Justice Ministry to tap AI tech to translate laws

e Justice Ministry plans to use an arti cial intelligence-equipped system to translate Japanese laws and ordinances into English from next scal year, according to sources.

e move is aimed at swi ly releasing English translations of new and amended laws and government decrees to attract more foreign investment.

e government intends to expand the translation system to other ministries and agencies, depending on the outcome of the rollout at the Justice Ministry.

In its Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform for scal 2022, the government set a target of doubling foreign direct investment stock in Japan from ¥40 trillion at the end of 2020 to ¥80 trillion in 2030. e swi translation of laws and regulations into English was identi ed as an important task to achieve the goal.

Overseas institutional investors, among others, need to check Japanese laws and regulations in detail when making investments in the country.

e number of visits to the Justice Ministry’s Japanese law translation database nearly tripled to about 160,000 in scal 2021, compared to ve years ago.

If English translations of new and revised laws and regulations are available, that will help investors make decisions sooner.

However, as of the end of June, only 842 of about 8,000 laws, government decrees and ministerial ordinances had been released in English on the database.

e long process involved in translating Japanese laws into English is largely due to the complexity of the work.

Currently, each ministry submits a dra translation to the Justice Ministry, which checks the format and style. e dra is then proofread by native English speakers, while experts, including lawyers specializing in foreign laws and legal scholars, conduct nal checks. e whole process, from the initial submission to the release of the English translation, takes about 2½ years on average.

Ministries and agencies usually do not have teams specializing in English translation, so the burden has been placed on personnel from the departments responsible for the laws and regulations, who conduct the work while carrying out their regular duties.

In 2019, the Justice Ministry set up a strategy council comprising members from the private and public sectors to publicize Japanese laws and regulations internationally.

e ministry will aim to publish English translations of amendments of major laws and regulations within a year of their enactment by using an AIequipped translation system. It plans to release more than 600 laws, ordinances and amendments in English by scal 2025.

e ministry intends to use the system to translate laws and ordinances that are under the jurisdiction of the ministry on a trial basis this scal year to assess the accuracy of translations, eyeing a full- edged rollout in scal 2023. (Aug. 14)