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Paper short abstract

This study analyzes four recent METI reports (2019–2025) to show how Japan's concept of agile governance is shaped by four distinct sociotechnical imaginaries. Global ideas regarding AI governance are adapted to emphasize flexibility, collaboration, and competitiveness in pursuit of Society 5.0.

Paper long abstract

This paper analyzes Japan’s transition to agile governance through an in-depth examination of the policy discourse surrounding the formulation of Japan’s AI Law. Grounded in the concept of sociotechnical imaginaries, the study explores how shared visions of technology, society, and governance co-evolve within Japan’s consensus-oriented political economy. Empirically, the analysis focuses on four editions of the “Advisory Council for a New Governance Model for Society 5.0” reports published between 2019 and 2025 under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). These reports serve as key coordination devices linking governmental, industrial, and expert perspectives on emerging technologies.

Using qualitative content analysis, the paper identifies four dominant imaginaries underpinning Japan’s approach to agile governance: human-centric innovation aligned with Society 5.0, risk-responsive and adaptive regulation, collaborative public–private governance, and alignment with international regulatory norms. The study traces how these imaginaries evolve over time in response to rapid advances in artificial intelligence as well as heightened global regulatory activity, most notably the European Union’s AI Act.

The findings demonstrate that while Japan draws heavily on globally circulating narratives emphasizing trustworthy and accountable AI, these ideas are selectively reframed to prioritize regulatory flexibility, policy experimentation, and industrial competitiveness. This reframing reflects Japan’s broader strategic objective of balancing innovation promotion with risk management without resorting to rigid, ex ante legal constraints. The paper further highlights both synergies and tensions among the four imaginaries, showing how their interaction enables a multi-dimensional governance strategy while also generating unresolved trade-offs between legal certainty, adaptability, and international harmonization.

Overall, the study argues that the METI reports play a performative role in institutionalizing agile governance by mobilizing stakeholders, shaping expectations, and legitimizing incremental regulatory approaches. In doing so, they embed Japan’s AI Law within the broader national project of realizing Society 5.0.

Keywords: agile governance; AI regulation; sociotechnical imaginaries; Japan’s AI Law; Society 5.0; METI; public–private collaboration; comparative AI governance.