Statement by H.E. Mr. AKAHORI Takeshi, Senior Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, at the High-level multi-stakeholder informal meeting to launch the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance

Her Excellency, Ms. Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly,

His Excellency, Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations,

Distinguished guests,

It is a great pleasure for me to participate in today’s meeting on behalf of the Government of Japan.

Japan proactively and constructively engaged in the discussions on the UNGA resolution on the Panel and Global Dialogue on AI.

AI offers tremendous opportunities to benefit humanity. At the same time, AI presents risks such as widening inequalities and accelerating the spread of misinformation. To fully realize the opportunities AI provides, it is essential to mitigate these risks and build a governance framework that ensures safe, secure, and trustworthy AI.

With this in mind, Japan is committed to promoting international cooperation to achieve the objective of “maximizing AI’s benefits while mitigating its risks.” Accordingly, Japan launched the Hiroshima AI Process in 2023, and has led international efforts to formulate the International Guiding Principles and the International Codes of Conduct for Advanced AI Systems. Building on these efforts, Japan intends to contribute proactively to international cooperation at the UN under the concept of human security. 
 
In this connection, it is essential to involve all relevant stakeholders, and to work in close collaboration with all countries.

From this perspective, today’s meeting, which includes the participation of multi-stakeholders in an open UN forum, is very meaningful for Japan.

Furthermore, Japan is dedicated to supporting the development of an inclusive AI ecosystem and governance framework, in particular by strengthening the capacities of countries in the Global South. For example, Japan provides training to government officials leveraging the Hiroshima AI Process and AI talent development program. In addition, at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) held this year, Japan announced a policy to provide capacity building support for 30,000 AI professionals in Africa. 

In closing, Japan reaffirms its intention to actively participate in the Global Dialogue, and thereby contribute to the advancement of international cooperation on AI.