Japan — AI Training / Information Analysis Exception (Copyright Act Art.30-4)
Binds Anyone in Japan reproducing or otherwise exploiting copyright works for information analysis, including AI model training (grants a statutory permission, subject to the Art.30-4 proviso and to Art.47-5 limits on downstream enjoyment use). Art.30-4 permits exploitation of a published or unpublished work, by any means and to the extent deemed necessary, where the purpose is not to enjoy the ideas or sentiments expressed in it — item (ii) names information analysis expressly, which covers machine-learning training. Subject to a proviso: the exception falls away where, in light of the type and use of the work and the manner of exploitation, it would unreasonably prejudice the copyright owner's interests. Legal permission, not a compliance obligation.
LEGAL PERMISSION — not a compliance obligation. Art.30-4 (Act No. 48 of 1970) in its current form was inserted by the 2018 amendment (Act No. 30 of 2018), whose supplementary provisions set entry into force at 1 January 2019 (Heisei 31). The chapeau allows exploitation 'to the extent deemed necessary' where the purpose is not self- or third-party enjoyment of the expressed ideas or sentiments; item (ii) covers information analysis, defined in the statute as extracting and comparing, classifying or otherwise analysing language, sound, image or other elements from a large number of works or a large volume of information. The proviso is the operative limit: no exception where the exploitation would unreasonably prejudice the copyright owner's interests in light of the type and use of the work and the manner of exploitation. Art.47-5(2) and Art.113(9) then withdraw the shelter from anyone who later uses an Art.30-4 copy for enjoyment purposes. Re-checked against the current consolidated e-Gov text on 2026-08-09: no amendment since 2024 touches Art.30-4 — the 2024-2026 amending Acts (Reiwa 6 No. 55, Reiwa 7 No. 27, Reiwa 8 Nos. 37 and 48) leave the article unchanged.
Stated maximum penalty — N/A — permissive exception (no penalty attaches to exploitation within Art.30-4; the general infringement ceiling is Art.119(1), up to 10 years' imprisonment and/or a JPY 10,000,000 fine, and Art.124(1)(i), up to JPY 300,000,000 for a corporate body)