Does not support the negotiation of a legally binding instrument.
Japan has participated in all Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) meetings on autonomous weapons systems.
Japan does not support the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems. At the 2020 meeting of the CCW Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (GGE on LAWS), Japan said that it was afraid that the negotiation of a legally binding instrument would be ‘premature’.[1]Statement by Japan, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 21 September 2020, http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/CCW-GGE-20200921-PM_mp3.html; please note that this link leads to the full … Continue reading However, at the 2021 UN General Assembly First Committee meeting, Japan stated that it ‘welcomes the ongoing discussion on emerging technologies in the area of LAWS within the CCW framework and will redouble its efforts in developing common understandings on remaining key issues, eventually leading to international rule-making.’[2]Statement by Japan, UN General Assembly First Committee, 11 October 2021, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com21/statements/11Oct_Japan.pdf At the 2020 UN General Assembly First Committee meeting, Japan similarly stated that it would ‘continue its contribution to the international rule-making effort.’[3]Statement by Japan, UN General Assembly First Committee, 15 October 2020, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com20/statements/16Oct_Japan.pdf At the 77th UN General Assembly First Committee meeting in October 2022, Japan reiterated that it would ‘continue to actively contribute to international rule-making.'[4]Statement by Japan, 77th UN General Assembly First Committee, 21 October 2022, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com22/statements/21Oct_Japan.pdf
Japan is involved in the development of weapons systems with autonomous functions.[5]See, for example, SIPRI (2017), Mapping the development of autonomy in weapon systems, … Continue reading
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