News On Japan

AI Art Wars: Japan Says AI Model Training Doesn’t Violate Copyright

Jun 06 (decrypt.co) - In a move that could ripple across both art and AI communities worldwide, Japan has declared that using datasets for training AI models doesn't violate copyright law.

This decision means that model trainers can gather publicly available data without having to license or secure permission from the data owners.

"We asked questions about generative AI from two perspectives: copyright protection and utilization in educational settings," said Takashi Kii, a member of the House of Representatives for the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, during a meeting of Japan’s Financial Oversight Committee. “In Japan, works for information analysis can be used regardless of the method, whether for non-profit purposes, for profit, for acts other than reproduction, or for content obtained from illegal sites."

Kii acknowledged that "the fact that it can be used even when it is against the will of the copyright holder is problematic from the viewpoint of rights protection," suggesting a need for "new regulations to protect copyright holders." ...continue reading

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As of November 4th, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced that a tropical depression near the Caroline Islands is expected to develop into a typhoon within the next 24 hours. The system is separate from Typhoon No. 25 (Haiyan) currently near the Philippines and is projected to move northwestward once it intensifies.

China’s Foreign Ministry announced that it will extend visa-free entry for Japan, France, and 43 other countries until the end of December 2026, as the government seeks to attract more overseas investment and tourists amid a prolonged economic slowdown.

Japan’s record-breaking bear crisis has entered a new and deadly phase, with authorities confirming that a 79-year-old woman missing in Akita Prefecture was found dead in the mountains, believed to be the 13th fatality from bear attacks this year.

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