Japan highlights AI’s role in shaping global economies

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 21: Japanese Ambassador to Kuwait Kenichiro Mukai said “artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming economies and societies around the world,” reports Al-Seyassah daily. In his speech at the International Forum on Artificial Intelligence and Digitization with the theme, “Crisis Management, Innovation and the Future of Institutions,” on Wednesday, Mukai indicated that “AI has great potential in any fields such as healthcare, agriculture, education and infrastructure, and its benefits should reach every country and every person. Based on this belief, Japan has placed ‘the co-creation of a safe, secure and trustworthy AI’ ecosystem at the heart of its AI policy. We aim to achieve this together with all nations. We are truly honored that Japanese cars are known and trusted worldwide for their safety and performance. A car functions because it has both an accelerator and brakes. I can say that Japan takes the same approach to AI. The accelerator drives AI innovation and social development. The brakes minimize its risks. Through building AI governance and developing both hard and soft infrastructure, Japan will co-create ‘a safe, secure, and trustworthy AI’ ecosystem, just like Japanese cars.”

He pointed out that “to achieve trustworthy AI, international rulemaking must keep pace with technology. At the G7 Hiroshima Summit in 2023, Japan proposed the ‘Hiroshima AI Process.’ This was the first international norms for generative AI. It was our important first step. Today, we have the Friends Group of about 70 countries and regions, and the Partners Community of about 50 companies and organizations. We are shaping and advancing international norms for trustworthy AI with these groups.” He disclosed that “in March this year, the second Friends Group meeting was held in Japan and the ‘Action Plan 2026’ was adopted. This Japan-led framework allows countries including the Global South to participate in AI rulemaking as equals. Alongside governance, Japan also focuses on forming concrete cooperation projects. We hope that every country actively uses AI as a driver of its own development.” He added “we are working together on infrastructure, AI model development and capacity building. Firstly, AI infrastructure is the foundation of all AI development. For instance, a Japanese company is building and operating data centers in India as Japan provided approximately 177 million US dollars in support for this project. By building such a foundation together, we help each country develop its AI industry autonomously. Also, Japan will support the co-development of a Khmerlanguage LLM together with Cambodia.

Supporting the development of each country’s AI is a sign of our respect for its own language and culture. Furthermore, capacity building is what Japan has put a significance on in its foreign policy, and this is true of AI. We draw on our knowledge and experience from various sectors and fields to invest in people and capacity building. For example, we are expanding an AI and data science training program to Africa developed with Professor Yutaka Matsuo’s laboratory at the University of Tokyo.

We hope that the graduates can go on to join joint research and pilot projects with Japanese companies while turning learning into practice. Japan believes that nurturing AI talent in every country is the key to co-creating a sustainable AI ecosystem.” He went on to reveal that “in May this year, Japan announced the updated ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ — FOIP. It promotes autonomy and resilience so that every country can shape its own future. Japan is convinced that a safe, secure and trustworthy AI ecosystem for them is essential in the age of AI. We envision a future where all countries including the Global South can equally benefit from AI for its own development. Under FOIP, Japan will continue to walk alongside you as a partner in AI pathways for stronger and more prosperous future.”