Call for Public Comments on “AI Governance in Japan Ver. 1.0 (Interim Report by Expert Group on Architecture for AI Principles to be Practiced) Opens

1. Background

In 2019, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and G20 member countries respectively agreed on their AI principles in order to realize the development and utilization of human-centric AI. In line with this, Japan decided the Social Principles of Human-centric AI. Based on these principles, there has been discussion around the world on AI governance, or how systems comprised of AI as one facet, but including AI services that make the systems available, other related services, and developers, users and service providers, should be governed. In the context mentioned above, Japan inserted an agenda item for discussions on ideal approaches to AI governance to operationalize social principles of AI into the follow-ups of the AI Strategy 2019 and the Integrated Innovation Strategy 2020, while the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (or Global Partnership on AI: GPAI), an international initiative inaugurated in June 2020, started discussions toward implementation of the OECD AI principles.

In light of these actions mentioned above, METI has been holding meetings of the Expert Group on Architecture for AI Principles to be Practiced since June 2020, bringing together users, engineers, experts in AI utilization from companies, and academic, legal and auditing professionals. At the meetings, the expert group discusses ideal approaches to AI governance in order to facilitate public implementation of AI from the viewpoint of corporate management and operation.

Against this backdrop, the expert group compiled the discussion results into a report titled “AI Governance in Japan Ver. 1.0 (Interim Report by Expert Group on Architecture for AI Principles to be Practiced)”.

In response, METI opened a call for public comments on this report. As the subjects shown in the report are common challenges seen across the world and many parts of the subjects require international cooperation, METI wishes to receive wide-ranging, frank opinions not just from those in Japan but overseas as well.

2. Details of the call

For details of the call, visit e-Gov, an official portal website of the government of Japan, or see the submission guidance on the call shown in the related materials below.

• e-Gov site (in Japanese)

3. Documents for the call

1. Japanese version
   For accessing the report in Japanese, visit the website above or see the Japanese language press release. 

2. English version
   For accessing the report in English, see the related material (Appendix 2) “AI Governance in Japan Ver. 1.0 (Interim Report).”

4. Period of the call

From January 15 to February 13, 2021

5. Related materials

• Appendix 1: Submission guidance on the call (PDF:232KB)
• Appendix 2: AI Governance in Japan Ver. 1.0 (Interim Report) (PDF:1,673KB)
• Appendix 3: Summary of AI Governance in Japan ver. 1.0 (Interim Report) (PDF:432KB)

Division in Charge

Information Economy Division, Commerce and Information Policy Bureau