Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP), MUFG Bank, Ltd., and Australia’s Meeco are collaborating to build a “trustworthy digital space” using decentralized IDs. In September 2024, an event was held at the Australian Embassy in Japan to present the results of their technical verification and future prospects. Decentralized ID is a digital ID system that allows individuals to manage their personal IDs autonomously. DNP aims to promote human exchange between Japan and Australia and will conduct various demonstration experiments in tourism, study abroad, and employment in collaboration with related companies. This article reports on the event and the “DNP's decentralized identity management platform” announced there, along with future initiatives.

On September 27, 2024, various tourism boards and media representatives from Japan and Australia gathered at the Australian Embassy. The event began with a greeting from Justin Hayhurst, the Australian Ambassador to Japan, who emphasized the importance of the Japan-Australia partnership.

“The collaboration between Australia’s innovative startup Meeco and Japan’s major company DNP holds great potential. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all involved in the announcement of this decentralized identity management platform,” said the ambassador, expressing his enthusiasm for promoting the partnership between the two countries.

Next, Katryna Dow, CEO of Meeco, took the stage. Meeco, established in Australia in 2012, is a global provider of decentralized identity management and authentication services. For this decentralized identity management platform, Meeco provided the foundational technology to DNP.

Katryna Dow warned, “The world we envisioned over a decade ago, where the real and digital worlds merge, has finally come to fruition. However, incidents that shake digital trust, such as personal information leaks and fraud, are also occurring. Now, all our actions are linked to digital IDs, and secure, reliable IDs are indispensable.”

She also touched on the tightening regulations in the EU, explaining, “By 2027, all EU citizens are required to have access to secure digital infrastructure. In this sense, this announcement will serve as a global model.”

Dow emphasized the significance of the decentralized identity management platform developed in collaboration with DNP as a “groundbreaking initiative leading the world” and praised DNP’s foresight and innovative spirit, noting that “DNP first contacted us 10 years ago when Meeco was just established. This fact shows that the company is highly visionary and future-oriented.”

She expressed her excitement about the potential transformations in the digital world through the collaboration with DNP and highlighted the importance of strengthening the relationship between Australia and Japan through the use of the decentralized identity management platform.

Next, Rintaro Okamoto from DNP explained the details of the “DNP’s decentralized identity management platform” and future demonstration experiments.

Decentralized ID is a digital ID system that allows individuals to manage their personal IDs autonomously through digital certificate technology called Verifiable Credentials (VC). Individuals can share only the necessary information within the required scope, and companies can reduce the burden of verifying submitted personal information.

With technical cooperation from Meeco, DNP developed the unique decentralized identity management platform, which prevents unauthorized access and data tampering under high security. To advance its demonstration, DNP established the “Japan-Australia Cross-Border Interoperability Working Group” with participating companies from Japan and Australia, focusing first on tourism.

Okamoto explained the background, “We are considering implementing VCs to enhance the travel experience of the increasing number of tourists from Australia to Japan.” He described the specific usage scenarios, “Using the decentralized identity management platform makes it easier to verify travelers’ identities. For example, by using pre-verified personal information, cumbersome procedures at hotel check-ins can be omitted. Starting with demonstration experiments in the tourism sector, we aim to create a society where individuals can manage and share medical information, educational and qualification data, and financial asset information using VCs in the future.”

Finally, Okamoto stated that they would proceed with demonstration experiments with tourism boards in Japan and Australia, aiming for early social implementation, and concluded, “We intend to form partnerships with many businesses and organizations to create a wide range of use cases.”

Next, Takayuki Sada from MUFG Bank, Ltd., an important partner for DNP in Japan, took the stage. He stated, “By utilizing the credibility granting functions of banks in the field of decentralized IDs, we believe we can ensure reliability in a wider range of services,” highlighting the significant role banks can play in this area.

Regarding this initiative, which is the first of its kind for a Japanese bank, Sada confidently said, “In the future, by linking VCs with financial functions such as payment, we think we can provide even greater value to our users.”

The event demonstrated the potential of the decentralized identity management platform developed by DNP and Meeco to enhance personal information protection and data utilization convenience in the digital society. After the presentations, a demonstration of the “DNP’s decentralized identity management platform” was held, where many attendees consulted individually about its mechanisms and use cases.

At the end of the event, all participants took a commemorative photo. Afterwards, light refreshments were served, and members from the Australian Embassy, Meeco, Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, DNP, and various tourism association representatives who attended the event freely mingled, further strengthening the partnership between Japan and Australia.

The networking session was so lively that it went over the scheduled time. The closing remarks were made by Sakae Hikita, Executive Vice President of DNP.

Hikita said, “What we have been working on for over 10 years to create ‘Creating future standards’ is finally becoming a reality. We will continue to work cross-border to create a society where everyone can move safely and comfortably across borders.” He concluded the event by expressing gratitude to the partners and calling for continued cooperation.

The demand for decentralized IDs is increasing globally. In Japan, a government-led consortium has been established, aiming to build a concrete framework by around 2030. As a result, it is expected that more companies will adopt decentralized IDs in the future.

To accelerate these efforts, it is essential to build advanced security and create highly convenient use cases. DNP aims to strengthen collaboration with domestic and international partners, further enhance the functions of the decentralized identity management platform, and expand its usage scenarios. This announcement, which is unprecedented on the global stage, is expected to be a significant step forward.

“Decentralized IDs are an innovative theme globally, and I have high expectations for the two companies leading the way.”
Justin Hayhurst, the Australian Ambassador to Japan

The relationship between Australia and Japan is very strong, having built trust across a wide range of fields such as resources, energy, and agriculture. In addressing the challenges of digitalization, the governments and companies from both countries have collaborated to create various innovations.

The decentralized identity management platform, born from the long-term collaboration between Meeco and DNP, will appropriately protect personal information and enhance the security for Australians and Japanese visiting each other’s countries for tourism and business purposes. This is expected to further deepen the international ties between the two countries. The partnership between the two companies is a wonderful example of collaboration in innovation between Japan and Australia. We are very pleased to have been able to celebrate this at the embassy.

The Australian Embassy in Japan will continue to strive to help companies from both countries build deeper relationships and provide broad support in the future.

“Collaborating with DNP, which has pioneered various markets such as finance, healthcare, and supply chains over many years, has been a highly stimulating experience.”
Katryna Dow, Founder, Managing Director & CEO of Meeco

Decentralized IDs accelerate trust in the digital economy and help reduce fraud. Citizens can manage their IDs within a trusted ecosystem and share them transparently, while businesses can quickly and cost-effectively create new value. However, to achieve such a seamlessly connected world, a global collaboration network is essential.

Collaborating with DNP, which has nearly 150 years of history, in building the decentralized identity management platform has been highly stimulating. The technology and experience DNP has developed in various markets such as finance, healthcare, and supply chains strongly support our efforts. Expanding the trust and network DNP has built into the digital world is highly significant, and we are proud to be their partner.

Our goal is to first successfully implement the decentralized identity management platform in Japan, and then aim for mutual operation in Australia and Europe. My objective is to help build the digital infrastructure that will support DNP’s next 150 years.

*This information is as of September 27, 2024.
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