Koichi
Akaishi

Koichi Akaishi served as Vice Minister of the Digital Agency of Japan from September 2021 to July 2023, where he led Japan’s national digital strategy. In this role, he drove comprehensive reforms of government IT systems, data governance, and core public-sector digital infrastructure—including the National ID system, healthcare and education platforms, disaster prevention systems, legal procedures, and local government digitalization. He also spearheaded regulatory reform and workflow restructuring to enable full-society digital transformation. During Japan’s G7 presidency in 2023, he advanced international collaboration on Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT) and global AI governance.

Prior to this, as Vice Minister for Innovation in the Cabinet Secretariat, he directed national innovation policy, launching initiatives such as higher education reform, a $100 billion university endowment fund, and Moonshot R&D programs. His work also promoted strategic development in AI, quantum technologies, biotechnology, and startups.

Earlier in his career, he played a key role in Japan-EU EPA negotiations and GDPR adequacy decisions, and contributed to major G20 and G7 summits. He was instrumental in Abenomics structural reforms, including corporate governance restructuring, GPIF reform, the Visit Japan campaign, and national innovation strategies.

Koichi currently serves as Advisor to Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, Chairman of the Japan Digital Trust Foundation, and Executive Advisor to the Cabinet Office for the Global Startup Campus Project. He holds a degree from the University of Tokyo and was a visiting researcher at Harvard University. He began his career at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), focusing on industrial policy, trade negotiations, and energy strategy.