Japan relaxes privacy laws to make itself the 'easiest country to develop AI' (theregister.com) AI

Japan has approved amendments to its Personal Information Protection Act to remove the usual opt-in consent requirement for organizations using low-risk personal data for statistics and research, aiming to speed AI development. The changes include provisions for some sensitive categories such as health-related data (for improving public health) and facial images, with additional conditions like parental approval for children under 16 and stricter requirements around handling facial data. The rules add penalties for fraudulent data acquisition and improper use, but reduce requirements to notify individuals after data leaks deemed unlikely to cause harm.