Paper short abstract:

This paper will analyse the role of the Abe administration’s proactivism in establishing policies aimed at nurturing a “smart” urban technology industry domestically and carve a leadership role for Japan in Asia in this sector.

Paper long abstract:

Since the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident of March 2011, Japanese authorities have pushed ahead with the materialization of community-based power networks and enhanced energy self-sufficiency and security. Under late Prime Minister Abe Shinzō, the government of Japan has launched initiatives in the energy sector aimed at renovating the nation’s energy mix including renewable energies along with fossil fuels. More relevantly, technological solutions to urban issues (such as green house gas emissions, traffic congestions, energy consumption) have been sponsored and encouraged by ministries and governmental agencies in association with tech industry giants with the aim to nurture the “smart city” technology sector. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has played a key role in promoting “Japanese” solutions to global issues abroad. India-Japan cooperation in this sector initiated by a 2014 memorandum of understanding to turn Varanasi into a Kyoto-style “smart city” is a relevant example of this effort. This paper will outline the historical genesis and development of Japan’s “smart city” concept and of its use as a diplomatic tool in the light of Japan’s role in the “imaginative geography” of the Indo-Pacific. Particularly, it will stress the importance of subsequent energy and growth strategies in identifying policy priorities and potential model areas where to showcase Japan’s advance in next-generation urban technologies. The current Kishida administration-sponsored “Digital Garden City Nation Strategy” is a natural continuation of his predecessor’s proactivism aimed at carving a new global role for Japan.