Originator Profile Development Selected for Govt Project; Initiative Aims to Combat AI-Driven Misinformation
OP, which is being developed by Originator Profile Collaborative Innovation Partnership, allows users to confirm the origin of information on the internet by adding the profile of its creator or publisher to articles and advertisements that use it. The ministry's initiative will push for OP to be made into an international standard and included in browsing software.
The ministry has been supporting the OP project since fiscal 2024, and this year's selection means it will continue to do so.
In addition to OP, a project developing a technology to identify synthetic voices made with generative artificial intelligence and a technology to verify the authenticity of videos and images posted on social media was also selected.
Each of the 20 chosen projects will receive a maximum of ¥500 million.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
11-08-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Online Applications for My Number Card to Be Available Overseas
The government plans a policy to allow Japanese citizens living abroad to submit online applications for the issuance of My Number Cards. To reduce the expected burden on applicants to submit the applications in person and by mail, the new system will become available from fiscal 2026. Applications for the cards can already be made online from within Japan. Currently, a person residing overseas who wants to apply for a My Number Card has to submit their application at a Japanese Embassy, the government office in their hometown or via mail. The applicant will still need to visit an embassy to have their identity confirmed when they receive the cards, but being able to complete the application with a single visit will make the process more convenient, as there have been many cases in which no embassies are located close to where the applicant lives. Up until now, the process has taken two to three months from application to issuance for overseas applicants. However, that time will be reduced once applications can be made online, another positive aspect of the change. As of March 2024, a person can continue to use their My Number Card even after they have moved overseas. The Foreign Ministry and the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry are also considering setting up dedicated computer terminals at Japanese embassies to make renewals and other procedures related to the cards possible. With a My Number Card, a person can complete administrative procedures related to their tax return, national pension and others. The cards are also being used more in private businesses, with banks, securities firms and others in the financial industry using them to confirm a customer's identity when they open a new account.
Yomiuri Shimbun
07-07-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Forum Discussing Issues Facing Media Organizations Held in Taipei; Participants Discuss Use of Originator Profile Technology
TAIPEI — The Asian Journalism Forum, an event organized by a Taiwanese private organization that brings together media representatives from Asian countries, was held in Taipei on Saturday and Sunday. Participants at the forum, organized by the Foundation for Excellent Journalism Award, discussed issues facing media organizations, with the focus this year on the impact of algorithms and generative AI on reporting. The use of the Originator Profile (OP), a digital technology that enhances the safety of the Internet, was also discussed. Makoto Yoshiike, deputy secretary general of the Originator Profile Collaborative Innovation Partnership, which promotes the development and social implementation of OP, took the stage on Sunday. He spoke about the efforts being made in Japan and stressed the need for a system that would allow sources of information to be verified on the Internet. OP is a system that allows users to confirm the origin of information on the Internet by adding the third-party verified profile of its creator or publisher to articles and advertisements that use it. Users can easily identify false or disinformation and malicious advertisements. In Japan, media companies that are members of the partnership, such as the Yomiuri Shimbun, are aiming to launch the system by the end of this year.
Yomiuri Shimbun
05-07-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Govt Mandates Collecting, Recycling of Some Devices with Lithium-Ion Batteries Amid Fire Concerns
The government plans to make it mandatory for makers and importers to collect and recycle mobile batteries, mobile phones and heated tobacco devices in response to more of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in these items. The new regulations will prohibit consumers from disposing the three types of products as general waste and require them to cooperate with stores and municipal facilities in collection initiatives. The government will designate these products as 'specified resources-recycled products' under the Law for the Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources. As for designated products, manufacturers and importers are obligated to conduct collections and recycling through organizations that handle such services. The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry and the Environment Ministry are expected to formalize this decision by as early as August, following discussions with manufacturers, importers and other relevant entities. These products will be added to the list of the specified products through a government ordinance when the revised law takes effect in April next year. Under the new designation, businesses that fail to conduct collection and recycling operations will face fines. Consumers will be required to dispose of these items appropriately, such as by depositing them in designated collection boxes at electronics retailers or local government facilities. While there are no penalties for consumers, failure to comply could result in receiving instruction from local governments or being charged with violating the Law on Waste Management and Public Cleaning. A survey conducted by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry last year, which covered 43 cities nationwide, revealed that storage batteries amounted to 19.4% of lithium-ion battery-related items found in noncombustible waste, followed by heated tobacco products at 15.9% and movile phones at 12.4%. According to the Environment Ministry, there were 21,751 incidents of smoke or fire caused by small lithium-ion batteries in waste collection vehicles, garbage-disposal facilities and other locations in fiscal 2023.
