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Paper short abstract

As global AI governance fragments along geopolitical lines, Japan pursues a hybrid strategy combining regulation, innovation, and alliance-building. This paper analyses how Japan positions itself between competing AI governance models to influence emerging global AI architectures.

Paper long abstract

Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance is increasingly shaped by geopolitical competition. While early international AI summits emphasised global coordination and safety, recent developments—most notably the 2025 Paris AI Summit—have revealed deep disagreements over AI governance models. Human-rights-centred regulation promoted by the European Union, innovation-driven and security-focused approaches led by the United States, and state-centric models advanced by China are fragmenting the global AI governance landscape. These debates are unfolding amid rapid technological advances and strong investment interests, as numerous countries develop and implement their own AI strategies.

Against this backdrop, this paper examines how Japan seeks to influence emerging global AI governance architectures as an intermediary actor. It argues that Japan is pursuing a hybrid AI governance model that selectively combines European-style regulatory principles with elements of the US-led innovation ecosystem in order to maintain technological competitiveness while addressing ethical and social concerns, often framed as “human-centered AI”. This shift reflects Japan’s growing awareness of AI-specific risks, regulatory uncertainty under recent US policy changes, and intensifying competition over AI standards, infrastructure, and supply chains.

The paper analyses Japan’s recent AI strategies and technological competitiveness. Technological case studies—such as the establishment of SB OpenAI Japan and Japan’s participation in major international AI infrastructure projects—illustrate how Japan seeks to combine technological sovereignty with deep integration into global innovation networks.

Situating Japan within broader global dynamics, the paper also considers outcomes from the India AI Impact Summit, to be held in mid-February 2026, and assesses the global alliances Japan is forming, particularly with countries in Europe, Asia, and the Global South. Drawing on empirical findings from GIGA’s Digital Transformation Lab (DigiTraL), the paper evaluates Japan’s strategies, standards, and governance practices in an increasingly fragmented AI ecosystem.