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▼ Japan Sets Policy Against Fully Autonomous Lethal Weapons
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The Japanese government has recently adopted a policy against the development of fully autonomous lethal weapons, stressing that the use of such arms should never be allowed across the world.
The Foreign Ministry submitted a paper stating Japan's stance on lethal autonomous weapons systems, or LAWS, to the United Nations in May, saying a "human-centric" principle should be maintained and emerging technologies need to be utilized "in a responsible manner," according to a senior ministry official.
"Human involvement is required, as it is humans who can be held accountable" under international humanitarian laws, the ministry said in the paper publicized on its website in June.
Japan believes that currently, there are no assurances that LAWS will be used in compliance with international humanitarian laws, and it "does not intend to develop" such weapons, the ministry added.
Meanwhile, the paper touched on some potential benefits of autonomous arms, such as reducing human error and addressing manpower shortages, at a time when the Japan Self-Defense Forces have been struggling to recruit new members.
Tokyo also defined for the first time LAWS as systems that "once activated, can identify, select and engage targets with lethal force without further intervention by an operator."
Global concerns over the use of autonomous weapons are mounting, and momentum for setting regulations is building, as the deployment of combat drones has become commonplace in conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war and those in the Middle East.
"Artificial intelligence weapons used to be a fictitious topic, but now they have become a reality, and more people are perceiving the need to think about the issue seriously," another Foreign Ministry official said.
After gathering opinions globally, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres is expected to release a report on LAWS this summer, the official said.
In December, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution highlighting "the urgent need for the international community to address the challenges and concerns raised by autonomous weapons systems."
Japan, the United States and 150 other nations voted in favor of the resolution, but Russia, India, Belarus and Mali voted against it, while 11 members, including China, North Korea and Israel, abstained.
The Foreign Ministry submitted a paper stating Japan's stance on lethal autonomous weapons systems, or LAWS, to the United Nations in May, saying a "human-centric" principle should be maintained and emerging technologies need to be utilized "in a responsible manner," according to a senior ministry official.
"Human involvement is required, as it is humans who can be held accountable" under international humanitarian laws, the ministry said in the paper publicized on its website in June.
Japan believes that currently, there are no assurances that LAWS will be used in compliance with international humanitarian laws, and it "does not intend to develop" such weapons, the ministry added.
Meanwhile, the paper touched on some potential benefits of autonomous arms, such as reducing human error and addressing manpower shortages, at a time when the Japan Self-Defense Forces have been struggling to recruit new members.
Tokyo also defined for the first time LAWS as systems that "once activated, can identify, select and engage targets with lethal force without further intervention by an operator."
Global concerns over the use of autonomous weapons are mounting, and momentum for setting regulations is building, as the deployment of combat drones has become commonplace in conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war and those in the Middle East.
"Artificial intelligence weapons used to be a fictitious topic, but now they have become a reality, and more people are perceiving the need to think about the issue seriously," another Foreign Ministry official said.
After gathering opinions globally, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres is expected to release a report on LAWS this summer, the official said.
In December, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution highlighting "the urgent need for the international community to address the challenges and concerns raised by autonomous weapons systems."
Japan, the United States and 150 other nations voted in favor of the resolution, but Russia, India, Belarus and Mali voted against it, while 11 members, including China, North Korea and Israel, abstained.
- 15/7 19:13
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