Japan has adopted its first national basic plan on the development and use of artificial intelligence, setting out a strategy to accelerate AI adoption while strengthening safety and public trust, according to reporting by The Japan Times.
The plan was approved at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday and establishes a framework for what the government describes as “reliable AI,” balancing technological innovation with risk management. Officials said the goal is to make Japan the country offering the best environment in the world for AI development and utilization, even as they acknowledged that Japan is currently falling behind global peers.
According to the plan, Japan now lags not only other advanced economies but also some countries with smaller economies in AI development, and the gap is widening year by year. The government said it intends to reverse that trend by leveraging Japan’s high-quality data resources and advanced communications infrastructure.
The basic plan outlines four core policy directions: accelerating the use of AI across society, strategically strengthening AI development capabilities, improving the reliability of AI systems, and continuing to transform society through the integration of AI technologies. As part of that effort, the government aims to fast-track the introduction of AI into the daily work of central and local government agencies.
The plan also emphasizes the importance of developing domestic “basic models” of AI, as well as so-called physical AI systems that combine artificial intelligence with robotics. These technologies are described as critical tools for maintaining competitiveness as global competition in AI intensifies.
To address public concerns about safety and misuse, the plan calls for increasing staffing at the Japan AI Safety Institute, a government body responsible for evaluating AI risks and ensuring system reliability. Education is another priority, with the plan stressing the need for elementary and junior high school students to learn AI fundamentals in order to build a future pipeline of skilled experts.
Drawn up under the AI promotion law enacted in May, the plan will be updated annually. The government plans to develop a more detailed road map, including an investment target, by next summer and incorporate it into a revised version of the strategy, The Japan Times reported.
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