Parliament on Wednesday enacted a bill to establish a new law that will promote the development of artificial intelligence while addressing risks associated with the technology. The bill cleared the House of Councilors, the upper chamber, by a majority vote with support from the Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling bloc and opposition parties including the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Nippon Ishin no Kai. The measure had been adopted by the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, in April. To address mounting concerns over the spread of false and erroneous information generated by AI tools, the new law includes a provision to allow the government to disclose the names of malicious businesses in the event of crime using AI. If a serious incident that infringes on citizens' rights and interests occurs, the government will conduct investigations, advise and instruct related business operators, provide information to the public and take other necessary actions.

The Diet passed into law Tuesday a bill allowing drivers to use their smartphones while their cars are traveling autonomously under certain circumstances and if they are able to shift to manual driving immediately during an emergency. The bill to amend the road traffic law, which includes rules on so-called Level 3 self-driving of vehicles under certain circumstances, passed the House of Representatives. The amended law will come into effect by May next year. In Level 3 situations, automated driving is permitted under conditions that have to do with the type of road, the vehicle speed and other factors. A Level 3 situation includes a traffic jam on an expressway.

The Diet passed into law Tuesday a bill allowing drivers to use their smartphones while their cars are traveling autonomously under certain circumstances and if they are able to shift to manual driving immediately during an emergency. The bill to amend the road traffic law, which includes rules on the Level 3 self-driving of vehicles under certain circumstances, passed the House of Representatives. The amended law will come into effect by May next year. In Level 3 situations, automated driving is permitted under conditions that have to do with the type of road, the vehicle speed and other factors. A Level 3 situation includes a traffic jam on an expressway.