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    AI by country · East Asia

    AI in Japan: the rules, the readiness and where to start

    Last checked: 29 October 2026

    What should a company in Japan know before starting with AI?

    Japan's AI Act of 2025 has been fully in force since 1 September 2025. It promotes AI and has no fines, and businesses are asked to cooperate with government measures. The Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI) governs the data AI uses, and an amendment passed in July 2026 will make AI development using statistics easier once it takes effect. A company should follow the government's AI guidelines, check consent for data sharing and plan for the APPI changes.

    At a glance

    Japan at a glance

    Key facts about Japan
    Data protection lawAct on the Protection of Personal Information (Act No. 57 of 2003), in force; 2026 amendment passed, mostly not yet in force
    RegulatorPersonal Information Protection Commission (PPC)
    AI policyAI Act (Act No. 53 of 2025), in force since 1 September 2025; second AI Basic Plan (July 2026)
    Time zoneJST, UTC+9 (India is 3.5 hours behind)
    CurrencyJPY (Japanese yen)
    Business languageJapanese

    Why now

    Why Japan is worth watching

    Each point links to the document it comes from.

    • The AI Act was enacted on 28 May 2025, partly took effect on 4 June 2025 and took full effect on 1 September 2025.[7]

    • The Cabinet adopted Japan's first AI Basic Plan on 23 December 2025 and a second plan on 14 July 2026.[2]

    • The second plan says the gap between Japan and other growing countries in AI use and private investment had widened by 2025.[2]

    • The AI Strategic Headquarters adopted guidelines on ensuring appropriateness in AI research, development and use on 19 December 2025.[3]

    • The Diet passed an amendment to the APPI on 10 July 2026, and it was promulgated on 17 July 2026.[5]

    The rules

    The rules that matter for AI

    What each law or policy means when you build or buy an AI system.

    Act on Promotion of Research and Development, and Utilization of AI-related Technology (AI Act, Act No. 53 of 2025)

    In force2025The Act sets up an AI Strategic Headquarters led by the Prime Minister and an AI Basic Plan. Business operators must endeavour to cooperate with government measures. The government can collect information, investigate cases where rights are infringed, and give guidance, advice and public announcements. It sets no monetary penalties.[1]

    Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI)

    In force2003A business must tell people the purpose of use or publish it (article 21). Giving personal data to a third party generally needs prior consent (article 27). Sending it to a third party abroad needs consent unless the recipient has a system meeting PPC standards or the country is designated as equivalent (article 28). Certain leaks must be reported to the PPC and the people affected told (article 26).[4]

    Act to Partially Amend the Act on the Protection of Personal Information and Other Related Acts (Act No. 56 of 2026)

    Passed, not yet in force2026Consent will not be needed to share personal data, or to collect published sensitive data, when it is used only to create statistical information, including AI development that counts as statistics. Conditions include public notice and a written agreement between the parties. For under-16s, consent and notices go to the legal representative. Administrative surcharges are added for some breaches. Most of it takes effect within two years of 17 July 2026.[6]

    Where AI fits first

    Where AI fits first

    Manufacturing and robotics

    Quality inspection from images and maintenance planning.

    The second AI Basic Plan names vertical AI and physical AI, especially AI robots, as Japan's main strategy.[2]

    Finance and insurance

    Document review and drafting answers to customer questions in Japanese.

    Sharing customer data with an AI vendor abroad needs consent or a qualifying system under article 28 of the APPI.[4]

    Healthcare and research

    Analysing pooled data to build models.

    Once in force, the 2026 amendment will allow data sharing without consent for statistics, including some AI development, under strict conditions.[6]

    Content and media

    Generated images and text for marketing.

    The second plan notes cases that may involve infringement of portrait rights, unauthorised use of voice recordings and copyright.[2]

    Your first steps

    Your first steps

    1. Read the AI guidelines of December 2025 and the METI and MIC AI Guidelines for Business, and choose the parts that fit your role.
    2. Publish the purpose of use for personal data your AI handles, as article 21 of the APPI requires.
    3. Check consent before sharing personal data with an AI vendor, and check article 28 if the vendor is abroad.
    4. Set up a leak response process that can report to the PPC and tell affected people.
    5. Tell users when they deal with AI and give them information to use it properly, as the AI guidelines ask.
    6. Follow the PPC's cabinet orders and rules for the 2026 amendment, and plan for surcharges and the new rules for under-16s.

    AI services for Japan

    AI consulting and development for teams in Japan

    We work remotely with companies in Japan, in your time zone, and keep your data under the rules described above.

    AI agents and automation

    Agents that finish multi-step work across your tools, with people approving what matters.
    Learn more

    Document Q&A (RAG)

    Answers from your own documents, with the source shown for every answer.
    Learn more

    AI governance and data protection

    Policies, review steps and audit trails that fit your local data law.
    Learn more

    Software and cloud engineering

    Web apps, integrations and cloud platforms built around your AI use case.
    Learn more

    How we work with you

    How we work with you

    We work remotely with clients worldwide, in the client's time zone. Japan is on UTC+9 and India on UTC+5:30, a 3.5 hour gap. Taking a 9:00 to 18:00 day in Japan and 9:30 to 18:30 in India, the overlap is about 5 hours, from 13:00 to 18:00 Japan time.

    Questions

    Common questions about AI in Japan

    Does Japan have an AI law?

    Yes. The AI Act (Act No. 53 of 2025) has been fully in force since 1 September 2025. It promotes AI and sets no fines, but the government can investigate rights infringements and give guidance or make public announcements.

    Can I use customer data to train an AI model?

    Today, sharing personal data with a third party usually needs consent under the APPI. The 2026 amendment will allow sharing without consent for statistics, including some AI development, once it takes effect, subject to conditions such as public notice and a written agreement.

    When does the 2026 APPI amendment take effect?

    It was promulgated on 17 July 2026, and most of it takes effect on a date set by cabinet order within two years. As of 29 October 2026 the PPC was still preparing the orders, rules and guidelines.

    Are the AI guidelines binding?

    No. The December 2025 guidelines ask businesses and citizens to act voluntarily, with transparency and human decisions on how AI is used.

    Complimentary tools

    Try these first

    Three complimentary tools from our AI Toolkit that suit a team starting out.

    AI readiness score

    Answer a few questions and see where your team stands, in about five minutes.
    Open the tool

    AI use case triage

    Test an idea against data, risk and effort before you spend on it.
    Open the tool

    AI project cost estimator

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    Open the tool

    Read next

    Sources

    Sources

    Facts checked on 29 October 2026. Numbers in square brackets above match this list.
    1. [1] Cabinet Office, 2025-09-01. Act on Promotion of Research and Development, and Utilization of AI-rel…(www8.cao.go.jp)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Act on Promotion of Research and Development, and Utilization of AI-related Technology (AI Act). Primary. Used for the dates of promulgation and full enforcement and for links to the law text.

    2. [2] Cabinet Office, 2026-07-14. Japan's Second Artificial Intelligence Basic Plan (provisional translat…(www8.cao.go.jp)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Japan's Second Artificial Intelligence Basic Plan (provisional translation). Primary. Read in full text. Used for the plan dates, the widening gap in AI use, vertical and physical AI, rights issues and Act No. 56 of 2026.

    3. [3] Cabinet Office, 2025-12-19. Guidelines on Ensuring Appropriateness in Research and Development, and…(www8.cao.go.jp)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Guidelines on Ensuring Appropriateness in Research and Development, and Utilization of AI-related Technology (provisional translation). Primary. Used for the voluntary nature of the guidelines, human-centricity and transparency to users.

    4. [4] Ministry of Justice, Japanese Law Translation, 2021-05-19. Act on the Protection of Personal Information (Act No. 57 of 2003)(japaneselawtranslation.go.jp)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Act on the Protection of Personal Information (Act No. 57 of 2003). Official reference translation (version as amended by Act No. 37 of 2021). Used for articles 21, 26, 27 and 28. Only the Japanese text has legal effect.

    5. [5] Personal Information Protection Commission, 2026-07-17. 2026 amendment to the Act on the Protection of Personal Information(ppc.go.jp)
      Full title and what we used it for

      2026 amendment to the Act on the Protection of Personal Information. Primary (Japanese). Used for submission, enactment and promulgation dates and the PPC's follow-up work to 14 October 2026.

    6. [6] Personal Information Protection Commission Secretariat, 2026-07-17. On the act partially amending the Act on the Protection of Personal Inf…(ppc.go.jp)
      Full title and what we used it for

      On the act partially amending the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (overview). Primary (Japanese). Used for the statistics exception including AI development, under-16 rules, breach notice changes, surcharges and the two-year start window.

    7. [7] Cabinet Office, 2025-09-01. Outline of the AI Act (provisional translation)(www8.cao.go.jp)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Outline of the AI Act (provisional translation). Primary. Used for the enactment date of 28 May 2025, the business duty to endeavour to cooperate and the government's powers.

    This is general information, not legal advice. Several documents we used are provisional English translations, and only the Japanese texts have legal effect. The start dates of the 2026 APPI amendment were not yet fixed when we checked. Check with a qualified Japanese lawyer before you act. Facts checked on 29 October 2026.

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