[Place] Institute for International Socio-Economic Studies
[Lecturer] Izumi Aizu (Principal, Asia Network Research)

Mr. Izumi Aizu had been a member of the DOT (Digital Opportunities Task) Force as an NPO. He shared his experiences while serving on the DOT Force. He also presented a background account of DOT Force and talked about the topics and issues discussed there. He made it clear that the principle which had first been adopted was that the G8, international organizations and nine developing countries should be selected to take part as equal members and that decisions should be taken unanimously by the conference as a whole. However, his impression was that decisions in reality were made by the representatives of the G8 while the international organizations, the private sector and the developing countries merely stating and expressing their views. He pointed out that the problem of the Digital Divide could not be resolved only with the existing aid system for the developing countries and the framework of activities by the international organizations.