Introduction

As the term artificial intelligence (AI) has become a buzzword in industry and academia in recent years, governments around the world have raced to create national AI strategies. AI can be broadly defined as ‘the study of how to make computers do things at which, at the moment, people are better’ (Rich et al. 2009, 3). Japan was one of the first countries, alongside Canada, to formulate an AI strategy, publicizing its first in early 2017. This first version of Japan’s ‘Artificial Intelligence Technology Strategy’ prioritized ‘health, medical care and welfare’, alongside ‘productivity’ and ‘mobility’ (Strategic Council for AI Technology, Japan 2017). AI technologies are increasingly penetrating our daily lives, and one of the industries that AI is radically transforming is, indeed, healthcare.

AI, alongside the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Internet of Medical Things, is expected to aid the development of new medicines, reduce diagnostic errors and help doctors more efficiently perform complex surgery with AI-assisted medical robotics (AoMRC 2019). The implementation of AI technologies in healthcare is particularly important in Japan because it is the most rapidly ageing society in the world (IIASA 2018). Japan is now facing serious societal challenges, such as the increasing elderly population and an acute workforce shortage, especially in the healthcare industry. The successful application of AI will enable Japan to sustain its healthcare and improve its medical productivity. In order to achieve these goals, however, effective interactions between the public and private sectors are indispensable. This chapter critically examines Japan's strategy to facilitate such interactions, focusing on its national project to develop so-called ‘AI hospitals’.

Japan's Ageing Society and AI in Healthcare

The development of AI in Japan has largely been a government-led process. The Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI) of the Japanese government launched the cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion (SIP) programme in 2013 to stimulate technological innovation in the country. Subsequently, SIP has served as a roadmap for AI development in Japan. Before the promulgation of the 2017 AI technology strategy, the development schemes of technological innovation was designed in two phases. The first phase began in 2014 while the second commenced in 2018.