Japan AI Policy

Japan AI policy refers to the body of government initiatives governing AI research, development, deployment, and regulation in Japan. Key bodies include the Cabinet Office AI Strategy Council, METI’s AI industrial policy division, and MIC’s AI Network Study Group. Landmark initiatives include the 2024 AI Business Operator Guidelines, expanded public investment in foundation model research in 2025, and the 2026 prototype deployment of the government-backed AI model “Gennai.”

In contrast to the EU AI Act’s regulatory-first approach, Japan has historically prioritized an innovation-friendly “soft law” framework while applying sector-specific hard regulation to high-risk domains (healthcare, finance, critical infrastructure). The Sovereign AI angle — reducing dependency on foreign-origin foundation models — has emerged as a growing policy priority, driving domestic model investment.