Japan's 2025 AI Law: Balancing Innovation and Public Safety

Japan's Act on the Promotion of Research and Development and Appropriate Use of Artificial Intelligence, passed by the House of Councillors in 2025, promotes AI research and development (R&D) while addressing societal and economic impacts. Key regulatory aspects include:

Government Oversight: Authorities gain new powers to investigate AI firms for violations, focusing on risks like misinformation, disinformation, crimes, data breaches, and copyright issues.

Strategic Headquarters: A body, including the prime minister and Cabinet, will develop a plan to advance AI R&D and its applications, balancing innovation with risk management.

Risk Mitigation: The law emphasizes managing risks from generative AI, such as information veracity and harm to users and creators.

Soft Governance Approach: Japan maintains agile, multistakeholder governance, relying on existing sector-specific laws and voluntary business initiatives rather than comprehensive AI-specific regulations.

Existing Legal Frameworks: Prior laws, like the 2017 Copyright Act amendment for AI data use and the 2019 Unfair Competition Prevention Act for data protection, support AI development while addressing risks.

The Act reflects Japan's strategy to foster innovation while cautiously regulating AI to protect the public, consistent with its "soft law" approach.