Photo/Illutration Minoru Kiuchi, economic security minister, has been appointed as the minister in charge of the AI Strategy Headquarters. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

To get up to speed with the rest of the world, Japan will formulate a basic policy plan by winter to make inroads into developing and utilizing artificial intelligence. 

The government’s AI Strategy Headquarters is tasked with accelerating Japan’s lagging adoption and research and development of AI, while guaranteeing its security and citizens’ rights.  

The new headquarters, formed within the Cabinet Office on Sept. 1, will serve as the central command to advance AI utilization as a pillar of economic growth.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will lead the headquarters, which was established based on the AI Law enacted in May, with all Cabinet ministers on board.

Minoru Kiuchi, economic security minister, has been appointed as the minister in charge.

A panel of researchers, business leaders and other experts will soon convene to begin drafting the basic policy plan.

Guidelines will also be compiled to ensure that the spread of disinformation and misinformation does not infringe on citizens’ rights.

The government plans to promote research and development within Japan due to concerns over information management, including personal and confidential data, if the nation relies on foreign companies for AI services used in the government and private sector.

“While technological innovations in AI offer benefits, such as improved productivity and solutions to labor shortages, they also carry risks, such as the spread of disinformation and more sophisticated criminal activity,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a news conference on Sept. 1.

“We will simultaneously promote innovation and address associated risks, aiming to make Japan the world’s most AI-friendly country for development and utilization.”

While one estimate says the global AI market will expand sixfold from $135.9 billion (20 trillion yen) in 2023 to $826.7 billion by 2030, Japan’s adoption of generative AI remains sluggish.

According to the government’s information and communications white paper, a survey conducted in fiscal 2024 found that only 26.7 percent of respondents in Japan said they “use (or have used)” generative AI, lagging far behind the 68.8 percent in the United States and 81.2 percent in China. Corporate adoption also remains limited.

The AI Strategy Headquarters is expected to discuss managing risks associated with AI to allay lingering public concerns.

A survey of 4,000 residents in Japan conducted in 2024 by the International University of Japan’s Center for Global Communications found that the most common request for the government, cited by 66 percent of respondents, was “strengthening legal measures against AI misuse and related crimes.”

In a report published in 2023 by the KPMG accounting firm, only 13 percent of respondents in Japan believed that AI can be safely used under the current laws, the lowest among the 17 countries surveyed.

In particular, a survey conducted in 2025 by the communications ministry highlighted significant public anxiety about AI abuse for criminal activities as well as creation of deepfakes featuring real individuals.

Under the AI Law, the government is granted authority to investigate AI developers in the event of serious incidents where citizens’ rights or interests are infringed upon.

However, the law only imposes a requirement on businesses to make an effort to cooperate with the government.

While the law states that names of companies involved in malicious cases may be disclosed, there are no penalties for noncompliance. Unlike the European Union or South Korea, Japan has opted not to mandate safety management measures for major AI developers.

(This article was written by Daiki Koga and Naoko Murai.)

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