Researcher

Masahiko Shoji

Executive Research Fellow
Master of Policy Studies

■Research Area
Socio-Informatics, Information and Communication Policy, Digital Government, Open Data, Smart City

I am especially interested in the governance and management of cities and local communities. I am conducting research on the digital government, the utilizations of open data and personal data, the management of smart cities, and local informatization from the viewpoint of Info-Socionomics.

How can we overcome social issues taking full advantages of our social resources such as people, goods, money, and data? How can we achieve better self-governance in accordance with the specific characteristics of each community? How can we realize sustainable knowledge circulation in society? I am analyzing and discussing these issues based on cross-disciplinary knowledge, mainly from the social sciences, and learning from various examples in Japan and abroad.

I am shuttling between research and practice as a member of many government’s study groups and committees, an advisor to local governments, and a board member of a social organization, making policy proposals based on the user’s perspective.

Brief History

Born in 1976. Master’s degree in Policy Studies, Graduate School of Policy Studies, Chuo University. Masahiko has been a researcher at GLOCOM, International University of Japan since 2002, and a professor at the Faculty of Sociology, Musashi University since 2019. He is also the Open Data Evangelist at the Cabinet Secretariat, the chairperson of the Study Group on Standardization of Local Government Systems, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), the advisor to the MIC on local informatization, the representative director of the Open Knowledge Foundation Japan, and the director of the Movement for Internet Active Users (MIAU).

Major Works

Serial publication “The New Era of Administrative Informatization” (Administration & Information Systems, 2011 – present)
“The Development of the Sharing Economy and Cities: A Study from the Perspective of the Development of Information Society and Data Utilization” (The Real Estate Research, 2019)
Chijo #119: “Special Issue: Open Data” (International University of Japan GLOCOM, 2014)
Co-author of “The Front Line of local SNS: A Practical Guide to Community Development in the Web 2.0 Era” (ASCII, 2007)

Major Appearances & Lectures

Press 1930: Centralization of Administrative Services, Is it Possible to Break Down Vertical Divisions? (BS-TBS, broadcast on September 22, 2020)
JAM THE WORLD: UP CLOSE “Digitalization of Local Governments,” J-Wave, August 24, 2020
Today’s Close-up: “Public Data is a Treasure Trove – Will it Change Society? Open Data”, NHK, September 17, 2014
“Social Media Users in Japan-China Relations”, International Symposium, Japanese-German Center Berlin, December 12, 2013

Major Achievements

June 2020 – Present: Member, Working Group on My Number System and Fundamental Improvement of National and Local Governments’ Digital Infrastructure
August 2019 – present: Chairperson, Study Group on Standardization of Local Government Systems, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
March 2016 – present: Open Data Evangelist, Cabinet Secretariat
July 2015 – Present: Advisor for local Informatization, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

Educational Background

March 2000: Graduated with a degree in Policy Science, Faculty of Policy Studies, Chuo University
March 2002: Completed Master’s program, Graduate School of Policy Studies, Chuo University (Master of Policy Studies)

Career

2002 Research Fellow, GLOCOM, International University of Japan
2004 Assistant Professor and Research Fellow, GLOCOM, International University of Japan
2008 Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow, GLOCOM, International University of Japan
2015 Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow, GLOCOM, International University of Japan
2018 Associate Professor and Executive Research Fellow, GLOCOM, International University of Japan
2019 Professor, Faculty of Sociology, Musashi University / Executive Research Fellow, International University of Japan GLOCOM