Japan: Law on Artificial Intelligence - No Punishments, Focus on Prevention and Regulation

Japan has adopted a law on the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI), in an attempt to prevent abusive uses of this technology, such as the spread of false information, copyright infringement or the proliferation of "deepfake" content.

The new law, inspired by existing international regulations, aims to protect individual rights and public interests, without introducing direct criminal provisions, informs the EFE agency. In the case of serious incidents, the government will be able to open investigations, subsequently offering guidance and recommendations to the companies involved, without imposing sanctions.

• Response to "deepfake" risks and privacy concerns

The law was accompanied by a supplementary parliamentary resolution calling for stronger measures against AI-generated content that manipulates people's identities for harmful purposes, particularly in the context of pornographic images and videos. For situations involving potential crimes, such as personal data leakage or copyright infringement, authorities will resort to existing legislation, such as the Criminal Code or Copyright Act.

• Goals of the law: safety, competitiveness and education

The new regulation defines AI as "a technology essential to national security" and provides for the establishment of a government agency to develop guidelines on the research, development and responsible use of AI, as well as strategies to increase the international competitiveness of Japanese companies.

• Japan lags behind US and China

According to official data, only 9% of Japanese people are familiar with AI, compared to 56% of Chinese and 45% of Americans. Also, only 50% of Japanese companies use generative AI, in contrast to 85% in the US and 84% in China. In addition, Japan's investment in AI is modest: about 700 million dollars, ten times less than China and almost a thousand times less than the United States, according to a survey by Stanford University.

While Europe adopts stricter regulations (such as the AI Act), Japan opts for an approach based on self-regulation and government support, betting on a balance between innovation and responsibility.