The coronavirus pandemic has exposed Japan’s fragility in the digital realm and the need for a quick, broad solution to supply chain issues, the top government spokesman said.
In a group media interview that touched on an array of topics Friday evening, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato stressed the necessity of promoting digitalization in both the public and private sectors, noting that glitches caused a delay in the handout of subsidies to firms as part of the government's coronavirus rescue plan.
Kato, who was most recently the health minister under Shinzo Abe, also touched on the government’s effort to push telemedicine but noted that the government needs to evaluate the outcome instead of simply being obsessed with efforts to reform.