What they are
The AI Guidelines for Business are Japan’s main voluntary rulebook for companies that build, provide, or use AI. They are issued jointly by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and they are non-binding: they do not impose new legal duties across the board.
They address three actors, AI developers, AI providers, and AI users, under nine shared principles, with a checklist and worksheet (Appendix 7) to put them into practice.
| Version | Published |
|---|---|
| 1.0 | 19 Apr 2024 |
| 1.1 | 28 Mar 2025 |
| 1.2 | 31 Mar 2026 |
What changed in version 1.2
- New sections on AI agents and physical AI, with definitions, benefits, and risks, and a travel-booking agent as a worked example.
- Updated risks: attacks that disable safety controls, privacy risks from multimodal AI and camera or voice recognition, and over-reliance including automation bias.
- Clearer role allocation: fine-tuning sits with developers; for alignment, model adjustment sits with developers while guardrails and prompt design sit with providers.
- RAG is classed as inference, not training, and is mainly the provider’s role. This matters for anyone mapping duties in a RAG product.
- Alignment with the AI Promotion Act and with the Hiroshima Process International Guiding Principles “for all AI actors”.
The METI page also offers redlines against v1.1, a draft practical handbook, a chatbot, and Appendix 9 listing overseas guidelines.
Where to find it
The METI report page for 31 Mar 2026 holds the main text, appendix, outlines, checklist, and redlines. Tentative English translations of the v1.2 main text, appendix, and outlines are available on the same page.
Reuse terms
METI content can be used under terms based on PDL1.0: cite the source (“Source: METI website, URL”), state any edits, and do not present edited material as if the government made it. Logos are excluded, and third-party content needs the rights holder’s permission. Commercial use is allowed under PDL1.0, which is compatible with CC BY 4.0.
Using the guidelines in AI and RAG
- Index v1.2 as current and archive v1.1 and v1.0 with their dates.
- Tag by actor (developer, provider, user) so answers return the duties for the right role.
- Treat RAG features under the provider role, consistent with v1.2.
- Keep the checklist (Appendix 7) as a separate collection for gap checks.
- Label English text as a tentative translation; the Japanese text governs.
- Add METI attribution and an edit note to outputs.
Common mistakes
- Treating the guidelines as binding law.
- Using v1.1 text that lacks the agent and physical AI sections.
- Classing RAG as training when mapping responsibilities.
- Reusing appendix case studies that contain third-party material without checking.
Checklist
- v1.2 indexed, earlier versions archived
- Actor tags applied
- RAG duties mapped to the provider role
- Appendix 7 checklist stored separately
- Translation and attribution labels in outputs
How AskDona helps
AskDona checks your AI policies and product documentation against the v1.2 checklist and shows, for each item, whether your documents address it and where.
Run a sample AI Guidelines for Business gap check
AskDona shows the evidence; your AI governance team decides.
Editor’s note. This article is general information, not legal advice. Details of the v1.2 changes are summarized from secondary analyses (PwC, TravelVoice) and the METI materials list. The “conditions to check” rating is our first-pass judgment.
FAQ
Are Japan’s AI Guidelines for Business mandatory? No. They are voluntary and non-binding.
What is new in version 1.2? AI agents and physical AI, updated risks, clearer role allocation, and RAG classed as inference.
Is there an English version? Yes, a tentative translation of the main text, appendix, and outlines.
Can I use the text in a commercial AI tool? Generally yes under PDL1.0-based terms, with attribution and edit notes; check third-party content.
References
All pages opened and checked by October 26, 2026.
| Source | What it supports |
|---|---|
| METI: AI Guidelines for Business v1.2 materials | Materials, English translations, last updated 1 Apr 2026 |
| TravelVoice: v1.2 published (31 Mar 2026) | Publication, three actors, nine principles, agents |
| PwC Japan: AI Guidelines for Business v1.2 | Detailed changes, RAG as inference, non-binding |
| Trend Micro: v1.0 and v1.1 dates | Version history |
| METI: Terms of use | PDL1.0-based reuse terms |
| METI: Exceptions | Logos and third-party content |