Press Releases
Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs MATSUMOTO’s attendance at the meetings of AI Action Summit hosted by France
On February 11, Mr. MATSUMOTO Hisashi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, attended the plenary session of the AI Action Summit hosted by the Republic of France in Paris and the related meeting, as well as the signing ceremony of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law held on the occasion of the Summit. The overview is as follows.
1. Attendance at the plenary session of the AI Action Summit hosted by France
- On February 10 and 11, the AI Action Summit hosted by France was held in Paris, and Parliamentary Vice-Minister Matsumoto attended the plenary session on February 11. The session was co-chaired by H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, and H.E. Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, and attended by approximately 90 government representatives (at the Heads of State, Ministerial, and Administrative levels),around 20 representatives of international organizations, and representatives of major businesses. At the session, issues that need to be addressed in order for AI to truly benefit humanity and the planet, such as promoting openness and inclusiveness, agenda for sustainability, and global governance were discussed.
- At the end of the session, India announced that it would host the next AI Summit.
2. Attendance at the Signing Ceremony of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law
On February 11, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Matsumoto attended and delivered a speech at the ceremony. Referring to Japan’s close cooperation with the Council of Europe as its only Asian observer and the importance of the Convention as the first-ever international legally binding instrument on the subject of AI, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Matsumoto stated that Japan is signing the Convention to demonstrate its strong determination to promote the fundamental values of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, and to contribute to the achievement of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI without hampering innovation. He witnessed the signing of the convention by H.E. Mr. SHIMOKAWA Makita, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the French Republic.
3. Attendance at the Workshop “African Engagement in Global AI Governance” organized by the Council of Europe
On February 11, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Matsumoto attended and delivered a speech at the workshop “African Engagement in Global AI Governance” organized by the Council of Europe, a side event of the AI Action Summit. Parliamentary Vice-Minister Matsumoto pointed out the importance of closing the digital divide to promote “human-centric AI” so that the benefits of AI can be widely enjoyed in developing countries, and stated that Japan will continue to support the establishment and strengthening of AI governance in developing countries, including Africa. He also expressed Japan’s willingness to work with Africa to co-create innovative solutions to global challenges facing the international community, with a view to TICAD 9 to be held in Yokohama in August this year.
AI Action Summit was held in Paris on February 10 and 11, as the third AI Summit, following the AI Safety Summit hosted by the UK in November 2023 and the AI Seoul Summit co-hosted by Korea and the UK in May 2024. It was held exclusively in in-person format. The plenary session on February 11 was co-chaired by President Macron of France and Prime Minister Modi of India and attended by approximately 90 government representatives (at the Heads of State, Ministerial, and Administrative levels) including from the G7, Australia, Korea, Singapore, China, Brazil, and other countries, and around 20 representatives of international organizations, as well as representatives of major businesses. During the session, following the speeches of President Macron of France and Prime Minister Modi of India, the Honorable JD Vance, Vice President of the United States of America, H.E. Dr. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and H.E. Mr. António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations gave their remarks, and round-table discussions were held among Mr. Sundar Pichai, Chief Executive Officer of Alphabet and Google, Mr. Pharrell Williams (music producer) and H.E. Mr. Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland and others. Issues that need to be addressed in order for AI to truly benefit humanity and the planet, such as promoting openness and inclusiveness, agenda for sustainability, and global governance were discussed.