GSMA Report Recommends Bold Action for Japan: Transforming Technical Excellence into Global Digital Leadership
A new GSMA report, 'The Digital Nations 2026: Accelerating the digital leap in Japan,' highlights the need for Japan to take bold, coordinated action to convert its world-class technical capabilities into global digital leadership. The report identifies persistent structural challenges hindering productivity and digital impact, urging Japan to shift from a cautious technology adopter to a confident shaper of international standards. Industry leaders also signed the 'Tokyo Accord' at the Digital Nation Summit Tokyo, expressing a shared commitment to shaping the 6G era.
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- 📰 Published: April 15, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 15, 2026 at 10:31
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The report highlights priority issues in Japan's digital transformation (DX).
Industry leaders sign the new 'Tokyo Accord' in Tokyo, expressing a shared vision for 6G.
GSMA announced its latest report, 'The Digital Nations 2026: Accelerating the digital leap in Japan,' at the 'Digital Nation Summit Tokyo' held today. The report indicates that Japan needs to take bold and coordinated action to transform its world-class technical capabilities into global digital leadership.
The report revealed that while Japan continues to lead the world in next-generation communications, advanced technologies, and applied innovation, persistent structural challenges are limiting productivity improvements and the digital impact on the overall economy. Resolving these constraints is crucial for Japan to transition from a 'cautious technology adopter' to a 'confident shaper of international standards.'
Reflecting this broader vision, at the summit, Japanese telecommunications carriers KDDI Corporation, NTT DOCOMO, Inc., Rakuten Mobile, Inc., and SoftBank Corp., along with three 6G alliances in the Asia-Pacific region, major Philippine telecommunications company Globe Telecom, and major South Korean telecommunications company LG U+, signed the new 'Tokyo Accord.' This demonstrated a shared commitment to shaping the 6G era. This signifies the expansion of regional and global collaboration, bringing together advanced telecommunications carriers and alliances to promote an open, interoperable, and reliable digital ecosystem. Furthermore, it supports the need for collaborative efforts proposed in this report, with further operator participation expected through future Digital Nation Summits.
Moreover, the report points out that 2026 is a critical turning point. While the worst-case scenario regarding the '2025 Cliff' risk, as highlighted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, is being avoided through targeted measures, deeper structural challenges remain. Structural issues such as stagnant productivity, a widening digital service deficit, and insufficient commercialization of research results continue to constrain Japan's medium- to long-term competitiveness.
The report also notes that as international discussions surrounding 5G and 6G accelerate, Japan has an opportunity to play a leading role by aligning its spectrum policy, R&D investment, and international standardization activities with a broader digital strategy. Positioning next-generation communications as a foundation for innovation, productivity, and resilience is central to establishing long-term global leadership.
Key Areas Requiring Immediate Action
The report identifies three areas where government and industry should collaborate urgently:
● Completion of 5G Deployment
While Japan was an early adopter of 5G, the nationwide deployment of 5G Standalone (SA) still varies. Accelerating deployment is essential for realizing advanced functionalities and building the foundation for future 6G evolution.
● Bridging the Gray Digital Divide
Japan faces significant challenges in digital inclusion, with over 29% of its population aged 65 or older. Internet usage rates drop to 59.6% for those aged 70-79 and 25.6% for those aged 80 and above, highlighting the need for more accessible and human-centered digital services. Mobile operators play a crucial role through digital skill improvement programs, collaborating with government initiatives such as 'Myna App' and digital support measures.
● Strengthening Digital Trust
In 2025, damages from fraud and illicit activities reached 324.1 billion yen (approximately 2.1 billion USD), with the number of cases reaching an all-time high. This indicates the need to strengthen domestic security measures and deepen international cooperation, including approaches like secure-by-design and trust-by-design.
Julian Gorman, Head of Asia Pacific, GSMA, stated:
“Japan possesses many of the foundations necessary for digital leadership, including advanced communication infrastructure, excellent research capabilities, and robust data governance. The current challenge lies in 'execution.' This week's Digital Nation Summit provides a critical opportunity for policymakers and industry leaders to collaborate and align actions to translate technological superiority into tangible economic and social outcomes. By leveraging its comparative advantages and further deepening international cooperation, Japan can establish itself as a confident global standard-setter in the digital nation.”
The report points out that while Japan has a strong digital foundation in areas such as infrastructure, innovation, data governance, security, and human resources, challenges still remain. It then presents the following three strategic directions for Japan's next stage of digital development:
1. Strengthen comparative advantages in next-generation communications and advanced technologies.
2. Leverage international best practices to accelerate adoption and build trust.
3. Deepen international cooperation to shape international standards in AI, cybersecurity, semiconductors, and next-generation communications.
About Digital Nation Summit Tokyo
GSMA's Digital Nation Summit Tokyo convenes government officials, industry leaders, and ecosystem stakeholders to discuss how to align national digital strategies with global best practices and emerging international norms.
At the summit, discussions on key strategic areas will be led by GSMA executives, including a keynote speech by GSMA Director General Mats Granryd. Hakan Dursun will discuss the role of advanced communications and AI in shaping next-generation networks, Janet White will cover digital trust and cross-industry collaboration through frameworks like Active Cyber Defence (ACD) and ACAST, Lara Dewar will promote GSMA's D&I-related campaign '#ChangeTheFace', and John Giusti will lead discussions on urgent global policy issues.
These discussions underscore the summit's focus on promoting a secure, inclusive, and internationally aligned digital ecosystem and strengthening Japan's role in shaping future communications and digital cooperation.
The 'Digital Nations 2026: Accelerating the digital leap in Japan' report can be downloaded here.
About GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association)
GSMA is an international organization that unifies the global mobile ecosystem, creating, promoting, and enabling innovation that supports a sound business environment and social transformation. GSMA's vision is to maximize the power of connectivity for people, industries, and societies to thrive. Representing mobile operators and organizations across the broader mobile ecosystem, it operates based on three pillars: 'Connectivity for Good,' 'Industry Services and Solutions,' and 'Outreach.' Its initiatives include policy advocacy, addressing social challenges, building foundations for communication technology and interoperability, and fostering ecosystem interaction through the world's largest mobile industry events like MWC (Mobile World Congress) and the M360 series.
Industry leaders sign the new 'Tokyo Accord' in Tokyo, expressing a shared vision for 6G.
GSMA announced its latest report, 'The Digital Nations 2026: Accelerating the digital leap in Japan,' at the 'Digital Nation Summit Tokyo' held today. The report indicates that Japan needs to take bold and coordinated action to transform its world-class technical capabilities into global digital leadership.
The report revealed that while Japan continues to lead the world in next-generation communications, advanced technologies, and applied innovation, persistent structural challenges are limiting productivity improvements and the digital impact on the overall economy. Resolving these constraints is crucial for Japan to transition from a 'cautious technology adopter' to a 'confident shaper of international standards.'
Reflecting this broader vision, at the summit, Japanese telecommunications carriers KDDI Corporation, NTT DOCOMO, Inc., Rakuten Mobile, Inc., and SoftBank Corp., along with three 6G alliances in the Asia-Pacific region, major Philippine telecommunications company Globe Telecom, and major South Korean telecommunications company LG U+, signed the new 'Tokyo Accord.' This demonstrated a shared commitment to shaping the 6G era. This signifies the expansion of regional and global collaboration, bringing together advanced telecommunications carriers and alliances to promote an open, interoperable, and reliable digital ecosystem. Furthermore, it supports the need for collaborative efforts proposed in this report, with further operator participation expected through future Digital Nation Summits.
Moreover, the report points out that 2026 is a critical turning point. While the worst-case scenario regarding the '2025 Cliff' risk, as highlighted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, is being avoided through targeted measures, deeper structural challenges remain. Structural issues such as stagnant productivity, a widening digital service deficit, and insufficient commercialization of research results continue to constrain Japan's medium- to long-term competitiveness.
The report also notes that as international discussions surrounding 5G and 6G accelerate, Japan has an opportunity to play a leading role by aligning its spectrum policy, R&D investment, and international standardization activities with a broader digital strategy. Positioning next-generation communications as a foundation for innovation, productivity, and resilience is central to establishing long-term global leadership.
Key Areas Requiring Immediate Action
The report identifies three areas where government and industry should collaborate urgently:
● Completion of 5G Deployment
While Japan was an early adopter of 5G, the nationwide deployment of 5G Standalone (SA) still varies. Accelerating deployment is essential for realizing advanced functionalities and building the foundation for future 6G evolution.
● Bridging the Gray Digital Divide
Japan faces significant challenges in digital inclusion, with over 29% of its population aged 65 or older. Internet usage rates drop to 59.6% for those aged 70-79 and 25.6% for those aged 80 and above, highlighting the need for more accessible and human-centered digital services. Mobile operators play a crucial role through digital skill improvement programs, collaborating with government initiatives such as 'Myna App' and digital support measures.
● Strengthening Digital Trust
In 2025, damages from fraud and illicit activities reached 324.1 billion yen (approximately 2.1 billion USD), with the number of cases reaching an all-time high. This indicates the need to strengthen domestic security measures and deepen international cooperation, including approaches like secure-by-design and trust-by-design.
Julian Gorman, Head of Asia Pacific, GSMA, stated:
“Japan possesses many of the foundations necessary for digital leadership, including advanced communication infrastructure, excellent research capabilities, and robust data governance. The current challenge lies in 'execution.' This week's Digital Nation Summit provides a critical opportunity for policymakers and industry leaders to collaborate and align actions to translate technological superiority into tangible economic and social outcomes. By leveraging its comparative advantages and further deepening international cooperation, Japan can establish itself as a confident global standard-setter in the digital nation.”
The report points out that while Japan has a strong digital foundation in areas such as infrastructure, innovation, data governance, security, and human resources, challenges still remain. It then presents the following three strategic directions for Japan's next stage of digital development:
1. Strengthen comparative advantages in next-generation communications and advanced technologies.
2. Leverage international best practices to accelerate adoption and build trust.
3. Deepen international cooperation to shape international standards in AI, cybersecurity, semiconductors, and next-generation communications.
About Digital Nation Summit Tokyo
GSMA's Digital Nation Summit Tokyo convenes government officials, industry leaders, and ecosystem stakeholders to discuss how to align national digital strategies with global best practices and emerging international norms.
At the summit, discussions on key strategic areas will be led by GSMA executives, including a keynote speech by GSMA Director General Mats Granryd. Hakan Dursun will discuss the role of advanced communications and AI in shaping next-generation networks, Janet White will cover digital trust and cross-industry collaboration through frameworks like Active Cyber Defence (ACD) and ACAST, Lara Dewar will promote GSMA's D&I-related campaign '#ChangeTheFace', and John Giusti will lead discussions on urgent global policy issues.
These discussions underscore the summit's focus on promoting a secure, inclusive, and internationally aligned digital ecosystem and strengthening Japan's role in shaping future communications and digital cooperation.
The 'Digital Nations 2026: Accelerating the digital leap in Japan' report can be downloaded here.
About GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association)
GSMA is an international organization that unifies the global mobile ecosystem, creating, promoting, and enabling innovation that supports a sound business environment and social transformation. GSMA's vision is to maximize the power of connectivity for people, industries, and societies to thrive. Representing mobile operators and organizations across the broader mobile ecosystem, it operates based on three pillars: 'Connectivity for Good,' 'Industry Services and Solutions,' and 'Outreach.' Its initiatives include policy advocacy, addressing social challenges, building foundations for communication technology and interoperability, and fostering ecosystem interaction through the world's largest mobile industry events like MWC (Mobile World Congress) and the M360 series.