Using AI in Defense Capability

The Ministry of Defense released the basic plan for promoting use of artificial intelligence (AI) in various area of defense capability. The plan listed up seven categories to take advantage of AI, including search and recognition of target. While the plan aims at dealing with current improvement of military technology in foreign countries such as the United States or China, it is likely that the use of AI will invite another discussion over compliance of the Article 9 of the Constitution.

National Defense Strategy 2022 raised two ways to take advantage of AI to enhance defense capability. One was “unmanned defense capabilities” which can minimize human loss and enable long-time use, and another was “command and control/intelligence-related function” including information gathering and analysis by building networks with real-time responsiveness, resiliency and flexibility.

 

The MOD, following NDS 2022, discussed use of AI to deal with new type of battlefields and affective use of human resource in the time of low birth rate. The purposes of the plan are to integrate various measures on new technology, make a common ground for using data and human resource, achieve public understanding on defense policy, and build cooperative relationship with business or academic sectors.

 

The seven categories raised in the plan are: search and distinction of target with analysis of pictures from radar or satellite, collection and analysis of information in internet and radio waves, command and control to make decision on collected information, logistic support for supplies and repairment, unmanned defense capabilities, cyber security, and efficiency for office works.

 

Securing human resource is another important point. To educate experts for special cyber unit, the Ground Self-defense Force will establish new category of recruitment specialized in cyber issues in FY 2025. The government of Japan is going to secure twenty thousand experts in charge of cyber technology by FY 2027, including four thousand members in the cyber special unit in self-defense force.

 

Since the Constitution of Japan renounces war as means of settling international disputes, the plan denies the possibility of developing completely independent lethal weapons, concerning international discussion for prohibiting AI weapons in battlefields.

 

Japan’s security measures have been based on the exclusively defensive policy. It is likely that the discussion for introducing AI in defense policy will be focused on how to cope with the principle of Article 9 of the Constitution.

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