EU-Japan MoU on digital ID, trust services cooperation in the offing

The European Union Commission and the Digital Agency of Japan are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will define collaboration between the EU and Japan on digital identities and trust services.

The information is reported by Euronews, citing minutes of telecoms attaches which also contain information about the planned announcement of a cooperation deal between the AI office of the EU and Japan’s Safety Institute.

The MoU on digital IDs and trust services is intended to facilitate a program dubbed “Data Free Flow with Trust” which entails sharing experience on a number of aspects such as the EU Digital Identity Wallet and how digital ID can facilitate trade and enable easy access to vital services from either government or the private sector.

Regarding the EU-Japan Digital Partnership Council deal to be signed on April 30, it encourages Japan’s involvement in the EU AI Act which is set to become law in June when EU member countries append their signatures to it. It is part of the EU-Japan Digital Cooperation signed in May 2022.

Both parties, per Euronews, will use the opportunity at the Council to pledge their commitment to the development of responsible AI systems that are safe, secure and trustworthy, as championed by the Hiroshima AI Process established in May 2023 by the G7.

The experience-sharing deal comes at a time when the Japanese government has been struggling to win wide acceptance for its My Number digital ID plan.

Recently, there’ve been reports of identity errors in the My Number card issuance system provided by Fujitsu.

Article Topics

AI Act  |  data sharing  |  digital identity  |  digital wallets  |  EU  |  Japan  |  responsible AI