TOKYO -- When the New Context Conference kicked off in Tokyo on Aug. 11, it almost looked like an official curtain-raiser for Japan's new Digital Agency, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's proposed solution to the bureaucratic inefficiencies exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Three cabinet ministers -- digital reform chief Takuya Hirai, who led preparations for the launch of the agency; Taro Kono, the administrative and regulatory reform point man; and Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi -- attended the event hosted by Digital Garage, stock-listed internet company, as speakers.
