Japan
OECD
21%
6/28
AI Gap Index
2/10
Schools
2/8
Workforce
1/6
Governance
1/4
Access
Schools 2/10
D1 AI literacy curriculum exists in schools 1 MEXT issued school guidelines emphasising AI education; Japan's Basic Plan on AI (December 2025) commits to integrating AI education from elementary to postgraduate level, backed by approximately ¥1 trillion over five years from fiscal 2026. [1]
D2 Curriculum is binding law or mandate 0
D3 Ethics component included in curriculum 1 AI Promotion Act Section 14 explicitly requires AI business actors to provide education on 'knowledge, literacy and ethics' of AI — ethics is named alongside literacy as a statutory expectation. [1]
D4 Teacher training mandated and funded before rollout 0
D5 Dedicated funding attached to the requirement 0
Workforce 2/8
D6 Employers legally required to train all employees 1 AI Promotion Act Section 14 creates a statutory expectation that AI business actors educate all staff dealing with AI on knowledge, literacy, and ethics — framed as a responsibility but without penalties for non-compliance. [1]
D7 Training must cover ethics and critical evaluation 1 The Act's education provision explicitly names ethics alongside literacy, and MEXT school guidelines include critical evaluation of AI's societal implications. [1]
D8 Pre-redundancy training obligation exists 0
D9 Workers have rights when AI used in employment decisions 0
Civil Service & Governance 1/6
D10 Civil servants working with AI must receive training 1 The Cabinet Office AI Strategy Council coordinates national AI policy across ministries — an advisory and coordination body rather than an independent regulator with enforcement powers over AI systems. [1]
D11 Minimum training standard is defined 0
D12 Enforcement mechanism exists with named authority 0
Public Access 1/4
D13 Free or publicly funded AI literacy resources available 1 The Basic Plan on AI commits public funds for AI literacy programs targeting the general population, and the AI Promotion Act mandates government action to promote public understanding of AI. [1]
D14 Digital infrastructure support for schools and institutions 0
Subregion map
Coloured regions are scored. Grey = no data yet. Click a region to open its profile.
Regions & states
Subregions inherit supranational obligations from their parent country but may have additional local policy. Scores reflect local policy only.
Region
Schools /10
Workforce /8
Governance /6
Access /4
Total
Tokyo
2
0
0
2
4 14%
Aichi
2
0
0
0
2 7%
Chiba
2
0
0
0
2 7%
Fukuoka
2
0
0
0
2 7%
Hyogo
2
0
0
0
2 7%
Kanagawa
2
0
0
0
2 7%
Osaka
2
0
0
0
2 7%
Saitama
2
0
0
0
2 7%