RIETI - Development of International Rules for Digital Economy: Japan and Australia Should Take the Initiative and Encourage Involvement of the U.S. and China

Development of International Rules for Digital Economy: Japan and Australia Should Take the Initiative and Encourage Involvement of the U.S. and China

Despite the fact that cyberspace is a trans-national territory with very few borders, there are competing ideologies from national interests regarding the handling of the data crossing through such borders. Security, personal privacy and the economy are all jockeying for position in the policies of different countries as they come to grips with the growing trend of digitalization that was only accelerated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the September issue of the RIETI Report, we present "Development of International Rules for Digital Economy: Japan and Australia Should Take the Initiative and Encourage Involvement of the U.S. and China" by RIETI Vice President Tetsuya Watanabe and Visiting Fellow Shiro Armstrong. They address the growing need for creating frameworks for digital trade amidst the current trend of protectionism. Watanabe and Armstrong urge the leaders of Japan and Australia, two nations in the Quad of four major democracies in the region, to begin taking important steps towards constructive collaboration to form a united front of middle power countries and demonstrate that comprehensive cooperation is possible toward developing international rules in the era of digitalization.

This month's featured article

Development of International Rules for Digital Economy: Japan and Australia Should Take the Initiative and Encourage Involvement of the U.S. and China

WATANABE TetsuyaVice President, RIETI

Shiro ARMSTRONGVisiting Fellow, RIETI

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, digital transformation has accelerated around the world, resulting in the spread of online provision of services in a broad range of fields. In Japan as well, remote work has become popular, triggering a rapid expansion of data traffic. At the same time, wellsprings of innovation taking advantage of digital technology are spreading beyond developed countries to China and emerging countries.

In order to make sure that the benefits of digitalization lead to the growth of national economies, productivity improvement and more fulfilling lives for ordinary people, it is essential to promote free cross-border flows of data and to ensure cybersecurity and to protect personal information as a precondition for doing so.

To read the full text
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/papers/contribution/watanabe-armstrong/01.html

Recent articles on RIETI's website

"China's bid to join Pacific trade pact a strategic opportunity for Canberra"
by Shiro ARMSTRONG (Visiting Fellow, RIETI)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/papers/contribution/shiro-armstrong/02.html

"The impact of COVID-19 on global production"
by ZHANG Hongyong (Senior Fellow, RIETI)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/columns/v01_0165.html

"Global weather disruptions, food commodity prices, and economic activity: A global warning for advanced countries"
by Jasmien De WINNE (Embassy of Belgium in Tanzania/Ghent University) / Gert PEERSMAN (Ghent University)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/special/p_a_w/171.html

"The Semiconductor Industry in the Age of Trade Wars, Covid-19, and Strategic Rivalries"
by Willem THORBECKE (Senior Fellow, RIETI)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/publications/nts/21e064.html

"Firm heterogeneity and the college wage gap in Japan"
by IKEUCHI Kenta (Senior Fellow (Policy Economist), RIETI) / FUKAO Kyoji (Faculty Fellow, RIETI) / Cristiano PERUGINI (University of Perugia)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/columns/v01_0164.html

"Roundtable Discussion on the White Paper on International Economy & Trade 2021: Trade Policy at an Historical Turning Point"
by KIMURA Fukunari (Consulting Fellow, RIETI) / SHIMIZU Junko (Gakushuin University) / MATSUMOTO Kayo (METI))
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/papers/contribution/kimura-fukunari/02.html

"Data value – talk monetization, statistics, no privacy infringed"
by NIREI Makoto (Professor, University of Tokyo)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/papers/contribution/nirei-makoto/01.html

"Scale of Imports of COVID-19 Vaccines from Spain"
by TANAKA Ayumu (Research Associate, RIETI)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/special/policy-update/099.html

"How to Encourage Risk-taking—An Approach Focusing on the Debt Side, Particularly Corporate Pensions"
by NOMA Mikiharu (Hitotsubashi University) / NAKAGAMI Yasunori (Consulting Fellow, RIETI)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/special/policy-update/098.html

"Why real wages are stagnating in Japan and Korea"
by Hyunbae CHUN (Sogang University) / FUKAO Kyoji (Faculty Fellow, RIETI) / KWON Hyeog Ug (Faculty Fellow, RIETI) / Jungsoo PARK (Sogang University)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/columns/v01_0163.html

"Consumer city: Evidence from smartphone data"
by MIYAUCHI Yuhei (Boston University) / NAKAJIMA Kentaro (Faculty Fellow, RIETI) / Stephen REDDING (Princeton University/CEPR/NBER)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/columns/v01_0162.html

"The rise of robots in China: Implications for Japan"
by ZHANG Hongyong (Senior Fellow, RIETI)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/columns/a01_0658.html

"Benefit-Risk Analysis of COVID-19 Vaccination at the Individual Level"
by YOSHIDA Yasuhiko (Vice Chairman, RIETI)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/special/policy-update/097.html

"Declining capital formation in Japan and the role of intangibles"
by MIYAGAWA Tsutomu (Faculty Fellow, RIETI) / ISHIKAWA Takayuki (Hitotsubashi University)
https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/columns/v01_0161.html

Event Information

For a complete list of past and upcoming event information.

Symposiums

Workshops

BBL Seminars

Fellow titles and links in the text are as of the date of publication.

For questions or comments regarding RIETI Report, please contact the editor.

*If the "Send by mailer" button does not work, please copy the address into your email "send to" field and connect the prefix and the suffix of the address with an "@", sending it normally.

RIETI Report is published bi-weekly.