November 20, 2019
Japanese leadership in tech called for.
At the 2019 GZERO Summit held in Tokyo on Monday, politicians and experts from Japan, the United States and Europe discussed a range of pressing issues, including the absence of leadership in the world and the role Japan is expected to play in the future.
Organized by Eurasia Group and supported by The Yomiuri Shimbun and other entities, the symposium was co-chaired by U.S. political scientist Ian Bremmer and Hiroaki Nakanishi, chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren).
In the keynote speech titled “The End of the American Order,” Bremmer argued that the greatest threat to globalization is China creating a “separate system of Chinese technology — its own standards, and infrastructure, and supply chains — to compete with the West,”
He also spoke about areas in which Japanese leadership is needed, such as mediating between the U.S. and China. Japan is in a unique position to “boost cooperation” between the two countries when their interests overlap, and to “avoid worst-case confrontations where they compete,” according to Bremmer.
Yomiuri Shimbun senior writer Keiko Iizuka said in a panel discussion that Japan must assume a role in shaping rules on technology and governance, amid a situation in which China is using its advanced technology to monitor and control its citizens.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in a video message, “Japan’s mission is to tie together wisdom in a delicate balance and bring about beautiful harmony in this world, as expressed in the name of Japan’s new era, Reiwa.”