# Japan

- **Record type**: Jurisdiction profile
- **Short name**: Japan
- **ISO code**: JP
- **Type**: country
- **Region**: Asia / Eastern Asia

## In brief

Japan has 3 recorded AI policy instruments, 1 of them binding and 1 in force. Instruments on record: AI Guidelines for Business (2024, guidance, guidance); Act on Promotion of Research and Development, and Utilization of Artificial Intelligence-related Technology (2025, act, in force); Artificial Intelligence Basic Plan (2025, strategy, adopted).

## Overview

The AI Guidelines for Business consolidate Japan's previous AI R&D, utilisation and governance guidelines into a single non-binding document addressed to AI developers, providers and business users. Japan's first AI-specific statute establishes basic principles and a governmental framework for promoting AI research, development and use. The AI Basic Plan is the national strategy required under Article 18 of the 2025 AI Act.

## Regulatory status

Instruments on record: AI Guidelines for Business (2024, guidance, guidance); Act on Promotion of Research and Development, and Utilization of Artificial Intelligence-related Technology (2025, act, in force); Artificial Intelligence Basic Plan (2025, strategy, adopted). Each is linked to its official source; human verification pending.

## What is binding and what is guidance

Binding: Act on Promotion of Research and Development, and Utilization of Artificial Intelligence-related Technology. Strategy or guidance: AI Guidelines for Business, Artificial Intelligence Basic Plan.

## How to use this profile

- Open the official source on each instrument before relying on any date or obligation.
- Treat strategies and guidance as signals of coming regulation, not as binding requirements.

## Official sources

- AI Guidelines for Business — Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry — https://www.meti.go.jp/shingikai/mono_info_service/ai_shakai_jisso/index.html
- Act on Promotion of Research and Development, and Utilization of Artificial Intelligence-related Technology (Act No. 53 of 2025) — Japanese Law Translation Database (Ministry of Justice) — https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/5066/en
- Artificial Intelligence Basic Plan — Cabinet Office, Government of Japan — https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/ai/ai_plan/ai_plan.html

## Instruments recorded for this jurisdiction (3)

- **AI Guidelines for Business** — Guidance, Guidance, non-binding
  - Record: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/japan-ai-guidelines-for-business
  - Context file: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/japan-ai-guidelines-for-business.md
- **Act on Promotion of Research and Development, and Utilization of Artificial Intelligence-related Technology (Act No. 53 of 2025)** — Act / statute, In force, binding
  - Record: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/japan-act-on-promotion-of-research-and-development-and-utilization-of-artificial-intelligence-related-technolo
  - Context file: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/japan-act-on-promotion-of-research-and-development-and-utilization-of-artificial-intelligence-related-technolo.md
- **Artificial Intelligence Basic Plan** — National strategy, Adopted, non-binding
  - Record: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/japan-artificial-intelligence-basic-plan
  - Context file: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/japan-artificial-intelligence-basic-plan.md

## Provenance

- **Record page**: https://aipolicytracker.org/ai-regulation-japan
- **Official source**: https://www.meti.go.jp/shingikai/mono_info_service/ai_shakai_jisso/index.html
- **Source document**: AI Guidelines for Business
- **Published by**: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
- **Review status**: verified
- **Confidence**: medium
- **Facts last confirmed**: 2026-09-26
- **Confirmed by**: AI Policy Tracker (see https://aipolicytracker.org/reviewers)
- **Retrieved**: 2026-09-27
- **Licence**: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

> This record is a structured summary with a link to the official text. It is not legal advice. Open the official source before relying on any date or duty. How current each record type must be is published at https://aipolicytracker.org/verification; what a record must carry at all is published at https://aipolicytracker.org/coverage.