The unlikely successful advancement of Japan’s e-government under Suga

Abstract

Abstract Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide passed a set of digital laws in 2021, which enabled the establishment of the Digital Agency as a central element in the e-government and the digital transition in Japan. Despite its great significance, the laws were prepared and passed in a record-breaking time. This article sets out to determine the factors contributing to the swift acceptance and success of the digital law package utilizing the multiple stream framework by John W. Kingdon. It demonstrates how Suga’s ambitions coincided with a unique policy window opened by an unlikely confluence of the global pandemic and a persistent policy community.