(Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only)
I would like to speak about the formulation of the Ministry of Defense (MOD) Basic Policy on Promoting the Utilization of AI, and the MOD Cyber Workforce Comprehensive Strategy. Today, the MOD announced that it formulated the two documents for the first time, the Basic Policy on Promoting the Utilization of AI and the Cyber Workforce Comprehensive Strategy, to serve as guidelines for promoting the use of AI as well as securing and developing cyber human resources. In recent years, new ways of warfare have emerged, such as asymmetric attacks using the cyber domain, and the application of AI in technologies that support commanders in their decision-making.
The ability to respond to such new ways of warfare poses a major challenge in building Japan’s future defense capability. Furthermore, with the rapidly declining population, declining birthrates/aging population in Japan, it is vital to harness digital technologies and efficiently utilize human resources more than ever before. We believe that AI and cyber technologies have the potential to overcome such challenges, and that there is great significance in comprehensively presenting the MOD’s stance through the recently formulated documents. Going forward, we intend to make use of these documents to proactively disseminate the MOD’s stance on AI and cyber technologies, and to deepen our cooperative relationship with those who are active in the private sector and the relevant organizations of other countries.