Japan ruling party seeks AI penalties over deepfakes, piracy
· UPIApril 23 (Asia Today) -- Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is urging the government to consider adding penalties to the country's artificial intelligence law, as concerns grow over deepfakes and copyright infringement tied to generative AI. Japanese media reported the party's AI and Web3 panel prepared recommendations calling for more effective enforcement tools.
The proposal argues that Japan's current law lacks punitive provisions, limiting the government's ability to compel uncooperative operators to respond to reporting or information requests. It specifically calls for the government to study penalties for businesses that ignore such requests and to take a more active approach toward operators that repeatedly generate copyright-infringing content.
The law in question is Japan's Act on Promotion of Research and Development, and Utilization of Artificial Intelligence-related Technology, enacted in 2025. Official materials describe it as a framework for promoting AI development and use while allowing the government to take necessary legislative and other measures, and the statute includes provisions for government investigation and guidance when AI harms people's rights or interests.
The LDP proposal also highlights cases in which overseas generative AI services have produced images or videos resembling Japanese anime and manga characters without authorization. It says operators should be required to explain what safeguards they use to prevent such outputs, how their training data is handled and what corrective steps they have taken.
At the same time, the party said Japan should strengthen its industrial base by supporting domestic AI for self-driving vehicles, expanding local development of robot parts and semiconductors and accelerating deployment through special robotics zones. The goal, it said, is to secure both "AI sovereignty" and industrial competitiveness.
-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260423010007416