Japan sets guidelines for expansion of AI-controlled defense systems
The guidelines outline steps to be followed in the research and development of such defense equipment, calling for careful classification of the systems, legal and policy reviews to guarantee compliance, and technical evaluations of operational reliability.
Nakatani said the guidelines are intended to "reduce risks of using AI while maximizing its benefits," adding they are expected to "provide predictability" for the private sector, with his ministry to "promote research and development activities in a responsible way."
Global concerns over autonomous weapons that use AI are mounting, as the deployment of combat drones has become commonplace in the war between Russia and Ukraine and in conflicts in the Middle East.
The Defense Ministry will conduct reviews to check whether systems meet requirements such as clear human accountability and operational safety, while categorizing such weaponry as "high" or "low" risk.
If categorized as high risk based on whether AI influences destructive capabilities, the ministry will assess whether the equipment complies with international and domestic laws, remains under human control, and is not a fully autonomous lethal weapon.
The ministry unveiled its first-ever basic policy for the promotion of AI use last July, focusing on seven fields including detection and identification of military targets, command and control, and logistical support.
Last May, the Foreign Ministry submitted a paper on Japan's stance on lethal autonomous weapons systems, or LAWS, to the United Nations, stating that a "human-centric" principle should be maintained and emerging technologies must be developed and used "in a responsible manner."
© KYODO
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Mainichi
21 minutes ago
- The Mainichi
Japan and China commemorate World War II anniversary on different dates
BENXI, China (AP) -- Eighty years after the end of World War II, Japan and China are marking the anniversary with major events, but on different dates and in different ways. Japan remembers the victims in a solemn ceremony on Aug. 15, the day then-Emperor Hirohito announced in a crackly radio message that the government had surrendered, while China showcases its military strength with a parade on Sept. 3, the day after the formal surrender on an American battleship in Tokyo Bay. Japan occupied much of China before and during WWII in a devastating and brutal invasion that, by some estimates, killed 20 million people. The wartime experience still bedevils relations between the two countries today. A museum in the Chinese city of Benxi highlights the struggles of anti-Japanese resistance fighters who holed up in log cabins through fierce winters in the country's northeast, then known as Manchuria, before retreating into Russia. They returned only after the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and launched an offensive into Manchuria on Aug. 9, 1945 -- the same day the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki -- adding to the pressure on Japan to surrender. Nowadays, it is China's military that raises alarm as it seeks to enforce the government's territorial claims in the Pacific. When Japan talks of building up its defense to counter the threat, its militaristic past gives China a convenient retort. "We urge Japan to deeply reflect on its historical culpability, earnestly draw lessons from history and stop using hype over regional tensions and China-related issues to conceal its true intent of military expansion," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said last month. Japan's surrender broadcast Hirohito's prerecorded surrender broadcast on Aug. 15, 1945, was incomprehensible to many Japanese. He used arcane language and the sound quality was poor. What was important, historians say, was that the message came from the emperor himself. Hirohito was considered a living god, and the war was fought in his name. Most Japanese had never heard his voice before. "The speech is a reminder of what it took to end the wrong war," Nihon University professor Takahisa Furukawa told The Associated Press in 2015. The current emperor, Hirohito's grandson Naruhito, and the prime minister are set to make remarks at the annual ceremony in Tokyo on Aug. 15, broadcast live by public broadcaster NHK. At last year's event, Naruhito expressed deep remorse over Japan's actions during the war. But on the same day, three Japanese cabinet ministers visited Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine, drawing criticism from China and South Korea, which see the shrine as a symbol of militarism. China marks Victory Day Japan surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945, in a ceremony on board the American battleship USS Missouri. The foreign minister, in a top hat and tails, and the army chief signed on behalf of Hirohito. The signatories on the other side were U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur and representatives from China and other nations that had fought Japan. China designated the next day, Sept. 3, as Victory Day. Eleven years ago, the Communist Party stepped up how China marks the anniversary. All of China's top leaders, including President Xi Jinping, attended a commemorative event on Sept. 3. The renewed focus came at a time of rising tension with Japan over conflicting interpretations of wartime history and a still-ongoing territorial dispute in the East China Sea. The next year, China staged a military parade on the 70th anniversary of the end of the war. A decade later, preparations are underway for another grand parade with missiles, tanks and fighter jets overhead. Russian President Vladimir Putin is among those expected to attend.
Japan Today
6 hours ago
- Japan Today
Japan eyes exporting used destroyers to Southeast Asia
Japan is considering the export of used Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers to Southeast Asia, government sources said Wednesday, in an effort to strengthen security ties with countries in the region where key sea lanes are located. Japan has been studying the export of Abukuma-class ships to the Philippines following a June meeting in Singapore where the countries' defense ministers discussed the matter. Tokyo is also looking at Indonesia and Vietnam as possible export destinations, according to the sources. Japan's principles on the overseas transfer of defense equipment and technology restrict the export of lethal weapons under its war-renouncing Constitution. But Japan eased its strict rules on the overseas transfer of defense equipment last year to allow exports of lethal arms only if they are jointly developed or produced with other nations, with an eye on future sales of a next-generation fighter jet being developed with Britain and Italy. If the ship exports proceed, the Japanese government plans to classify the destroyers as "jointly developed" products by making specification changes, the sources said, a move that could spark controversy. According to the Defense Ministry, six Abukuma-class destroyers were commissioned between 1989 and 1993, and all are set to be retired and replaced by new types operable by smaller crews, as the Self-Defense Forces have been struggling with a chronic personnel shortage. In its Defense Buildup Program drawn up in 2022, the government said it will "decommission vessels that have been in service for a considerable amount of years and have limitations in expandability" at an "early date," and consider their transfer to "like-minded countries." Japan agreed with Indonesia at their defense ministers' talks in January to establish a working-level consultation body on maritime security to strengthen cooperation, while also promoting defense exchanges with Vietnam, including the provision of used Japanese material transport vehicles. Japan and the Philippines, both U.S. allies in Asia, have been deepening security cooperation, sharing concerns over China's assertive maritime posture in the East and South China seas. © KYODO
Yomiuri Shimbun
7 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan Eyes Fighter Jets, Missiles for Bolstering Defense of Nansei Islands; Prepares for Possible '27 Taiwan Contingency
The Defense Ministry and the Self-Defense Forces are quickly building up their capability to defend the Nansei Islands as China continues to flex its military muscles with a Taiwan contingency in mind. Plans to deploy state-of-the-art fighter jets and missiles that will be integral to Japan's counterattack capabilities in the region are moving ahead as the nation prepares for a possible conflict between China and Taiwan. During a drill involving the Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter-carrier destroyer Kaga in the western Pacific on Aug. 8, cutting-edge F-35B aircraft from the U.S. and British militaries landed on the vessel's flight deck. This operation was part of defense exchanges conducted as part of a joint exercise involving Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain and Norway. This was the first time for a British F-35B to land on a Japanese ship. The Kaga's flight deck has been modified to enable the ship to operate as a de facto aircraft carrier, and the vessel is expected to be used as a maritime base for F-35Bs. The MSDF 'worked closely with allied' and like-minded countries 'to enhance interoperability and strengthen maritime cooperation,' the MSDF posted on its official X account Tuesday. Air Self-Defense Force F-35Bs were deployed at Nyutabaru Air Base in the town of Shintomi, Miyazaki Prefecture, for the first time on Aug. 7. The ministry's urgent bolstering of defense capabilities for the Nansei Islands comes at a time when China's military is becoming increasingly active in areas near Japan. A belief held by such people as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is that China is aiming for its 'military to be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027.' Two Chinese aircraft carriers deployed into the western Pacific conducted drills in June that apparently simulated intercepting a U.S. carrier strike group that was attempting to intervene in a contingency involving Taiwan. China's military has been conducting exercises that are premised on more realistic combat situations with increasing frequency. The deployment of F-35Bs at the Nyutabaru base, which is located near the Pacific coast, and the Kaga's transformation into an aircraft carrier are intended to reinforce the nation's defense capabilities along that coastline. 'That area had insufficient protection,' a senior ministry official told The Yomiuri Shimbun. Stationing F-35Bs on the Kaga would enable the vessel to offer defensive support to remote islands in the Nansei region. Personnel shortage Progress also is being made in preparing logistics systems for the event of a contingency involving Taiwan and in improving Japan's counterattack capabilities. The ministry on Tuesday completed the transfer of all 17 Osprey transport aircraft that had been provisionally stationed at the Ground Self-Defense Force's Camp Kisarazu in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture, to Camp Saga in Saga Prefecture. An amphibious rapid deployment brigade that would handle the defense or recapture of remote islands has been stationed at the GSDF's Camp Ainoura in nearby Nagasaki Prefecture. This will enable Japanese forces to be more quickly deployed to a front line in that region. The GSDF's Camp Kengun in Kumamoto Prefecture is likely to become the location for the nation's first deployment of modified Type 12 surface-to-ship guided missiles, which will be central to Japan's ability to conduct counterstrikes against enemy missile launch sites and other targets for self-defense. These modified missiles have a range of more than 1,000 kilometers and could reach military port facilities and warships attempting to launch an attack in areas near the Chinese mainland. However, a shortage of recruits is among the many challenges facing the SDF. The designated number of SDF personnel is about 247,000, but the current total stands at only about 220,000. 'There's not enough time to prepare the defense systems needed before 2027 rolls around,' a senior Japanese government official admitted.
