1.Introduction

This report aims to conduct an international comparison of the level of interest and commitment to open source software (OSS) within the public sector of various countries. This is achieved by collecting data on the number of OSS repositories observed on the development platform GitHub and related information.
In recent years, recognition has grown that OSS is indispensable for all development projects (Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan, 2024) . Collaborative creation across organizations and regions through OSS not only reduces software and system development costs within organizations but also generates a virtuous cycle of technology and knowledge across society, yielding economic benefits (Knut & Torben, 2024; Hoffmann, Nagle, Zhou).
This focus on OSS is expanding not only in private organizations but also in government bodies. For example, in Germany, the 2021 coalition agreement stipulated OSS release as a principle for publicly funded software development. As of 2026, the open licensing of software developed within the federal government is mandatory (SPD, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, & FDP, 2021; Deutscher Bundestag, 2024). In Estonia, the Digital Agenda 2030 established the principle of open licensing for publicly funded software, leading to the development of the administrative data integration platform "X-Road" as an internationally usable framework (Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, 2021) .In France, the 2016 Digital Republic Act encourages the preferential adoption of free software in government information system procurement (Legifrance, 2016) . In the United States, the 2016 Source Code Policy mandates that at least 20% of software developed using federal funds be released as OSS (Office of Management and Budget, 2016) .
These national initiatives reflect differing approaches to promotion. The European example is based on the principle that "public sector software developed with public funds should be released under an OSS license." This principle resonates with the "Public Money, Public Code (PMPC)" philosophy promoted by the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE), centered in Europe. (Free Software Foundation Europe, 2017) .In contrast, the U.S. approach prioritizes practical benefits, aiming to reduce development costs within the government.
An overview of these international trends reveals that while the importance of OSS within government organizations is growing worldwide, the scale of activities, objectives, and promotion approaches vary significantly by country. So, how can Japanese government organizations leverage OSS? To promote OSS within Japanese administrative organizations going forward, it is necessary to investigate and analyze the activities of other countries, including their characteristics, and clarify Japan's position and direction. Therefore, this report conducts research with the primary objective of conducting an international comparison of OSS promotion activities within government agencies in Japan and other countries.
Previous research includes studies that internationally surveyed approaches and organizational conditions in public sector OSS projects, as well as research presenting indicators for planning, implementation, and evaluation of OSS utilization in the public sector (Linåker, Lundell, Servant, & Gamalielss, 2025; Muto Linåker, 2024). These international comparisons and efforts to develop indicators based on qualitative research approaches have yielded useful outcomes for government officials. They facilitate the establishment of specialized organizations promoting OSS activities in the public sector, such as OSPOs (Open Source Program Offices), and the creation of domestic and international OSS catalogs. This enables the replication and evaluation of advanced cases in other countries and regions. However, while existing research analyzes policy frameworks and intentions, the actual outputs at the implementation level and the number of activities related to administrative OSS, along with their regional characteristics, remain insufficiently understood. Notably, Japan is scarcely referenced in existing international comparative studies, leaving its position regarding OSS promotion in government unclear. Therefore, this report presents the results of analyzing data collected on GitHub, based on the research question: "How does the number of publicly available administrative OSS differ across countries and regions?"
The structure of this report is as follows. Chapter 2 explains the research objectives and methodology. Chapter 3 outlines the collected data by country and provides one representative example of "public sector OSS" from each country. Chapter 4 conducts an international comparison from three perspectives—"number of activities," "timeframe," and "technical field"—based on the data organized in Chapter 3. Chapter 5 summarizes the insights gained from this report.
Note that this report presents only direct analytical results based on the survey data and does not include commentary or discussion. Given that the research findings suggest potential for further research and practical application in administrative practice, separate roundtable discussions will be held to explore commentary and discussion from various perspectives. The recordings of these discussions will be made publicly available.