Japan's digital minister warns: Japan could become an AI colony if it falls behind

Japan's digital minister, Masaru Matsumoto, said at a press conference that Japan must speed up AI development or risk becoming an 'AI colony.' He noted that Japan is already falling behind the US and China in AI tech. Matsumoto proposed changing Japan's personal information protection law to allow using personal data for AI development without user consent in some cases. Opposition parties worry this could weaken privacy, but Matsumoto promised no data leaks. This shows Japan's deep concern about the global AI race and its efforts to catch up.