Skip to main content
NOPE
In Effect Law AI Safety

Japan AI Act

AI Promotion Act

Creates "duty to make reasonable efforts" (not strict requirements) to follow AI principles. Establishes AI Strategy Center. Largely non-binding, consistent with Japan's "soft law" tradition.

Jurisdiction

Japan

Enacted

May 1, 2025

Effective

Sep 1, 2025

Enforcement

TBD

Enacted May 2025; full effect Sep 2025 (timing varies by source)

Japan Cabinet Office

Why It Matters

Represents "soft law + industrial policy" approach. Influences procurement and norms rather than punishing non-compliance.

Recent Developments

AI Business Guidelines (Version 1.1, March 2025) provide detailed voluntary guidance. Directors should adhere as part of fiduciary duties.

At a Glance

Requires

Transparency

Who Must Comply

  • AI developers and users (voluntary compliance)

Obligations fall on:

Safety Provisions

  • Duty to make reasonable efforts to follow AI principles
  • Establishment of AI Strategy Center
  • Non-binding guidance framework

Compliance & Enforcement

Key Dates

Sep 1, 2025

All provisions take effect

View on map

Japan

Focus Areas

General regulation

Cite This

APA

Japan. (2025). AI Promotion Act.

Related Regulations

In Effect TW

Taiwan AI Act

Comprehensive AI Basic Act (pending) establishes seven guiding principles and risk-based classification. Note: Taiwan already has ENACTED deepfake/election AI provisions via separate laws (Criminal Code 2023, Election Law 2023, Fraud Prevention Act 2024).

In Effect RU

FZ No. 169

Establishes experimental legal regimes for digital innovation and AI, broadening liability for damages during testing and creating tracking mechanisms for AI-related incidents.

Failed AU

AU AI Guardrails

10 mandatory guardrails proposed for high-risk AI: accountability, risk management, data governance, testing, human oversight, transparency, contestability, supply chain transparency, record keeping, conformity assessment.

In Effect JP

Japan Revenge Porn Act

Japan's revenge porn law criminalizing distribution of private sexual images (3 years/¥500,000) but does NOT cover deepfakes - significant legal gap.

In Effect CN

China Minor Content Classification Measures

Establishes a four-category classification framework for online content that may harm minors' physical and mental health. Prohibits platforms from displaying classified harmful content in prominent positions (homepage, pop-ups, trending, recommendations). Requires preventive measures against content risks from algorithmic recommendations and generative AI.

In Effect NZ

NZ Biometric Code

Sets specific legal requirements under Privacy Act for collecting and using biometric data such as facial recognition and fingerprint scans. Prohibits particularly intrusive uses including emotion prediction and inferring protected characteristics like ethnicity or sex.

All regulations Check if this applies to you

Last updated January 23, 2026. Verify against primary sources before relying on this information.