With some 20 million seniors in the country not proficient in using smartphones and other digital devices, the Japanese government has been supporting them by coordinating with mobile phone companies to organize classes. However, such initiatives only attract those willing to learn new digital skills. According to a public opinion survey on smartphone usage conducted by the Japanese government in 2020, nearly 10% of people aged 18-59 said they “hardly use” or “don’t use” such devices. Meanwhile, the proportion of people who said they “hardly use” smartphones in the 60-69 age group and the 70-plus age group was 25.7% and 57.9%, respectively.

A class taught to seniors how to use smartphones by NTT Docomo. Photo: Kyodo News

At a smartphone tutorial held by telecoms provider NTT Docomo at one of its stores in Tokyo in April, the instructor showed two elderly people a photo of a large white dog and explained how to use an image search app using the camera function. Participants were encouraged to take a photo and use the app to identify the dog’s breed. “It’s a bit inconvenient not being able to use a smartphone these days. I want to improve my skills,” said one participant.

NTT Docomo’s smartphone classes have attracted more than 15 million participants since they began in 2018. But an NTT Docomo official admitted that they have struggled to encourage those less interested in improving their digital skills to take the classes. Tetsuya Toyoda, a researcher at Oricom Digital Divide Solutions, a private organization that is working to close the digital divide, said the younger generation takes digital technology for granted and lacks awareness of the existing disparities. “The government, companies and, above all, people need to recognize the problem and work to solve it,” Toyoda said.

Starting in fiscal 2021, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan aims to train 10 million people to be proficient in using digital devices through courses over five years. In 2021, 250,000 people participated. That number doubled in 2022, but is still far from the target.

DUONG NGUYEN