10 pct of Japan's local gov'ts to miss deadline for shifting to gov't cloud service

TOKYO, March 5 (Xinhua) -- About 10 percent of Japan's local governments will not be able to fully migrate their data systems to the central government's cloud service by the end of fiscal 2025, digital transformation minister Taro Kono said Tuesday.

Kono said that 171, or 9.6 percent, of the country's 1,788 local governments are expected to miss the March 2026 deadline for shifting to computer systems adopting unified specifications.

The central government plans to unify system specifications for 20 core local government administrative operations, including basic resident registers and national pensions.

The plan involves transferring resident information held by the local governments nationwide to a common digital infrastructure for national and local use. Through system integration and joint operation, improvements are expected in terms of reduced costs and operational efficiency.

In its basic policy on the matter revised in September last year, the central government said it would tolerate a delay in the shift if local governments face challenges such as finding professionals with digital skills.