Japan sees AI as a necessary addition that can improve Japan’s military capabilities, especially in a world where high-tech applications are increasingly vital. However, appropriate checks and balances need to be in place.
In July, Japan released its first policy on using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Defence. This decision came after extensive deliberation within Japan concerning the responsible use of AI and is expected to strengthen the country’s military capabilities, as stated in its 2022 National Security Strategy. Japan’s eagerness to adopt AI is partly a result of the evolving character of warfare, especially in light of the application of AI in ongoing hostilities and conflicts like the Israel-Hamas and Ukraine-Russia wars. Furthermore, the US and China's deployment of AI is another reason for adoption.
Adding AI components to the Japanese military is only a recent trend. This can be traced to the 2022 AI strategy, where AI was explicitly mentioned to strengthen Japanese defences. The slow adoption in Japan is due to the cultural resistance to the use of science and technological advancements in military developments; this stems from the shadows of World War 2, after which the civilian and academic community decided to avoid any prospective collaboration with the military. To overcome this challenge, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) established the Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency (ATLA), which has played a central role in facilitating and funding the adoption of AI projects within the military. The agency was established in 2015 under Shinzo Abe, Japan’s former Prime Minister, with two objectives: streamlining the decision-making process in Japan’s Self Defence Forces (SDF) and acquiring defence equipment. Much progress has already been made in terms of identifying AI-related projects (see Table 1), their funding, and the skilling and training of personnel in the Japanese military. For example, the budget for Defence AI is expected to double in FY24 to JPY 200 billion compared to FY23, which was approximately 1 percent of the total budget. Besides, the government has also paid attention to training people in senior and junior positions for AI-related jobs in Japan’s Maritime and Air SDF. Japan’s Defence Ministry has also announced its plan to start a technology research centre, investing in uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAV) and robotic and autonomous systems for underwater warfare. Apart from national initiatives, Japan is also working with its allies and partners, such as the US, France, India, and Australia on Defence AI.
Table 1: Japan’s Military AI Initiatives
Source: Motohiro Tsuchiya
Japan sees AI as a necessary addition that can seriously improve Japan’s military capabilities, particularly in a complex world where the application of high technology is only expected to grow further. Thus, to stay relevant in the competition between the great powers, it becomes vital not just to stress increasing its defensive capabilities as illustrated in its defence budget but also to invest in the next generation capabilities that will play a critical role in shaping the future of the upcoming wars. Japan has expressed its concerns clearly in the 2022 National Security Strategy (NSS) that highlighted China's AI-Military focus; the NSS highlighted that “China is notably accelerating military capacity development premised on unmanned assets that leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI).”
According to media reports, Japan’s Defence Ministry aims to use AI Applications in seven areas, as shown in Figure 1. to reduce the burden on the SDF and address the challenge emerging from the dwindling demographics. Minoru Kihara, Japanese Defence Minister (DM), stated that “In our country, where the population is rapidly declining and ageing, it is essential to utilize personnel more efficiently than ever before”, and therefore he sees AI’s “potential to be one of the technologies that can overcome these challenges.” The ageing population is a serious national security challenge for East Asian countries like South Korea, Taiwan, and China. Thus, AI integration will help Japan mitigate the risks of a decreasing population directly linked to national security.
Autonomous weapons are one area where AI is expected to integrate in the next few years as the military looks at enhancing its operational effectiveness.
However, to ensure strict adherence to the highest safety standards, the Japanese government also plans to enact legislation mandating that developers involved in AI operations ‘disclose certain information’ to the government due to security concerns. Even military risks emerging from using Chat GPT and other AI models will be thoroughly verified by an organisation to improve “safety without impeding research and development.” Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attended an AI systems study group meeting to discuss the details regarding the regulatory restrictions on Generative AI. Autonomous weapons are one area where AI is expected to integrate in the next few years as the military looks at enhancing its operational effectiveness. However, the Japanese government has “no intention to develop a fully autonomous system”, bypassing human judgment. Thus, we may see limited involvement of AI in all spheres of military decision-making with strict checks and balances, ensuring human presence in all chains of command. Areas that remain sensitive from the security point of view would witness minimal AI integration than others, such as administrative and logistics.
Figure 1: AI application areas
Source: Created by the Author
While steps to enhance Defence AI at the national level are taking place, Japan is also forging new partnerships to explore opportunities guided by its principles on the international stage. Japan’s AI policy is driven by a principled approach grounded in three critical principles: Upholding human-centrism, enhancing awareness and implementing effective risk management, and promoting multi-stakeholder engagement. All these principles align with the collective West and like-minded countries that are concerned with the increasing use of AI in lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS). The main concern stems from China, which has increasingly integrated AI into its military applications. Therefore, we have seen that at every international AI platform, conversing on military and civilian use, like the Political Declaration on Responsible Military Use of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy or Hiroshima AI Process, Japan has supported and led such initiatives, upholding human rights and democratic values.
The nudge to incorporate AI in the military is a welcome initiative, and it shows that Japan is slowly shedding its past hesitation stemming from the Yoshida Doctrine and moving towards “Proactive Pacifism” as espoused by the Former PM Shinzo Abe. However, the success of defence AI in Japan depends on two crucial factors: whether it can quickly normalise the ‘Spin on’ approach, that is, how fast the military adopts civilian technologies for security purposes, and the ability of the military and civilian bureaucracy to navigate the regulatory and security considerations, ensuring ethical and responsible use of AI in military application. Looking at the current pace, this remains a challenge as the industrial giants still hesitate to tarnish their image by collaborating with the AI’s military use. Nonetheless, the movement in the field is encouraging, given Japan’s ability to strengthen its technological and defence partnerships with allies and partners.
Abhishek Sharma is a Research Assistant at the Observer Research Foundation
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Abhishek Sharma is a Research Assistant with ORF’s Strategic Studies Programme. His research focuses on the Indo-Pacific regional security and geopolitical developments with a special ...
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