Japan’s Act on the Promotion of Research and Development and the Utilization of AI-Related Technologies entered into force on 4 June 2025, following parliamentary approval on 28 May 2025. The Act is described as “innovation-first” — it does not impose strict compliance obligations in the manner of the EU AI Act, but it does create legal expectations for AI business actors. Section 14 of the Act requires each AI business actor to provide persons engaged in its business with education regarding knowledge, literacy and ethics concerning the use of AI in a socially correct manner. It further commits the national government to investing in educational programs to nurture a skilled AI workforce and to promoting public understanding of AI. The Act established the Cabinet Office AI Strategy Council as the coordinating body for national AI policy, and named the government as responsible for collecting data on rights infringements from AI misuse. A related Basic Plan on AI was adopted on 23 December 2025, announcing a five-year public support package of approximately ¥1 trillion (US$6.34 billion) beginning in fiscal 2026, including education investments from elementary school to postgraduate level.
Who it affects: AI business actors (developers, deployers, and providers of AI systems) are expected to provide AI literacy and ethics training to their staff — but the obligation is framed as an expectation and best practice standard rather than an enforceable legal duty with penalties. The general public is a target of government-funded AI literacy programs under the Act.
What is notably missing: The AI Promotion Act takes a soft regulatory approach — there are no penalties for failure to provide workforce AI training, and no minimum standard is defined for what constitutes adequate AI literacy. The Act does not require schools to deliver AI curriculum by law, nor does it mandate employer training with legal consequences. The government’s education commitments in the ¥1 trillion Basic Plan are fiscal investments rather than legal obligations on schools or employers.