TOKYO (TR) – Japan’s government is finalizing the appointment of controversial international businessman Joichi Ito, 55, as the head of the Digital Agency, which will be launched next month, reports TV Asahi (Aug. 5).
The Digital Agency is a policy initiative of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who is in charge of the country’s digital reform.
Ito, who has been involved in the launch of a number of IT-related companies in Japan and overseas, will assume the post of chief digital officer upon the start of the division on September 1.
“He is expected to bring international knowledge and experience to the post,” a government official was quoted by the network.
He could also bring unwanted attention.
In 2011, Ito became the director of the MIT Media Lab. However, he resigned from his post in 2019 amid revelations that he accepted funding from Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender and suspected trafficker of young girls prior to his suicide.
