Japan’s Data Space Initiative Moves into Early Implementation Phase

At the "Data Spaces in Action 2026" event on 24 July 2026, NTT Data and the NTT Data Group hosted a talk session on the progress of Japan’s national data‑space strategy. NTT Data CEO Masanori Suzuki, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry information‑economy chief Manabu Moriya, and xIPF Consortium director and University of Tokyo professor Toru Kozuka discussed whether Japan has shifted from the conceptual stage to early implementation.

Moriya said the government sees the data‑space effort as having entered the initial implementation stage, emphasizing AI‑driven automation and the preparation of “data‑ready” assets. Kozuka added that many practical data‑sharing platforms already exist in Japan, satisfying several of the four core data‑space requirements—data sovereignty, governance, interoperability and usage control. The speakers also traced the origins of the data‑space concept to Japan’s early IoT and Industry 4.0 developments, which later influenced European initiatives.

The discussion highlighted ongoing efforts to scale data collaboration across sectors and the role of AI in accelerating the ecosystem.