Sakura Internet Formally Selected as “Govt Cloud” Provider

Tokyo, March 28 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Digital Agency has formally selected Sakura Internet Inc. and four major U.S. companies as service providers for the “government cloud” common information system infrastructure for central and local governments for fiscal 2026. This decision, announced on Friday, makes Sakura Internet the first domestic service provider for the government cloud. The government sets strict technological requirements for its cloud service providers. Previously, it only selected services from U.S. tech giants, such as Amazon.com Inc.’s Amazon Web Services and Google LLC’s Google Cloud. However, the government has found it necessary from the perspective of economic security to involve domestic cloud service operators. In 2023, Sakura Internet was selected on the condition that it would meet the technological requirements by the end of fiscal 2025. Local governments will now be able to choose domestic services in the government cloud. “The entry of domestic operators will provide a sense of security to the people,” digital transformation minister Hisashi Matsumoto said at a press conference on Friday. “It will also encourage competition (among operators) and improve services,” he added. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]