EXCLUSIVE: Japan to Work with India, Vietnam in Securing IT, AI Experts

June 8, 2018

Tokyo- Japan's government plans to facilitate cooperation and information-sharing between Japanese firms and universities in India and Vietnam as part of efforts to secure and develop information technology and artificial intelligence experts, Jiji Press learned Thursday.

The government is set to include the step in its new growth strategy, for which a cabinet decision is slated to be made on June 15.

The strategy for future investment will also include plans to beef up IT and AI education in Japan on the assumption that the country will face manpower shortages in those fields, informed sources said.

By the March 2019 end of fiscal 2018, the government plans to set a specific goal for nurturing IT and AI specialists. It regards measures related to IT and AI as important as those for promoting automated driving and cashless payment services.

According to an estimate by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the shortfall of IT and AI workers at Japanese companies is expected to reach 370,000 in 2020.

Especially in the AI industry, which is projected to grow sharply, global competition to secure experts has already become fierce, according to the sources.

Among domestic programs for developing experts, the government will likely set literacy standards for AI and IT by the end of fiscal 2018, the sources said.

It aims to overhaul the so-called IT passport examination, which targets system engineers and others, and increase the number of people who take the exam to a total of 500,000 in the five years from fiscal 2019, against some 80,000 a year at present.

The government also plans to create AI degrees at universities and graduate schools, and strengthen AI and statistical analysis education at elementary, junior high and high schools. Jiji Press