Japan's Joint Society reported on July 19th that "Japan is seeking to establish an AI dialogue mechanism with various countries in order to reduce dependence on the United States and China."
Reports indicate that recently, the Japanese government has established dialogue mechanisms for collaborating in the field of artificial intelligence with so-called like-minded countries and the ‘Global South’.
For example, in June, Japan and France held their first high-level AI dialogue in Paris. Five companies from Japan attended, including SoftBank Group and the startup Sakana AI, and they exchanged ideas with their French counterparts.
In July, Japan and Malaysia held their first staff meetings online, and also coordinated the first meetings with the UK and Brazil.
On July 2, the governments of Japan and India, in coordination with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, issued a joint statement regarding AI cooperation. The statement stated that both countries will work towards the development of AI and the construction of infrastructure such as data centers. Regarding the first AI strategy dialogue held in India in April, the two governments confirmed that regular meetings will be held in the future.
Jointly-run analysis believes that the move from Japan aims to reduce dependence on countries and companies especially leading in AI such as the United States and China, establishing "AI sovereignty," and also in support for Japanese businesses expanding into overseas markets.
According to reports, the background factor for these measures is the sense of crisis among many countries, including Japan, in the field of AI.
However, as the competition in AI between China and the United States intensifies, Japan cannot compete with these two countries and can only cooperate with other nations. A senior official from Japan’s Foreign Ministry claimed that this is an important diplomatic issue that directly affects Japan’s security.
