I would like to share a notice titled “Regarding the Use and Implementation of ICT in Response to the State of Emergency Declaration Due to the Novel Coronavirus,” which was prepared as a document for the Bipartisan Parliamentary League on Education and ICT and issued in the name of Section Chief Takaya of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to the boards of education in the seven prefectures subject to the state of emergency declaration, as I believe its content is extremely important.
The notice states that, in response to school closures due to measures against the novel coronavirus, making maximum use of ICT at every opportunity is effective in ensuring learning opportunities for children, and it calls for the active use of ICT in the home as well.
Furthermore, it lists the following four points as temporary and urgent measures for utilizing ICT at home:
・If a family owns a computer or tablet, it should be used to support students’ learning. Furthermore, sufficient consideration should be given to students who do not have such devices at home, such as by providing device loans or alternative measures through the Board of Education or schools.
・If there is no Wi-Fi environment at home, but parents, students, or others can use a smartphone or similar device, use it as a means of communication. ・If it is possible to take home and use devices already provided by the
school, actively encourage students to do so.
・If there is a desire to urgently procure devices for schools, projects contracted on or after the day following the issuance of a state of emergency declaration should be eligible for subsidies, even if a grant decision has not yet been made.

The GIGA School Initiative is expected to help improve the infrastructure. However, the next step that needs to be discussed is BYOD.
This notification appears to be the first step in that direction.