GSMA Unveils ‘Japan’s Digital Nation’ Report, Calling for Targeted Action to Unlock the Country’s Next Wave of Digital Growth

New study ranks Japan third in the Asia-Pacific Digital Nations Index and urges targeted action on innovation, cybersecurity and digital-skills to realise the country's Society 5.0 ambitions

November 5, 2025, Tokyo: GSMA today published 'Japan's Digital Nation: Pathways for Transformation', a new report that assesses Japan's readiness to deliver on its digital-transformation ambitions and outlines policy imperatives to close remaining gaps. Using the GSMA Intelligence Digital Nations Index, the study positions Japan as a "Leading Digital Nation", third highest in Asia Pacific, with an overall score of 76, and highlights the country's global leadership in data governance and steadily improving cybersecurity posture.

While applauding strong foundations in infrastructure and people, the report warns that persistent challenges in translating world-class research into market-driven innovation could constrain Japan's long-term competitiveness. It recommends a focused innovation strategy to commercialise next-generation networking concepts such as Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) and Open RAN, deeper investment in cybersecurity resilience, and strategic human-capital programmes to expand the pool of advanced AI and cloud specialists.

"Japan has laid much of the groundwork for a truly digital society, yet our findings show that bold, coordinated action is now required to convert technical excellence into transformative, economy-wide outcomes," said Julian Gorman, Head of Asia Pacific, GSMA. "By prioritising innovation-friendly regulation, reinforcing cyber resilience and deepening its digital-skills pipeline, Japan can move from leading to setting the global benchmark for digital nations."

The GSMA Highlights Three Policy Imperatives in the Report:

1. Focused Innovation Strategy - Build on network-technology leadership (IOWN, Open RAN) by channelling venture capital and flexible data-governance tools into platform and service innovation that can scale commercially.

1. Completing Security Leadership - Couple Japan's rapidly rising security score with sustained investment in critical-infrastructure resilience standards and advanced cybersecurity-talent development to achieve world-class status.

1. Strategic Human Capital - In an ageing society, widen carrier-led digital-inclusion programmes and systematically upskill professionals in AI and cloud disciplines to ensure an inclusive, future-ready workforce.

Further Insights from Japan's Digital Nation

• Continuous investment keeps Japan on track for 6G-ready networks, but regulatory and financial support will be essential to commercialise concepts such as the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN).

• Strong telecom R&D is not yet matched by a dynamic start-up ecosystem; streamlining digital R&D toward market applications and exploiting initiatives like GSMA Open Gateway are critical next steps.

• Japan's advocacy of "Data Free Flow with Trust" cements its regional leadership, yet generative-AI use cases demand flexible, future-ready privacy rules.

• Active participation in the GSMA Asia Pacific Cross-Sector Anti-Scam Taskforce (ACAST) and new cyber-resilience mandates have strengthened defences, but continued investment and talent development remain priorities.

• High baseline digital literacy is offset by shortages in specialist skills; expanded upskilling and inclusion programmes are required to sustain Society 5.0 goals.

The findings were discussed in-depth at a GSMA hosted event on Tuesday 4, November 2025, in Tokyo, where Japanese policy makers, industry leaders and key experts explored how to advance Japan's digital-nation journey.

The 'Japan's Digital Nation: Pathways for Transformation' report can be downloaded here.

The GSMA will host its inaugural Digital Nation Summit Tokyo in April 2026, building on recent successful Digital Nation Summits in Hanoi, Islamabad, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Singapore.

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About the GSMA
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop, and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy; tackling today's biggest societal challenges; underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work; and providing the world's largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

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