Oh, thank you so much. My name is Mayumi, and I work for the Japanese newspaper “Yomiuri.” We wanted to interview you because the Japanese government is going to have a digital ministry from September 1st, and we wanted to report about it to the teenagers [laughs] in Japan. Can I go through the questions already?

What do you mean?

That’s all right. We’ll not use the video.

I know.

We would like to know firstly, about Taiwanese digital society. What can you actually do with a smartphone? What can people do to use the government service with the smartphone because here in Japan we don’t really use smartphone to get any registration card or anything? I would like to know about the advanced Taiwanese society.

How can old people use those services with Internet because some of the people, I believe, are not quite capable of using the Internet?

I see, so there are people who physically help elderlies at the shops?

Of course, younger generations, they are eager to use the Internet. Buy a smartphone and access to the government services. Oh, I see. OK, that’s very interesting. I don’t know.

Skipping that subject, would you tell me about the famous face mask [laughs] application amid COVID 19 initial outbreak? How could you develop the application, only in three days?

I read there some…

That’s right. But still, because with your engaged, people get to know and probably the Taiwan itself can use that app, right?

It’s just amazing that I just wonder how those digital technologies people can use developed in Taiwan. Because Japan is still very light how they involved.

What I want to know is, how could that reverse procurement work in Taiwan? Here, in Japan, government always tell the people what to do.

I see. Thank you. I would like to know, going back to the mask app, when you find the information on SMS or your community, why did you think it was a good idea and why did you think that the government can be engaged with this?

The speed was really quick?

Why can you have such a short, how do you say it, decision making takes only short times?

I see, thank you. I would like to go about that school in Taiwan now. How do junior high, high schools in Taiwan adapt and make good use of digital in classroom? Do they have, each one of them has tablet, or they use digital text books or something?

Together.

Oh, I see. Is there any argument about using digital textbooks are not good for students? Or maybe it’s costly?

I see. So, is it already happening in some classroom in Taiwan like some teachers use digital and…

OK. It’s not like the government orders all schools to use this and that and this and that, it’s more like…

Sorry, I don’t know if I understand right. You said the job of the government is to provide infrastructures. All those infrastructures are already there?

All right. If I’m a student in Taipei, I would like to use a tablet and make a digital textbook, so that I can do a lot of work with it, with my own idea.

Once I decided to do so, can I start it from today?

OK, so that’s probably the biggest difference between Taiwan and Japan because if I’m a Japanese student, I want to use a digital textbook in the classroom from today, but probably I cannot because there is not enough resources like a tablet itself or the Internet is not good.

My question is, did Taiwan already provide all those infrastructures?

OK, I understand. Thank you. What are the pros and cons of digital society? It’s a little vague question, but do you think the digital society, it is so called, is good?

OK, thank you very much. I understand very well. I heard that your parents are journalists?

You have a good understanding about journalism?

Last question. I’d like to ask you to give a message to Japanese students, including what they should do to make good use of digital in their teens.

Thank you so much. Sorry, one more question. Can I?

I read your book, and you’ve mentioned about Japanese digital ministry that they should’ve…

Yeah, digital agency. You said that as a suggestion, they should collect the opinions from public?

No. Why would you think so?

You think that civic technology is very useful for the digital agency upcoming in September?

Do you think that this agency will help people in here, Japan?

Interesting.

I see. I understand. Thank you so much for today, taking your time and I will send the publication when it come out.

Thank you so much.

Bye.