A new study highlights urgent priorities for Japan's digital transformation, with the industry signaling a shared 6G ambition through the Tokyo Agreement.
April 15, 2026, Tokyo: Japan must take bold and coordinated steps to translate its world-class technological strengths into global digital leadership, according to a new GSMA report presented at the Digital Nation Summit in Tokyo.
The study concludes that while Japan remains a leader in next-generation connectivity, cutting-edge technologies and applied innovation, persistent structural challenges are limiting productivity growth and digital impact across the economy. Addressing these limitations will be critical if Japan is to move from a cautious technology adopter to a confident global standard setter.
Reflecting this broader ambition, the Tokyo Accord was signed at the Summit by Japan's mobile network operators (KDDI, NTT DOCOMO, Rakuten Mobile and SoftBank) together with the three APAC 6G Alliances, Globe and LG U+, marking a shared commitment to shape the 6G era. The Agreement signals growing regional and global alignment, bringing together alliances and pioneering operators to promote open, interoperable and reliable digital ecosystems. It reinforces the report's call for coordinated action, with additional operators expected to join through future Digital Nations Summits.
Digital Nations 2026: Accelerating the digital leap in Japan The report identifies the year 2026 as a critical turning point. While targeted interventions have mitigated the worst of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) “digital cliff” risks, affairs stay. Stagnant productivity, a growing digital services deficit, and persistent gaps in translating research excellence into scalable innovation continue to limit Japan's long-term competitiveness.
As global discussions on 5G and 6G accelerate, the report highlights Japan's opportunity to play a leading role in aligning spectrum strategy, R&D investment and commitment to international standards with broader digital transformation goals. Positioning next-generation connectivity as a platform for innovation, productivity and resilience will be critical to ensuring long-term global leadership.
Priority areas for immediate action
The report identifies three areas that require urgent and coordinated action between government and industry:
- Completing the 5G journey. While Japan was an early adopter of 5G, nationwide rollout of standalone (SA) 5G remains uneven. Accelerating deployment is essential to unlock advanced capabilities and lay the foundation for the future evolution of 6G.
- Closing the gray digital divide. Japan faces a significant digital inclusion challenge, as 29% of its population is 65 years old or older. Internet use falls to 59.6% among those aged 70 to 79 and to 25.6% among those aged over 80, highlighting the need for more accessible, people-centred digital services. Mobile operators are playing a key role through digital skills programmes, along with government initiatives such as the Myna app and digital support schemes.
- Strengthen digital trust. Losses from fraud and scams reached 324.1 billion yen ($2.1 billion) in 2025, with cases reaching an all-time high. This underscores the need for stronger national safeguards and deeper international cooperation, including security by design and trust by design approaches.
Julian Gorman, GSMA Asia Pacific Director, said: “Japan has many of the foundations necessary for digital leadership, from advanced connectivity and research excellence to strong data governance. The challenge now is execution. This week's Digital Nation Summit provides an important moment for policymakers and industry leaders to align the actions needed to translate technical leadership into real economic and social outcomes. By leveraging its comparative advantages and deepening international cooperation, Japan can position itself as a secure global standard setter for digital nations.”
Across infrastructure, innovation, data governance, security and skills, the report highlights both strong digital foundations and persistent gaps. It sets out three strategic pathways for Japan's next phase of digital development: leveraging comparative strengths in next-generation connectivity and cutting-edge technologies; apply global best practices to accelerate deployment and trust; and deepen international cooperation to shape global standards in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, semiconductors and future connectivity.
Tokyo Digital Nations Summit
The GSMA Digital Nations Summit in Tokyo brings together senior government officials, industry leaders and ecosystem partners to examine how national digital strategies can align with global best practices and emerging international standards.
GSMA leadership participation at the Summit includes keynote addresses from Director General Vivek Badrinath, along with high-level contributions on key strategic priorities: Hakan Dursun on the role of advanced connectivity and AI in shaping next-generation networks; Jeanette Whyte leads discussions on digital trust and cross-sector collaboration through frameworks such as Active Cyber Defense (ACD) and ACAST; Lara Dewar advancing the #ChangeTheFace agenda; and John Giusti addressing immediate global policy priorities.
These discussions reinforce the Summit's focus on promoting secure, inclusive and globally aligned digital ecosystems, while strengthening Japan's role in shaping the future of digital connectivity and cooperation.
Digital Nations 2026: Accelerating the digital leap in Japan can be downloaded here.
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About the GSMA
The GSMA is a global organization that unifies the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver critical innovation for positive business environments and social change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organizations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA offers its members three broad pillars: connectivity for good, industry services and solutions, and outreach. This activity includes policy advocacy; address today's biggest social challenges; underpin the technology and interoperability that make mobile devices work; and provide the world's largest platform to bring together the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.
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