Hello, I'm Tak@, a system integrator who enjoys developing services leveraging generative AI in my spare time.

In this column, I'd like to introduce "Team Mirai," a new political party that has risen to update politics through the power of technology, incorporating information from various sources and my own perspective.

Why Change Politics with Technology?

Technology has the power to significantly change our lives and society. However, in Japanese politics and administration, this power is not being fully utilized.

Takahiro Anno, an AI engineer who launched the new party "Team Mirai," decided to jump into the world of politics himself out of this sense of urgency.

Anno has gained experience in politics and administration from the outside, serving as an external advisor for GovTech Tokyo and as an expert regarding the AI promotion bill in the House of Representatives.

Through these experiences, he keenly felt the reality of digital technology not being fully utilized on the ground, the situation where reforms are not progressing due to structural problems despite enthusiasm, and the difficulty of initiating change from the outside, feeling that "in Nagatacho (Japan's political center), things are not heard unless you are a member of parliament."

That's why he came to believe that the shortest path to improving Japan with technology is to become a member of parliament himself and enter Nagatacho.

The Society "Team Mirai" Aims for and the Role of Technology

"Team Mirai" advocates the goal of "creating a Japan where no one is left behind, using technology."

They view technology not as complex specialized skills, but as concrete tools "to make things possible that were previously impossible."

By fully utilizing technology, they aim to encourage participation in politics, improve the lives of individual citizens, and brighten the future.

For example, technology can also be useful in streamlining complex administrative procedures and reducing waste.

I myself enjoy the indescribable pleasure of seeing ideas take shape when creating AI tools as a hobby. Anno and his colleagues aim to update politics with technology by getting their hands dirty themselves.

Growth Strategy in the AI Era and the "1% Revolution"

Anno points out that current political discussions tend to be biased towards wealth redistribution, lacking discussions that generate future growth.

This is because with rising prices and inflation, stopgap measures alone will not provide a fundamental solution. Precisely because we are in an unpredictable era, what is needed is a growth strategy and a social system that can respond flexibly and quickly to change.

"Team Mirai" plans to promote investment in child-rearing, education, science and technology, nurturing new industries, and promoting culture as a growth strategy suitable for the AI era. They believe that promoting culture is important for humans to live with dignity even as AI evolves.

They position themselves as a "point party," a political party "focused on specific issues," for these priority initiatives aimed at creating such a future.

Anno has named this challenge the "1% Revolution." This is based on his belief that 1% of people who challenge new things change the world.

His experience of gaining about 150,000 votes in last year's Tokyo gubernatorial election (about 1% of Tokyo residents at the time), which served as a catalyst for spreading concepts like "broad listening" that he advocated in the political world, also seems to support this idea.

Concrete Initiatives: Nagatacho Engineer Team and Deliberation System

If "Team Mirai" meets the requirements as a national political party, one of the first things they want to do is establish a "Nagatacho Engineer Team" utilizing party subsidies (over 100 million yen annually).

This team, consisting of about 10 talented engineers and researchers, will work to promote political DX (Digital Transformation). All developed results will be released as open source, allowing anyone to participate and contribute.

The idea behind this is to create "digital public goods" by conducting highly uncertain software development (agile development), which the administration is not good at, with sustainable funding (party subsidies) and in a location close to the center of politics.

Anno believes that sending AI and DX experts to Nagatacho will make a big difference, changing the current situation where there are no AI engineers among national politicians.

Furthermore, they want to build a system where citizens can participate in policy formation online by utilizing deliberation tools like the "Idobata system" developed in the Digital Democracy 2030 project.

This is an attempt to enable a process where many citizens can think and discuss politics together, in conjunction with "Kouchou AI" which analyzes and organizes diverse opinions using AI. While there was an attempt in the past where AI answered questions during the election period, this goes a step further, aiming to reflect the voices of the citizens in policy.

A New Wave to Change Politics

"Team Mirai" also states that they aim for the role of a "utility party," which is not found in existing political parties.

This is an attitude of actively supporting not only their own policy promotion but also the policy planning, technology utilization, and DX of other political parties. There seems to be an expectation that this will "create an opportunity to evolve the rigid system" in the political world.

Of course, an approach different from existing political parties will come with difficulties.

Anno himself says that the challenge without organized votes or backers is a state of having "no ground, no看板 (signboard/fame), and no鞄 (bag/funding)."

However, believing in the power of technology and their desire to "realize a new future together with everyone" holds the potential to bring a fresh wind to Japanese politics, wouldn't you agree?

What possibilities do you feel technology holds?

And how do you think politics will change with technology? Their challenge has just begun, but its trends may provide important insights for thinking about our future.

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