TOKYO -- Japan wants to use the data storage technology behind bitcoin and similar virtual currencies to update how individuals and companies interact electronically with government, aiming to bolster information security while cutting administrative costs.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will test a blockchain-based system for processing government tenders in the fiscal year through March 2018. Next fiscal year, it plans to lay out a roadmap for incorporating distributed-ledger technology in e-government systems and begin moving in that direction.
