This essay applies the conceptual framework of the Post-Foucault — most prominently associated with Giorgio Agamben — to re-read the Tohoku IGF 2024 Sendai conference. Target audience: researchers, doctoral students, policy analysts, and executives.
Introduction: The Problem
In Homo Sacer and State of Exception, Agamben analyzes how contemporary governance normalizes the exception. Cybersecurity discourse and emergency internet shutdowns represent a form of this state of exception.
This essay argues that the multistakeholder process of Tohoku IGF becomes intelligible in its specificity only through the concept of Homo sacer and bare life, and that the concept itself undergoes transformation under the new material of digital space. Describing this mutual transformation is the task of this essay.
Cyber state of exception
東北 debated at Sendai in 2024 entails the threshold question of who counts as a citizen to be protected and who as the "bare life" to be surveilled. The operation of related legislation in Japan reveals how this threshold is drawn.
Each session's agenda-setting can be read as a contemporary restaging of the Giorgio Agamben-type problematic.
The national-level IGF (Tohoku IGF) is an attempt to redefine the modern category of the nation-state in the digital era.
Digital homo sacer
Giorgio Agamben's concepts are not confined to abstract philosophical discussion; they apply to the concrete agenda items debated at the 2024 conference. We examine that application below.
1. Application to "東北"
Discussion of "東北" can be positioned, from the perspective of Giorgio Agamben's Homo sacer and bare life, as a central problematic. In Japan's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 東北 are particularly at stake.
2. Application to "震災後ICT"
Discussion of "震災後ICT" can be positioned, from the perspective of Giorgio Agamben's Homo sacer and bare life, as a derivative problematic. In Japan's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 震災後ICT are particularly at stake.
3. Application to "地方DX"
Discussion of "地方DX" can be positioned, from the perspective of Giorgio Agamben's Homo sacer and bare life, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Japan's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 地方DX are particularly at stake.
4. Application to "国内法整備"
Discussion of "国内法整備" can be positioned, from the perspective of Giorgio Agamben's Homo sacer and bare life, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Japan's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 国内法整備 are particularly at stake.
5. Application to "政府＋民間協働"
Discussion of "政府＋民間協働" can be positioned, from the perspective of Giorgio Agamben's Homo sacer and bare life, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Japan's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 政府＋民間協働 are particularly at stake.
Implications for Executives and Practitioners
The philosophical reflection of this essay is not merely academic. The Giorgio Agamben perspective carries three practical implications for executives operating in Japan.
First, it raises the reflexive question of how the firm's business model connects to the logic of Homo sacer and bare life. Second, in dialogue with regulators and civil society, it suggests dimensions of consensus formation that purely technical arguments cannot reach. Third, it indicates that the long-term ground of business legitimacy lies not so much in technical advantage or market share as in participation in such philosophical-normative debates.
Academic Positioning and Future Research
The argument of this essay attempts to graft a philosophical perspective onto the mainstream political-science and legal approaches to internet governance research. Three future research questions follow.
- Verification of the applicability of Giorgio Agamben's framework to other IGF conferences
- Comparative contrast between Post-Foucault and other theoretical traditions
- Exploration of dialogue possibilities with the indigenous intellectual traditions of Japan
In particular, the third point has the potential to liberate IGF research from West-centric debate and open a more multi-layered discursive space.
Primary Sources
- IGF Secretariat. Annual Reports of Tohoku IGF.
- Tohoku IGF 2024 Sendai Conference Materials.
- Japan IGF Support Organization. https://japanigf.jp/
- Nakazawa Yuki Blog. https://nkzw.jp/category/igf/
Secondary Sources (Philosophy)
- Works of Giorgio Agamben (representative texts of Post-Foucault)
*This piece belongs to the academic essays (philosophy series). The author's views do not necessarily represent those of any institutional affiliation. Feedback and critique are welcome.*
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第1稿投稿 2026年6月1日 19時56分（記事コンテンツアップ）
— 中澤祐樹
