Minister for Digital Transformation

The Minister for Digital Transformation (デジタル大臣) is a member of the cabinet of Japan and is the leader and chief executive of the Digital Agency. The minister is responsible for overseeing Japan's transformation to a digital economy. The minister is nominated by the Prime Minister and is appointed by the Emperor of Japan.

It began operations on 1 September 2021 after being formed as a result of the Digital Agency Establishment Act, making it the newest Ministerial position in the Cabinet. The current Minister for Digital Transformation is Taro Kono, who took office on 10 August 2022 as part of the Second Kishida Cabinet (First Reshuffle).

English title
The Ministerial position has gone through changes in its official English title. During deliberations of the Digital Agency Establishment Act, the official English title provided on the outline of the legislation was "Digital Minister". After the appointment of Takuya Hirai, there was no official English title, as the English version of the Cabinet Office's List of Ministers, State Ministers and Parliamentary Vice-Ministers only listed the name of Takuya Hirai without any mention of the official English title. The official English title for the position was changed to Minister for Digital Agency with the inauguration of the First Kishida Cabinet, but was later changed to Minister for Digital. Since 2022, Minister for Digital Transformation has been used for the official English title of the position.