The is a member of the

cabinet of Japan The is the chief executive body of the government of Japan. It consists of the prime minister, who is appointed by the Emperor after being nominated by the National Diet, in addition to up to nineteen other members, called ministers of stat ...

and is the leader and

chief executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of the Digital Agency. The minister is responsible for overseeing Japan's transformation to a

digital economy The digital economy is a portmanteau of digital computing and economy, and is an umbrella term that describes how traditional Brick and mortar, brick-and-mortar economic activities (production, distribution, trade) are being transformed by the ...

. The minister is nominated by the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

and is appointed by the

Emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

. It began operations on 1 September 2021 after being formed as a result of the Digital Agency Establishment Act, making it the newest Ministerial position in the Cabinet. The current Minister for Digital Transformation is Masaaki Taira, who took office October 1, 2024 as a member of the Ishiba Cabinet.

English translation

The English translation of the ministerial title has been changed several times. During deliberations of the Digital Agency Establishment Act, the English title provided on the outline of the legislation was "Digital Minister". After the appointment of

Takuya Hirai Takuya Hirai is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Takamatsu, Kagawa and graduate of Sophia University he was elected to the House ...

, there was no English title, as the English version of the Cabinet Office's List of Ministers, State Ministers and Parliamentary Vice-Ministers only listed the name of Takuya Hirai without any mention of the English title. The English title for the position was changed to Minister for Digital Agency with the inauguration of the First Kishida Cabinet, but was later changed to Minister for Digital. Since 2022, Minister for Digital Transformation has been used for the English title of the position.

List of Ministers for Digital Transformation

References

{{reflist Cabinet of Japan Ministerial offices 2021 establishments Government of Japan