The Asia-Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF), the Asia-Pacific regional counterpart to the Internet Governance Forum (IGF; the Asia-Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF), was held in Kathmandu, Nepal, for four days from October 4 to 7, 2026, with the main theme “Maintaining a Resilient Internet in Times of Crisis.”The Kyoto College of Information Science (KCGI) and Kyoto Computer Gakuin (KCG), both part of the Information University Educational Corporation, set up “Local Hubs” connected online to the main venue. Participants—including students and faculty and staff from KCGI and KCG—learned about and exchanged views on current issues such as generative AI, social media, and misinformation.
Other topics to be discussed include cybersecurity, privacy, ensuring children's safety online, and the digital divide.KCGI and KCG students and faculty gathered in classrooms set up at the venue to participate in various sessions broadcast from Kathmandu and exchange opinions.On the final day, participants discussed “the role of APrIGF in realizing the IGF’s long-term mission” and “measures to achieve a digital infrastructure accessible to all in the Asia-Pacific region,” thereby deepening their understanding of Internet governance.The Global IGF 2026, which is open to participants from around the world, is scheduled to be held this December with Nairobi, Kenya, as the main venue, and the KCG Group plans to set up a Local Hub for this event as well, just as it did this time.
In October 2023, the Global IGF held its 18th meeting—the first ever to be held in Japan—at the Kyoto International Conference Center, attracting more than 6,000 participants, the largest number in the event’s history at that time.At the opening ceremony, then-Prime Minister Kishida emphasized the importance of the Internet as the foundation of a democratic society in his opening remarks.
Taking this meeting as an opportunity, the KCG Group—which has been a pioneer in providing Internet-related education in Japan since the early days of the Internet—established the secretariat for SIG Japan (School on Internet Governance Japan) secretariat on campus in 2023 as part of the commemorative events marking the 60th anniversary of KCG’s founding and the 20th anniversary of KCGI’s founding.At the KCG and KCGI Founding Anniversary Ceremony, commemorative lectures were given by former IGF Secretaries-General and other key members of the 18th meeting.Prior to this, in April of the same year, with the aim of encouraging student participation in international conferences related to the Internet and fostering global talent, the International Committee of the Japan IT Association Federation (IT Federation),the Japan Internet Providers Association (JAIPA), and the Japan Unified Communications Service Providers Association (JUSA), among others, held a forum for young people at the KCGI Tokyo Satellite. In addition, through events such as the Internet Governance Lecture (January 2025) andand a digital literacy seminar (May of the same year), we have been providing opportunities to actively address various Internet-related issues and identify solutions.At KCGI, we offer courses such as “Internet Governance” and “Global Internet Operations” in both Japanese and English to help students gain a deeper understanding of the concepts and activities of the IGF.
