Speaking anecdotally based on my conversations with SO who is a native Japanese speaker and very glued into internet culture. She’s more liberal than most though.
It’s not entirely true that AI is more popular in Japan. In fact, many creatives feel that the practice is in violation of Japan’s much more strict copyright policies (compared to the US) and are seeking government action (which, so far, they are waffling back and forward on based on the week to week dynamics with the US. Weeks where the US footguns itself, they humor it again.) So in some respects, AI is a direct threat to the only power that modern Japan has in the global economy: soft power and intellectual property. They aren’t the same Japan as the 80s, even cars aren’t doing as well as they used to.
That being said, Japanese cultural dynamics are such that people are much more willing to “put up” with things instead of resistance. This creates the appearance of what people think is complete acceptance, but it’s generally more complicated than that socially speaking. It’s more a complacency to fall in line with how their employers or how their government feels about AI.
Government action toward AI is basically inexistent in most parts of the world right now, but I understand that a big part of this is US capitulation since the entire US economy is propped up by AI hype. Japan, much like Europe in the Ukraine situation, is unfortunately very dependent on the United States now for Oil due to the Strait of Hormuz closure and are not yet willing to do provocative action against US companies who are in definite blatant infringement of Japanese copyright laws. This has ruffled feathers of some activist politicians, but unfortunately Japan is very much losing it’s own battle to the far right atm due to xenophobic spread of misinformation from AI generated anti foreigner rhetoric.
That’s my understanding of the situation. And again, this is second hand and purely anecdotal discussion, but I think it’s a bit more complicated than acceptance of generative AI and more a commentary on how acceptance works in Japan in the first place.
It’s not entirely true that AI is more popular in Japan.
This doesn’t really match my experience living here. Everywhere seems to be using it and I’ve not seen any major pushback. Signs in train stations, city/municipal offices, and much more. It’s replacing translators at tons of companies (including mine) even though it is less accurate than human translators. The dev jobs are all starting to require AI use and even AI agent experience; not as much as I see in other countries, but it’s increasing. People talk about asking AI for all kinds of things when I’m out in the world.
Japan has a worker shortage. This is seen by many, along with robotics, as filling positions that need filling (or at least allowing people to devote more time to them if their other duties take less time now with AI). A large amount of xenophobic to outright racist people are also pleased by this; some on the right see this as a benefit because they think they don’t need those pesky foreign workers anymore.
It’s wild to me with how extreme Japan has been with copyright in the past they’d be so passive with the wholesale stealing of entire industries historical output for repackaging and selling by others. It’d be like if companies set up shop in Japan to sell a service where you could download multi-tb files of roms, books, managa, art, etc.
because at the end of the day, Japan, like most fascist countries, is only interested in market dominance, not creativity, arts, and fulfillment. Games grant them subsidized soft power internationally. And if that soft power is ever gone, they’ll go back to imperialism.
Speaking anecdotally based on my conversations with SO who is a native Japanese speaker and very glued into internet culture. She’s more liberal than most though.
It’s not entirely true that AI is more popular in Japan. In fact, many creatives feel that the practice is in violation of Japan’s much more strict copyright policies (compared to the US) and are seeking government action (which, so far, they are waffling back and forward on based on the week to week dynamics with the US. Weeks where the US footguns itself, they humor it again.) So in some respects, AI is a direct threat to the only power that modern Japan has in the global economy: soft power and intellectual property. They aren’t the same Japan as the 80s, even cars aren’t doing as well as they used to.
That being said, Japanese cultural dynamics are such that people are much more willing to “put up” with things instead of resistance. This creates the appearance of what people think is complete acceptance, but it’s generally more complicated than that socially speaking. It’s more a complacency to fall in line with how their employers or how their government feels about AI.
Government action toward AI is basically inexistent in most parts of the world right now, but I understand that a big part of this is US capitulation since the entire US economy is propped up by AI hype. Japan, much like Europe in the Ukraine situation, is unfortunately very dependent on the United States now for Oil due to the Strait of Hormuz closure and are not yet willing to do provocative action against US companies who are in definite blatant infringement of Japanese copyright laws. This has ruffled feathers of some activist politicians, but unfortunately Japan is very much losing it’s own battle to the far right atm due to xenophobic spread of misinformation from AI generated anti foreigner rhetoric.
That’s my understanding of the situation. And again, this is second hand and purely anecdotal discussion, but I think it’s a bit more complicated than acceptance of generative AI and more a commentary on how acceptance works in Japan in the first place.
This doesn’t really match my experience living here. Everywhere seems to be using it and I’ve not seen any major pushback. Signs in train stations, city/municipal offices, and much more. It’s replacing translators at tons of companies (including mine) even though it is less accurate than human translators. The dev jobs are all starting to require AI use and even AI agent experience; not as much as I see in other countries, but it’s increasing. People talk about asking AI for all kinds of things when I’m out in the world.
Japan has a worker shortage. This is seen by many, along with robotics, as filling positions that need filling (or at least allowing people to devote more time to them if their other duties take less time now with AI). A large amount of xenophobic to outright racist people are also pleased by this; some on the right see this as a benefit because they think they don’t need those pesky foreign workers anymore.
I appreciate the write up!
It’s wild to me with how extreme Japan has been with copyright in the past they’d be so passive with the wholesale stealing of entire industries historical output for repackaging and selling by others. It’d be like if companies set up shop in Japan to sell a service where you could download multi-tb files of roms, books, managa, art, etc.
because at the end of the day, Japan, like most fascist countries, is only interested in market dominance, not creativity, arts, and fulfillment. Games grant them subsidized soft power internationally. And if that soft power is ever gone, they’ll go back to imperialism.