Between the House of Councillors Members' Building, Odaiba, the DSC Network Party, and the KMD EM & PoliPro joint party, it was such a packed day that I didn't get a chance to post anything…

General Meeting of the Parliamentary League for ICT in Education @ the House of Councillors Members' Office Building.

I also found it very reassuring and gratifying that Representative Masahito Moriyama has returned to his position as Secretary-General.

The “Act on the Promotion of Information Technology in School Education,” which this parliamentary group has championed, has supported the GIGA School Initiative and the development of a digital textbook system, thereby significantly advancing digital transformation (DX) in Japanese education.

Now, digital textbooks—which have been the subject of debate for many years—are reaching a major turning point, as they are set to be officially recognized as “textbooks” under the law. Currently, the Diet is deliberating on amendments to the School Education Act and other laws that would make textbooks—including those in digital formats—eligible for certification, adoption, and free distribution, and the debate surrounding the digitization of education is finally moving into a new phase.

During the meeting, a wide-ranging discussion took place on topics such as the use of digital technology to support the education of children who are not attending school, those who are ill, and those with disabilities; the installation of Wi-Fi to create a home learning environment; the use of AI; allowing students to take tablets home; and the appropriate use of content filtering.

I, too, was asked to speak by Secretary-General Michihiro Ishibashi, and

While referring to the views of Learning of Tomorrow, which had expressed concerns regarding the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s response on digital textbooks, I requested that the discussion be conducted carefully and based on evidence, rather than being premised on restrictions.

Furthermore, in light of an OECD international survey showing that Japan ranks extremely low among major countries in terms of AI use in schools, I also spoke about the need to actively promote its use.

The digitization of education also involves developing the social infrastructure necessary to ensure that children from diverse backgrounds have access to learning.

GIGA School, Digital Textbooks, and the Use of AI.

How can we create an environment that makes learning easier for each and every child?

From that perspective, I hope to see further progress in developing the necessary systems and infrastructure.

It was a meeting where I felt the very fact that such discussions are continuing on a bipartisan basis is of great significance.

I was also delighted to see Mr. Kamon Iizumi—who served as a judge for the Platinum Grand Prix and received the “Grand Prize and Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Award” for the “DMV: A Dual-Mode Solution for Roads and Railways”—again after a long time. He was the governor of Tokushima Prefecture at the time and is currently a member of the House of Representatives.