NTT Docomo Partners With The Astar Network To Accelerate Web3 Implementation In Japan

NTT Docomo, Japan's largest mobile operator. (photo: Twitter @docomo)

JAKARTA - NTT Docomo, Japan's largest mobile operator with annual revenues of more than US$40 billion (Rp 627 trillion), partnered with multichain smart contract platform Astar Network, to accelerate Web3 implementation in the country. This joint effort will take the form of a consortium, which will provide individuals and companies the ability to use tokens for governance.

According to a November 9 press release, Astar Network and NTT Docomo have also specifically agreed to collaborate in three fundamental ways. They will pursue sustainable development by researching case studies for environmental issues on Web3, trying to eliminate the tech gap on the road towards wider Web3 adoption by educating people and providing opportunities for engineers and business leaders to learn and gain practical experience.

Astar Network CEO Sota Watanabe said the project's mission was to bring Web3 out of a narrow circle that understands technology, to the general public.

In this context, a stronger case with an extraordinary user experience in infrastructure that is accessible to everyone is essential. It's about making people where more people can really enjoy the benefits of Web3, not just engineers," Watanabe said.

Recently, Japan, which owns about a third of Docomo's shares, has shown growing interest in Web3, crypto, and decentralized finance (DeFi). On November 2, Japan's Digital Agency launched research on decentralized autonomous organizations to study Web3.

In late October, the country's second-largest port city, Fukuoka, partnered with Aster Labs to develop new cases of use for Web3 technology.

While the country still has rather strict crypto regulations, its prime minister is quite vocal about the government's plans for large investments in the Web3 and metaverse initiatives. Japan's Virtual and Crypto Asset Exchange Association has also pledged to make official exchanges easier to register digital currencies by loosening the screening process.