This page has been translated using TexTra by NICT. Please note that the translation may not be completely accurate.If you find any mistranslations, we appreciate your feedback on the "Request form for improving the automatic translation ".

Ideathon of Data Security Working Group (held on September 1, 2025)

On Monday, September 1, 2025, we held a "Ideathon" in Digital Agency, aimed at mapping protective measures in data. Led by members of the Data Security Working Group, 13 participants, including academic experts, legal practitioners, business operators, and engineers, studied use cases utilizing generative AI to determine what measures can be taken in what situations. Lively discussions took place among the participants, making it a meaningful event that fused practical perspectives and technical knowledge.

Table of Contents

  1. Event Summary
  2. Event Characteristics
  3. Outcome of the event
  4. Future Development
  5. Related Information

1. Overview of the event

Purpose of Ideathon

With the emergence of AI and other cutting-edge technologies, there are increasing opportunities to collaborate, share, and utilize data across the boundaries of companies, industries, and national borders. At the same time, the Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT) proposed by Japan is becoming increasingly important. The Data-Security Working Group, which was established by Digital Agency in November 2024, has been studying data-security approaches in Japan to embody the DFFT concept.
In this Ideathon, which was held as part of this study, we implemented measures to protect information itself, such as Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs), which is being discussed in the working group, for the purpose of mapping according to the lifecycle of information.

Ideathon System

Participants with diverse expertise, including academic experts, legal practitioners, business operators, and engineers, were divided into two teams, and discussions were conducted according to the following flow.

Flow of Ideathon

  1. Consideration of Data Protection Measures during generative AI Model Generation
    • Identification of technical risks
    • Consideration of technical measures
    • Presentation by each team
  2. Considering Protection Measures in Data during Inference using generative AI
    • Identification of technical risks
    • Consideration of technical measures
    • Presentation by each team
  3. Comment
    From Digital Agency, Director-General, CCO (Chief Cloud Officer), Deputy Director-General, Director, and others participated and gave their comments on the study results.

Attendee

  • (WG Chair) Tatsuhiko Inadani
  • Kenta Ohno, Engineering Manager, Preferred Networks, Inc.
  • Technical Evaluation Department, Security Center, Information-Technology Promotion Agency, Japan (IPA)
  • (Working Group member) Partner, Attorney-at-law, Kitayama Noborimori & Hamada Matsumoto
  • Hironobu Sakai, Professor, Faculty of Law, Waseda University
  • (WG member) Tetsuya SAKASHITA Executive Director, Japan Information Economy social promotion association (JIPDEC)
  • (Working Group Member) Keiichi Sato General Manager, Public Safety Department, Public Systems Division, Hitachi, Ltd.
  • Akira Kikuchi, Senior Researcher, Social Information Research Institute, NTT Corporation
  • Katsumi Takahashi, Senior Researcher, Social Information Research Institute, NTT Corporation
  • Takao Takenochi, Executive Officer, Acompany Inc.
  • Kota Hosokawa, Security Technology Group, Information Systems Department, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. Director-General, Security Technology Group, Information Systems
  • Expert: Tomohiko Haru Senior Consultant, Enterprise System Integration Division, SB TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd.
  • Hisataka Azuma Principal Consultant, Global Business Promotion Office, Cyber Trust Co., Ltd.
  • (Secretariat) Director-General, Digital Agency, HASUI Tomoya
  • (Secretariat) Digital Agency, YAMAMOTO Norihito Chief Cloud Officer

2. Characteristics of the event

This Ideathon has the following features.

  1. A team of participants with a wide range of knowledge, including academic experts, legal practitioners, businesses, and engineers, realized discussions that fused practical perspectives and technical knowledge.
  2. By splitting into two teams to review and present, we created opportunities to notice different perspectives and approaches.
  3. By using use cases utilizing generative AI as the subject matter, specific considerations were made. In addition, in order to hold dense discussions within a limited time, the risks associated with cross-border transfer of data were organized and clarified in advance, which made it possible to focus on the risks from a technical perspective for each situation and the measures that could be taken to address them.
(Experts are divided into two teams to deepen discussions.)
Photograph of experts divided into two teams, sitting down and discussing seriously while using sticky notes, etc.
(Attorney Kitayama announcing the results of the team)
On the right of the photo, Attorney Kitayama is standing and holding a microphone. He is talking while looking at a piece of paper posted on the wall. Participants are pictured from center to left in the photo, standing and listening to the conversation.
(Group photo of participants)
A group photo of the participants lined up in two rows, front and back. The three people in the center of the front row hold Myna-chan's stuffed toy in their hands

3. Event Results

The greatest achievement of the Ideathon is that based on a specific scenario and starting from the risks faced when data is transferred across borders, we systematically identified technical measures, implemented an approach of mapping protective measures according to data lifecycle, and were able to create a mapping draft.
Within the short four hour discussion time, each participant brought their specialized knowledge and was able to organize the risks and technical measures for each phase of the data lifecycle.

4. Future Developments

We will continue our efforts to achieve the following goals.

  1. We will prepare a working group report that includes the results of this Ideathon.
  2. We will contribute to the realization of the DFFT philosophy by actively disseminating the results of domestic studies at international forums.