Japanese delegation, which included participation of officials representing MIC, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism (MLIT), the Digital Agency, and the Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC).
