It’s already December. It’s the season to look back on 2023.
This year was a year in which the coronavirus pandemic was almost eliminated. I initially predicted that it would be a year full of vitality, with society suddenly taking action to recover from its previous stagnation. In fact, there are some areas where it has regained its vitality, but when you look at it as a whole, I get the impression that it has been a bit of a letdown. Due to the wave-like rise in prices, the seemingly rock-bottom depreciation of the yen, and the effects of wars and conflicts, people feel more exhausted than ever before.

Japan, which had been the world’s third largest economy, was overtaken by Germany and moved to fourth place, and could no longer proudly boast of its status as an economic superpower. Originally, it was said that if the yen depreciated below 136 yen to the dollar from the beginning of the year, it would be overtaken by Germany, but at the beginning of the year I had read that it would not fall above 136 yen. However, in the meantime, the yen has depreciated and is now hovering around 150 yen.

Turning our attention to the ICT industry, this year has been a year dominated by generative AI. Generative AI will no doubt provide a variety of topics for next year and beyond. However, there is a sense of caution about AI, and it may be a while before full-scale social implementation occurs.

On the other hand, next year we expect DX to progress further than ever before. There is no need to bring up t”2024 problem”; the dimension of Japanese society has definitely changed, and society as a whole has come to share the understanding that “if we do nothing, things will only get worse”. There is no doubt that DX will receive even more attention as a way out. In that sense, the ICT industry is likely to be busy in many ways.

ICT Economic News will keep “DX × regional revitalization” as a major theme from next year onwards. No matter how much we live in a global age, if the Japanese region, which is the motherland and foundation of the Japanese people, declines, there will be no hope for a stable life or social development. With this in mind, we will face the possibilities of “DX × regional revitalization” and a decentralized cooperative society. (Kei Kitajima)